Commenting on the figures, Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, said: “As UCAS points out, there are a number of underlying reasons for this dramatic increase, such as changes to the deadline for some art and design courses and the phasing out of the Nursing Diploma. However, even allowing for these changes, there is no doubt that applications are up significantly, a very welcome increase that can be attributed in part to rising aspirations and attainment.

  “Nevertheless, with a cap on funded places and universities who over-recruit facing fines, many applicants are going to be disappointed. Last year, fears that the demand for places would affect widening participation did not materialise. In fact, the numbers and share of accepted applicants from the most disadvantaged areas for 2009 entry actually increased.

 “However, this does not necessarily mean we will see the same happen for 2010 entry. I would therefore urge all universities to continue to make sure that this unprecedented demand for places does not disproportionately affect disadvantaged students.

 “I would also urge all students to investigate fully the bursary support on offer before selecting which offers to accept. There is a large variance in the financial support offered – even within groups of similar universities – and recent research commissioned by OFFA  showed that many students are not factoring this into their UCAS decision-making.”

 Notes to editors

1. The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by English universities and colleges offering higher education courses.
2. For further information, please contact Zita Adamson, Communications Manager, on 0117 931 7272 or email press@offa.org.uk.

Commenting on the report, ‘Trends in young participation in higher education’, published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Director of Fair Access Sir Martin Harris says:

“I am hugely heartened by this latest analysis from HEFCE  – it is evidence of a significant step change in the participation of young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.  What is particularly pleasing is that the sharp rise in participation among disadvantaged youngsters continues after the introduction of variable tuition fees, indicating that they have not proved a barrier to widening participation. This is really good news.

“Over the same period the chances of advantaged young people entering higher education have also risen but by much less. This means the gap between the chances of advantaged and disadvantaged young people entering higher education is finally starting to close. Indeed, most of the additional entrants to higher education since the mid-2000s have come from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

“It is impossible to prove exactly what has led to this improvement in participation rates but there are clear parallels with increased investment in schools, improved GCSE attainment, and increased university outreach activity.

“However, I would caution against complacency. This report is about participation in higher education as a whole and so does not show participation rates at particular groups of university. HEFCE have shown previously that patterns of participation at highly selective universities can be quite different from the sector as a whole and we will therefore be undertaking further work with HEFCE to assess participation trends by university groups.”

Ends

Notes to editors

The HEFCE report, ‘Trends in young participation in higher education: core results for England’, finds that:

• • there have been substantial and sustained increases in the chances of young people living in the most disadvantaged areas entering higher education since the mid-2000s
  • this finding holds whether neighbourhood disadvantage is defined by participation rates themselves or by measures of parental education, occupation or income
  • young people living in the most disadvantaged areas have increased their chances of entering higher education by +30 per cent over the past five years and by +50 per cent over the past 15 years.
  • young people from the most advantaged backgrounds have also increased their chances of entering higher education, typically by +5 per cent over the past 5 years and +15 per cent over the past 15 years.
  • In the mid-1990s one in eight young people in the most disadvantaged areas entered higher education. This has increased to one in five today – still far lower than the more than one in two of young people from the most advantaged areas entering higher education.

• For the full report, see http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/
• The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by English universities and colleges offering higher education courses.
• For further information, contact Zita Adamson, Communications Manager at OFFA, on 0117 931 7272 or 0117 931 7171.

Commenting on the figures, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, Sir Martin Harris, said: “These figures are excellent news. They confirm that, despite unprecedented demand for places and fears that this might affect access, the numbers and share of accepted applicants from the most disadvantaged areas have increased.

“We very much look forward to the forthcoming HEFCE report ‘Trends in young participation in higher education’ to see how these increases have affected the higher education participation rates of young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

“However, despite this success, we cannot be complacent. Demand for places is likely to be even stronger in 2010, so it remains important for universities and colleges to ensure that applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds are not disproportionately affected by this increased competition.”

ends

Notes to editors

1. The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by English universities and colleges offering higher education courses.
2. For further information, please contact Zita Adamson, Communications Manager, on 0117 931 7272 or email press@offa.org.uk.

The first major national research study systematically to examine the impact, awareness and take-up of university bursaries and scholarships finds that they are helping to overcome financial barriers to higher education (HE)[i] but that more needs to be done to improve awareness and understanding, particularly at key decision-making stages.

Commissioned by OFFA, and carried out by Professor Claire Callender of Birkbeck, University of London and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the study explores the impact, awareness and take-up of institutional bursaries and scholarships in England from the perspective of students, their parents, HE advisors in schools and further education colleges, and universities and colleges themselves.

The study’s summary report, ‘Awareness, take-up and impact of institutional bursaries and scholarships in England: Summary and recommendations’, finds that bursaries and scholarships are proving an effective recruitment tool for a significant minority of students[ii] – especially the highest value ones – and are successfully encouraging high-achieving lower-income students to opt for more selective universities and colleges.[iii]

But it concludes that the overall success of bursaries and scholarships as a financial incentive is being limited by:

• the lack of knowledge, awareness and understanding of bursaries on the part of many students, parents, and HE advisors in schools and colleges – a quarter of the students and parents surveyed had not heard of bursaries. Furthermore, among those who had heard of bursaries, there were large gaps in their knowledge[iv]
• the information-seeking behaviour of students, parents and HE advisors, particularly the timing of their information search – only two-fifths of the students surveyed said they had looked for information on bursaries before submitting their UCAS application form. Consequently, many  students did not take bursaries into account when choosing which university to apply to
• the scope, clarity and accessibility of information provided by universities and colleges and others  – almost half of students (44%) thought there was too little information on how to apply for a bursary although universities and colleges thought they had covered this.[v]  This risked confusing some students.

OFFA has used the research findings to create new good practice guidance for universities and colleges on how they can help improve awareness and understanding of bursaries, particularly at key decision-making stages in the UCAS process. Working together with the Student Loans Company, OFFA will also use the research findings to help improve the information given to HE advisors working in schools and further education colleges.

Professor Claire Callender says: “Universities and colleges have responded positively and generously to the call to introduce bursaries, spending £192m on bursaries and scholarships for lower-income and other under-represented students in 2007-08. Together with the Student Loans Company, they have also worked hard to improve take-up of bursaries. From 2008-09, OFFA expects take-up to be 96% or higher.

“However, what this research shows is that, despite great efforts by universities and colleges to give students information, bursary messages are not always getting through. In many cases, bursaries are not helping to shape students’ choices about which universities to apply to at key decision-making stages.”

Commenting on the research findings, Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, says: “Clearly, if we are to maximise the impact of bursaries on students’ HE decision-making, then awareness and understanding of bursaries among both students and those who advise them, must improve. Going forward, the new challenge for universities and colleges is to review and evaluate their bursary information and awareness-raising activities so that they know what works well and what doesn’t work as well. Students must know whether they qualify for a bursary, how to apply for one, and when and how much they will receive.

“We are particularly keen for universities and colleges to concentrate greater effort on awareness-raising activities at the pre-entry stage when students are researching their options. We would also urge them to target more information and awareness-raising activities specifically at parents and HE advisors in schools and colleges.

“The new Student Finance Calculator service from Student Finance England should help considerably – this will give students a comprehensive source of comparable bursary and scholarship information.”

Ends

[i] The research found that bursaries had the largest impact on the HE decisions of students who were anxious about the costs of going to university. Some 37% of students who said that the costs of university influenced their decision about whether to go to university a lot, thought bursaries were important compared to 22% of students who were unconcerned about the costs of going to university.

[ii] Nearly three out of ten students surveyed (28%) believed bursaries were important when deciding where to go to university and a quarter of students who had heard of bursaries reported that the amount of bursary available had influenced their choice of university.

[iii] Some 32% of students studying at a Russell Group university rated bursaries as important in their decision-making compared with 30% at other pre-1992 HEIs and 26% at 1994 universities and post-1992 HEIs.  The research suggests that this is probably because Russell Group students have better access to bursary information and are better informed.

[iv] Three quarters of students and two-thirds of parents did not realise that universities and colleges must give a minimum bursary to students receiving the full state maintenance grant. Almost half the students surveyed (47%) thought bursaries were one-off payments given to students in their first year. And the majority of students (56%) and 39% of their parents did not realise that bursaries were paid for by universities and colleges themselves.

[v] The majority of students (58%) who had looked at some HEI information on bursaries thought there was insufficient information on when they would receive a bursary while 44% thought there was too little on how to apply for a bursary. Almost half of students could not work out whether receiving a bursary would affect their eligibility for government grants and loans. However, 97% of the HEIs surveyed gave information on how to apply for their bursary, 85% on when students would receive a bursary and 77% explained that the receipt of a bursary did not affect students’ eligibility for government-funded support.

 Notes to editors

1. The research programme consisted of interviews with key stakeholders; a telephone survey of 74 HEIs conducted between October and December 2008; an online survey in October 2008 of a nationally representative sample of just under 5,000 full-time undergraduate students attending HEIs in receipt of a full or partial grant; a telephone survey of 114 of the students’ parents carried out in December 2008; a telephone survey of 150 HE advisors in schools and further education colleges carried out between November 2008 and January 2009.
2. The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by institutions offering higher education courses.
3. All the research reports will be available on the OFFA website from Thursday 3 December 2009 at http://www.offa.org.uk/publications/
4. For more information, please contact Zita Adamson, OFFA’s Communications Manager, on 0117 931 7272 or 0117 931 7171 or Simon Watts, Media & Publicity Officer at Birkbeck, University of London, on 020 7380 3133.

Responding today (Monday 9 November  2009) to the launch of the independent review of higher education funding and student finance, Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, said:  “I warmly welcome the appointment of Lord Browne of Madingley to lead the Review assessing the first three years of higher tuition fees and look forward to working with him.

“As set out in the Higher Education Act 2004, my role will be to report to the Review on whether the introduction of higher fees has deterred students in general from accessing higher education and, in particular, whether it has deterred students from under represented groups. I now welcome the additional task of reporting to the Review the conclusions of my report on access to highly selective universities.

“I will also be happy to advise on and help evaluate any proposals the Review wishes to consider in respect of future fees and provision for student support.

“Clearly, whatever the outcome of the Review, it will be important to safeguard access to higher education for students from under represented groups and ensure that no one is deterred from accessing higher education on financial grounds.”

Ends

For more information, please contact Zita Adamson, OFFA Communications Manager, on 0117 931 7272 or 0117 931 7171.

Note to editors

• The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by institutions offering higher education courses.
• As set out in the new framework for higher education published last week, ‘Higher Ambitions – the Future of Universities in  Knowledge Economy’, Sir Martin Harris has been asked to ‘consult Vice Chancellors and advise the Government by Spring 2010 on further action that could be taken to widen access to highly selective universities for those from under privileged backgrounds – and to ensure that measures for wider access are prioritised most effectively and do not suffer in a time of greater fiscal constraints.’

The new Higher Education framework announced today (Tuesday, November 3) asks Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, to ‘consult Vice Chancellors and advise the Government by Spring 2010 on further action that could be taken to widen access to highly selective universities for those from under privileged backgrounds – and to ensure that measures for wider access are prioritised most effectively and do not suffer in a time of greater fiscal constraints.’ Responding to this announcement, Sir Martin says:

“I am encouraged by the importance that the new framework continues to place on wider and fairer access to higher education. Far from downgrading its efforts in this area, the Government is instead stepping up the momentum to reinvigorate social mobility in this country. I am pleased it has maintained its resolve in such a difficult fiscal environment. As the framework rightly argues, the question of access to higher education is one of both social justice and economic success – in other words, it is in all our interests to make sure that those with the talent and motivation to benefit from going to university are able to do so.

“Ensuring that appropriately qualified children from under privileged backgrounds have the opportunity to access highly selective institutions is an important part of the fair access agenda. I am therefore happy to work with vice chancellors at such institutions to seek to find further ways – particularly in partnership with schools and colleges – to achieve this.”

Ends

For more information, please contact Zita Adamson, OFFA communications manager on 0117 9317272 or 0117 9317171.

Note to editors:

•  The request to Sir Martin Harris is described in Chapter 1 of the HE framework – ‘Wider and Fairer Access to Higher Education’ (paragraph 32). The full description is as follows:

“We are asking Sir Martin Harris, the Director of Fair Access, to consult Vice Chancellors and advise the Government by Spring 2010 on further action that could be taken to widen access to highly selective universities for those from under privileged backgrounds – and to ensure that measures for wider access are prioritised most effectively and do not suffer in a time of greater fiscal constraints. His report will be available in time to influence the conclusions of the Fees Review.

“Working with universities, he will look at how best individual universities can set and achieve targets for themselves. He will advise on how best to promote the partnership of schools and universities to identify and mentor the most talented young people from an early age. He will also advise on whether the money currently used by universities under access agreements, mainly spent on bursaries for their students, can be better targeted in order to give more effective support to fair access.”

• The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by institutions offering higher education courses.

In brief…

All SCITTs must confirm their fee limits, bursaries and eligibility thresholds for 2010-11 with OFFA by 30 October 2009:

• if you need to make a change to your access agreement from 2010-11 you must notify us and submit a revised access agreement. This is also the deadline for SCITTs that don’t currently have an access agreement and wish to submit one for the first time from 2010-11.
• the minimum bursary will increase to £329.
• the government announcement covering grants and student support for academic year 2010-11 includes a number of changes that will affect postgraduate initial teacher training students.

Background information

In July 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced the student support arrangements for 2010-11. These confirmed that:

• the maximum variable fee would increase from £3,225 to £3,290 in 2010-11.
• the maximum level of Higher Education Maintenance Grant/Special Support Grant would remain at £2,906, the same level as for 2009-10.

Following this announcement we have decided that the minimum bursary from 2010 onwards will be ten per cent of the maximum fee. If you would like to know more about the reasons for this decision please visit our website here: http://www.offa.org.uk/universities-and-colleges/guidance-and-useful-information/the-minimum-bursary-from-2010-11/.

What this means for SCITT providers

The minimum bursary requirement

For 2010-11, the minimum bursary requirement will be as follows:

• the minimum bursary will increase by above inflation to £329 for trainees receiving the full maintenance grant and being charged the maximum fee of £3,290
• if you’re charging a fee of over £2,961 but less than £3,290, you must provide a minimum bursary for trainees receiving the full maintenance grant which makes up, pound for pound, the difference between £2,961 and the fee charged. For example, if you’re charging a fee of £3,190, your minimum bursary will be £229
• if you’re charging a tuition fee of £2,961 or less, you do not need to provide a minimum bursary.

Institutions that currently offer the minimum bursary

Although we have set the minimum bursary at £329 for 2010-11, when finalising the bursary level for trainees receiving the full maintenance grant, you will want to give consideration to how best to ensure that trainees from poorer backgrounds are not deterred from applying to you on financial grounds.

SCITTs which currently charge the maximum fee and offer a bursary of £319 in 2009/10 may wish to consider maintaining the link between the minimum bursary and the maximum state maintenance grant by offering a bursary of £384 in 2010/11. However, there is no expectation that you should to do so and we recognise that you may judge that this proportion of your additional fee income would be more usefully spent on enhancing the experience of trainees, or increasing other widening participation activity.

Once you have finalised the level of your bursaries you may need to amend your access agreement for 2010-11 to ensure that the wording is consistent with the new arrangements and the decision you have reached.

Other bursaries

Over and above the minimum bursary, you are not required to increase your bursary amounts or eligibility thresholds unless your access agreement commits you to do so. However, you may wish to review these levels to ensure that the value of your financial support package is not eroded over time.

Inflationary increases to fees and state support thresholds

The Government announcement on fee levels and student support arrangements for 2010-11 included some key changes that will affect postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) students:

• for full-time postgraduate trainees the financial support for new entrants to postgraduate and equivalent ITT courses will be aligned with what is available for undergraduates in general. The non-means tested element of the maintenance grant will cease
• from 1 August 2010, new students starting part-time ITT courses will no longer be eligible for the full-time fee and maintenance support package. However, they will be eligible to apply for a part-time means-tested fee grant of up to £1,230 (the maximum will depend on the intensity of study on the course) and a means-tested course grant of up to £265.

Full details are available on the Student Finance England website in a Student Support Information Note (SSIN).

Tuition fees:

• the maximum tuition fee payable by trainees who entered higher education on or after 1st September 2006 and who are being charged variable fees, will increase from £3,225 to £3,290 in 2010-11. This increase represents a 2.04 per cent increase compared to 2009-10 and will be matched by a corresponding increase in the loan for fees that trainees can take out
• the maximum fee payable by trainees who are not being charged variable fees will increase from £1,285 to £1,310.

State support thresholds:

• the maximum level of Higher Education Maintenance Grant/Special Support Grant will remain at 2009-10 levels, i.e. £2,906
• income thresholds for eligibility for state grants for new entrants in 2010-11 will remain at £25,000 for the full grant and £50,020 for a partial grant
• if you have any trainees continuing from previous years please contact us directly for details.

What you need to do now

All SCITT providers must confirm their fee limits, bursaries and eligibility thresholds for 2010-11 with OFFA by 30 October 2009.

How to send us confirmation:

• if you simply wish to confirm the level of your financial support for 2010-11 under terms set out in your existing access agreement (for example, your access agreement specifies that each year you will apply an inflationary increase to fees or bursaries), you should set this out in an email and return it to us to by 30 October 2009
• if you wish to submit a new access agreement, or make changes to an existing access agreement – that is, changes that are not specified in your current access agreement – then you should send an updated access agreement, by 30 October 2009.

Please send your documents to accessagreements@offa.org.uk.

Got a query?

If you have any queries please contact Chris Scrase or Richard Smith by emailing enquiries@offa.org.uk or phoning 0117 931 7171.

Cc: Principal contact for OFFA / Managers responsible for access agreements

In brief…

Following the announcement of inflationary increases to fees for 2010-11, all institutions with access agreements must confirm their fee limits, bursaries and eligibility thresholds for 2010-11 with OFFA by 18 August 2009.

If you need to make a change to your access agreement from 2010-11, for example, in light of changes to the minimum bursary requirement, you must notify us and submit a revised access agreement by 18 August 2009. This is also the deadline for institutions that don’t currently have an access agreement and wish to submit one for the first time from 2010-11.¹

The minimum bursary – for students receiving the full maintenance grant and being charged the maximum fee of £3,290 – will increase to £329.

Background information

Earlier this month, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced the student support arrangements for 2010-11. These confirmed that:

• the maximum fee payable by students who entered higher education on or after 1st September 2006 and who are being charged variable fees, would increase to £3,290 in 2010-11
• the maximum level of Higher Education Maintenance Grant would remain at £2,906, the same level as for 2009-10

Minister of State issues new guidance to OFFA

Following this announcement, the Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, David Lammy, wrote a formal letter of guidance to Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, ending the requirement for the minimum bursary to make up the difference between the maximum maintenance grant and the fee charged. Instead, the Minister asked the Director of Fair Access to devise a new appropriate and reasonable formula for a minimum bursary which was at least equal to the 2009-10 minimum bursary entitlement of £319.

Explaining his decision, the Minister pointed out that maintaining the original minimum bursary requirement would, following the decision to freeze the maintenance grant for 2010-11 at 2009-10 levels, place considerable additional bursary commitments on some institutions that are already very socially diverse and successful in widening participation.

These additional commitments would go beyond the intended commitments of their current, approved access agreements and would increase some institutions’ minimum bursary obligations above the ten per cent of additional fee income that the then Secretary of State Charles Clarke envisaged in his original letter of guidance to the Director of Fair Access in October 2004.

The new minimum bursary from 2010-11

Following the new guidance from the Minister of State, we have decided that from 2010-11, the minimum bursary will be ten per cent of the maximum tuition fee.

How we reached this decision

In considering an appropriate level for the minimum bursary, we took into account the need to safeguard student support, as well as institutions’ wider plans to widen participation and ensure fair access. Our aim was to ensure that the minimum bursary both protected students by keeping pace with inflation, and allowed institutions the flexibility to invest resources where they would be most effective in widening participation.

When approving access agreements our expectation has always been that the minimum bursary should rise in line with inflation. We therefore decided that we would maintain an inflationary increase in the minimum bursary alongside any inflationary increases to tuition fees. However, we decided we would also make a small additional adjustment. When the new student support arrangements were introduced in 2006, the minimum bursary for students in receipt of the full maintenance grant was set at £300, which was ten per cent of the maximum fee of £3,000. We therefore decided to re-establish this ten per cent level for future years, so ensuring that the value of the bursary was not eroded over time in comparison to the fee and providing assurance to students and institutions alike.

What this means for institutions

The minimum bursary requirement

For 2010-11, the minimum bursary requirement will be as follows:

• the minimum bursary will increase by above inflation to £329 for students receiving the full maintenance grant and being charged the maximum fee of £3,290²
• if you’re charging a fee of over £2,961 but less than £3,290, you must provide a minimum bursary for students receiving the full maintenance grant which makes up, pound for pound, the difference between £2,961 and the fee charged. For example, if you’re charging a fee of £3,190, your minimum bursary will be £229
• if you’re charging a tuition fee of £2,961 or less, you do not need to provide a minimum bursary.

Further expectations for institutions offering the minimum bursary

Although we have set the minimum bursary at £329 for 2010-11, when finalising the bursary level for students receiving the full maintenance grant, you will want to give careful consideration to how best to ensure that students from less advantaged families are not deterred from applying to you on financial grounds.

We therefore expect you to seriously consider maintaining the link between the minimum bursary and the maximum state maintenance grant by offering a minimum bursary of £384, particularly for current continuing students. However, we recognise that, in some cases, you may judge that this proportion of your additional fee income would be more usefully spent on increasing other widening participation activity, or enhancing the experience of students.

Once you have finalised the level of your bursaries for students receiving the full maintenance grant in the light of this guidance, you may need to amend your access agreement for 2010-11 to ensure that the wording is consistent with the new arrangements and the decision you have reached.

In 2009-10, around 87 per cent of institutions charging the maximum fee will be offering in excess of the minimum bursary; students receiving the full maintenance grant at these institutions will not be affected by this change.

The implications for other bursaries

Over and above the minimum bursary, you are not required to increase your bursary amounts or eligibility thresholds unless your access agreement commits you to do so. However, you may wish to review these levels to ensure that the value of your financial support package is not eroded over time.

Inflationary increases to fees and state support thresholds

Key details of the Government announcement on fee levels and student support arrangements for 2010-11 are as follows:

Tuition fees;

• the maximum tuition fee payable by students who entered higher education on or after 1st September 2006 and who are being charged variable fees, will increase from £3,225 to £3,290 in 2010-11. This increase represents a 2.04 per cent increase compared to 2009-10 and will be matched by a corresponding increase in the loan for fees that students can take out
• the maximum fee payable by students who are not being charged variable fees (including students who entered higher education before 1st September 2006), will increase from £1,285 to £1,310

State support thresholds;

• the maximum level of Higher Education Maintenance Grant/Special Support Grant will remain at 2009-10 levels, i.e. £2,906
• income thresholds for eligibility for state grants for new entrants in 2009-10 and 2010-11 will remain at £25,000 for the full grant and £50,020 for a partial grant
• income thresholds for eligibility for state grants for new entrants in 2008-09 will remain at £25,000 for the full-grant and £60,032 for a partial grant
• income thresholds for eligibility for state grants for new entrants in 2006-07 or 2007-08 will remain at £18,360 for the full grant and £39,333 for a partial grant.

Full details are available on the Student Finance England website in a Student Support Information Note (SSIN).

What you need to do now

All institutions must confirm their fee limits, bursaries and eligibility thresholds for 2010-11 with OFFA by 18 August 2009. This deadline allows us to confirm approved fee limits of institutions and their partners with the Student Loans Company prior to the start of the application process.

You must also confirm any franchise partners that will be covered by your access agreement in 2010-11.

How to send us confirmation:

• if you simply wish to confirm the level of your financial support for 2010-11 under terms set out in your existing access agreement (for example, your access agreement specifies that each year you will apply an inflationary increase to fees or bursaries), you should complete the fee and bursary update template and submit it to us to by 18 August 2009
• if you wish to submit a new access agreement, or make changes to an existing access agreement – that is, changes that are not specified in your current access agreement – then you should complete the fee and bursary update template above and submit this to OFFA, as well as an updated access agreement³, by 18 August 2009. This will also apply if you are updating your access agreement to reflect the development of your widening participation strategic assessment, where applicable.

Please send your completed update templates and amended agreements to accessagreements@offa.org.uk.

Got a query?

If you have any queries about how to confirm your financial support for 2010-11 or submit a revised or new access agreement, please contact Chris Scrase or Richard Smith by emailing enquiries@offa.org.uk or phoning 0117 931 7171.

¹ Institutions wishing to submit an access agreement for the first time should visit www.offa.org.uk/universities-and-colleges/writing-an-access-agreement/ for further guidance on developing an access agreement.

² The increase from £319 in 2009-10 to £329 in 2010-11 represents an increase of 3.1 per cent.

³ The access agreement should include a financial return, which can be downloaded here.

This means that in 2010-11 the minimum bursary will be £329, an above inflation increase of 3.1% (note 2) from the previous level of £319 in 2009-10.

The new 10% level follows revised guidance to OFFA from David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property ending the requirement for the minimum bursary to make up the difference between the maximum maintenance grant and the tuition fee charged. This in turn follows recent government changes to student support levels which include maintaining the state maintenance grant for 2010-11 at 2009-10 levels.

Commenting on the new 10% minimum bursary level, Sir Martin says: “In 2006, the first year of the new student support arrangements, the minimum bursary was £300 which was 10% of the then maximum fee of £3,000.

“By re-establishing this 10% level for future years, we will ensure that the value of the bursary is not eroded over time in comparison to the fee. This will give assurance to students and institutions alike.”

Although OFFA will only require universities and colleges to offer a minimum bursary of £329, it expects them to seriously consider offering a bursary that continues to make up the difference between the state maintenance grant and the fee they charge. For universities and colleges charging the maximum tuition fee and currently only paying the minimum bursary, this would mean offering a bursary of £384 for 2010-11. However, OFFA recognises that in some cases institutions may judge that they can spend this extra money more usefully on other widening participation activity or enhancing the student experience. In practice, most universities and colleges already give far more than the minimum bursary (note 3). The average bursary for students in receipt of the full state maintenance grant is around £900.

In his revised guidance to OFFA, David Lammy explains that following the decision to maintain the state maintenance grant at 2009-10 levels, some universities which currently only offer the minimum bursary because they already have a very diverse student intake would have to increase their current bursary commitments by around 20% over one year in order to continue to meet the gap between the maintenance grant and upper fee limit.

The Minister writes: “Therefore, whilst I continue to expect you to prescribe a minimum bursary requirement for the lowest income students (those whose residual family income entitles them to the maximum state maintenance grant), I no longer expect that this should make up the difference between the maximum grant and the fee charged.

“I now ask you, as Director of Fair Access, to determine an appropriate and reasonable formula for a minimum bursary which continues to provide institutions with a clear understanding of their minimum obligation to their lowest income students, whilst allowing them to continue to develop their wider bursary policies and access plans in such ways that will most effectively promote widened participation and fair access.

“The detail of this is for you to decide but the minimum bursary you set should not be less than the minimum bursary entitlement for 2009-10 (i.e. £319).”

Notes to editors

1. In 2010-11, the minimum bursary applies to students receiving the full state maintenance grant and being charged a tuition fee of more than £2,961. The minimum bursary for students on the full state maintenance grant who are being charged the maximum fee of £3,290 will be £329.
2. On 1 July 2009 the Government announced that tuition fees for 2010-11 will rise by an inflationary increase of 2.04%.
3. In 2009-10, 87% of higher education institutions will offer bursaries above the minimum bursary of £319 for students receiving the full state maintenance grant.
4. The new guidance to OFFA from David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property is on the OFFA website under http://www.offa.org.uk/about/, together with the original guidance from the then Secretary of State Charles Clarke setting out his expectations around the minimum bursary level.
5. In 2007/08, the second year of the new student finance regime, universities and colleges spent almost £192m on bursaries and scholarships for lower income students.
6. More than 70 per cent of this £192m went to the poorest students with household incomes of less than £17,910.

Commenting on the announcement, Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, said:

“Investment in higher education is crucial at this time and I am very pleased that the Government has provided funding for these extra places. The announcement will allow institutions to go further towards meeting the unprecedented demand for higher education.

“However, it remains important for higher education institutions to ensure that applicants from lower income families and other under-represented groups, across all subject areas, are not disproportionately affected by the increased demand for places this autumn.”

For further information
Please contact Chris Scrase, Programme Manager, on 0117 931 7053 or email press@offa.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The announcement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is available at:

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=404961&NewsAreaID=2