Here are some of the things you need to do before you can receive your first maintenance loan payment once you start your new course at Birmingham City University.
How to get your first maintenance loan payment
Follow these steps
Submit an application to Student Finance England (SFE)
Ensure you've completed an application for Student Finance England, or the equivalent provider in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. The earlier you do this, the better, as late applications could delay your payments.
Apply for Student FinanceReceive an award letter from SFE or equivalent
You'll need to have received a letter confirming your award for the year, it also needs to show BCU as the university you'll be attending. If it shows a different university you'll need to inform SFE of the change by logging into your account.
Log in to your SFE accountSign and return the loan declaration to SFE
Be sure to sign the declaration and send it back to your Student Finance loan provider as soon as possible.
Provide your bank details
Check you've provided SFE with the correct bank details that you want your maintenance loan to be paid into. This needs to be an account in your name but doesn't have to be a student account.
Enrol onto your course at BCU
Complete your enrolment on your course at BCU, you can do this online here.
This list doesn't cover everything and is not a guarantee that an award will be made to you or that funding will be paid to you. It's designed as general guidance to help you get your Student Finance payments.
Enrol hereWhat happens next?
Once you've enrolled on your course, BCU will be able to confirm your registration directly with your student finance provider. If you've completed all the tasks in the checklist above then, in most cases, you won't need to do anything else for us to confirm your registration.
Please note: We can only confirm your registration a maximum of 30 days before your course starts, regardless of when you enrolled.
SFE will also confirm your National Insurance number directly with the department for work and pensions.
Once the university has confirmed your registration you should receive your first maintenance payment on the date listed on your payment timetable. If you enrol or re-enrol within several days before the start of your course your payment may be delayed. If you complete your enrolment after the date listed on your payment timetable, you should receive your first maintenance payment 3-5 working days after the university has confirmed your registration.
How do I know my payment dates?
You can find payment timetables for the maintenance loan (and dependants grants if applicable) and tuition fee loan, on your online SFE account. This section also shows real-time updates on the status of these payments. SFE will also send you an email or text message each time a payment is due.
Do I need to reapply every year?
Yes, you'll need to reapply for each academic year of funding and re-enrol on your course every year as well.
Where can I get more help or advice?
Student Support is Birmingham City University's money and childcare advice service for students. If you'd like to speak to an adviser you can email studentsupport@bcu.ac.uk and a member of the team will get back to you to arrange an appointment.
You can also get more information on funding from Student Finance England.
Your questions answered
Find answers to a range of questions on starting as a student at BCU.