Frequently asked questions: new starters and returning students

Make sure that you apply for the maximum amount of living costs funding that you are eligible for, the information on our Undergraduate Maintenance Loan web page provides detail on how to be means tested.

These short videos from Student Finance England will guide you through the SFE application process. The easiest and fastest way to apply to SFE is online.

SFE calculate your Maintenance Loan based on your parents'/partner's household income. You may only be receiving the minimum Maintenance Loan because SFE haven’t checked your household income yet. Your parents/partner need to supply their household income.

Make sure that you apply for the maximum amount of living costs funding that you are eligible for, the information on our Undergraduate Maintenance Loan web page provides detail on how to be means tested.

If you believe that SFE have assessed your parents’/partner’s income incorrectly. Please book a Money Doctor appointment with us.

If you have supported yourself financially for at least 3 years, or had no contact with your parents for over a year, you might be able to apply as an independent student. If you would like support with applying for and evidencing independent status, please contact our Transitions Team. 

It’s important that parents do provide household income, as this means that SFE can assess you correctly and provide you with the maximum Maintenance Loan available to you.

To check that that you are applying for the maximum amount of living costs funding that you are eligible for, please read our Undergraduate Maintenance Loan web page, which provides detail on how to be means tested.

If you are estranged from your parents, you may be able to apply to SFE for independent status. Our Transitions Team can offer advice and support on the application process.

If you don’t feel that you qualify for independent status, please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment, so that we can advise you further.

If you believe that SFE haven’t assessed the gross household income correctly, check with your parents/partner first. When SFE assess household income, they use the previous tax year (e.g. if you are studying in 2024/25, SFE are assessing household income from the April 2022 to April 2023 tax year).

If your parents'/partner's income has dropped by 15% or more since that tax year (e.g. they lost their job/ or took a large pay cut/ changed from full-time to part-time), you should see if you can get re-assessed on the current household income via a Current Year Income assessment.

Make sure that you apply for the maximum amount of living costs funding that you are eligible for, the information on our Undergraduate Maintenance Loan web page provides detail on how to be means tested.

If you are not sure about the household income calculation or applying for a Current Year Income assessment, please book a 30-minute Money Doctor appointment with us.

The Maintenance Loan is paid to you, into your bank account, in three instalments. For September-start students, this is usually at the start of every term: October, January, March/April (depending on when Easter falls). If you started your course in January or March, your payment dates will vary.

This Getting Paid video explains how you get paid.

If you are a NEW student, the University will need to confirm your registration with SFE for you to receive your Maintenance Loan. We send this electronically to SFE once you are registered on your course. Your Maintenance Loan payment should be in your bank account within 3–5 working days from the date DMU confirm your registration.

If you are a CURRENT student, your registration will be confirmed automatically.

If you are not sure when your Maintenance Loan will be paid, check your SFE Payment Schedule letter or log in to your SFE online account.

It’s best to check your online SFE account first.

Once you have logged into your SFE account, you should see a ‘My Account’ page.

• Select ‘Your Finance’ – this is where you’ll find the option to see your payments
• Click on ‘Academic Year 2023/24’ under ‘View Your Payments’
• Scroll down to Maintenance Loan
• It will tell you the status of your Maintenance Loan (for example: it may say ‘Blocked’)
• If you need to do anything, it will be listed on ‘Your To-Do List.’

If you are unable to access your SFE account online, or are unsure about what you need to do next, please contact SFE by telephoning: 0300 100 0607.

If you have contacted SFE and there are things you are unsure of, please book a 30-minute Money Doctor appointment with us.

We can call SFE with you during a face-to-face appointment. Please book a 30-minute Money Doctor appointment with us, so that we can find out what’s causing the delay and how long it will take to sort the problem out.

If you are unable to attend an appointment, you can set up consent-to-share so that we can telephone SFE on your behalf.

You can now do this via your online account, we have created information on how to set up SFE consent-to-share via your online account, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to do it. Or alternatively you can telephone SFE: 0300 100 0607 and ask to set up 'consent-to-share'. SFE will ask you to provide the following information:

• Name of university: De Montfort University
• Relationship to the student: Higher Education Provider
• Password: Welfare (or you can choose your own if you prefer)
• SFE might ask you for an expiry date: we would suggest you set this as the end of your course (or you can opt to set it earlier than that if you prefer).

Once you have set up consent-to-share, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk to let us know. When you email us, tell us:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• your SFE Customer Reference Number (11 digits)
• what you’d like help with
• your chosen password (if not using our suggestion).

We will contact you when we have spoken to SFE on your behalf. It may take up to five working days for us to do this.

There are a number of reasons why students are unable to get funding from SFE. This is usually due to previous study.

To discuss your options, you will need to book an appointment with us, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk When you email us, tell us:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• the reason(s) why you are unable to secure funding
• your telephone number so that we can arrange an appointment.

If you are from the EU, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and are studying, or planning to study, in the UK you will have a number of considerations.

If you started a course on or after 1 August 2021, you must have Settled or Pre-settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you would apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance. If you have Settled Status, you are likely to receive both the Tuition Fee Loan and the Maintenance Loan. If you have Pre-Settled Status, you will receive the Tuition Fee Loan.

If you came to the UK from 1 January 2021, you may need to apply for a visa to study. However, if you have a family member with Citizens Rights in the UK, you can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. You must do this within 90 days of arriving in the UK. Under this scheme, if you are granted Pre-Settled Status based on your family member, you will receive the Tuition Fee Loan only. If you start working, you may be able to access full support (the Tuition Fee Loan and the Maintenance Loan).

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.

When you apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, you will be given Settled or Pre-Settled Status. You will also need to apply for an EU Share Code. When you apply for this, apply under the heading "Another Reason". EU Share Codes are valid for 30 days.

If you are a NEW student and have Settled Status:

• apply online to SFE
• you will need your EUSS Status Award letter and your EUSS Share Code.

If you are a NEW student and have Pre-Settled Status:

• apply to SFE using a EU23N form; this is a paper application
• you will need your EUSS Status Award letter and your EUSS share Code.

If you are a RETURNING student:

• apply to SFE in the normal way
• you do not need an EU Share Code.

Migrant Worker status is a complex area and we encourage you to get advice and support. Please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk to book an appointment – when you email us, tell us:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• that you’d like to apply for Migrant Worker status
• your telephone number so that we can arrange an appointment.

If you are resitting with attendance, you will be able to get student finance for each block.

If you are not resitting all four blocks, your funding will be reduced because you will not be in attendance for the full year.

In line with standard student finance regulations, you must be in attendance to be eligible for student finance. If you are resitting without attendance, you will not be charged a tuition fee for the block(s) you are repeating and you are not expected to attend university – therefore you will be unable to receive any student finance (for example, no tuition fee loan, maintenance loan or grants). You will need to support yourself through employment and/or family support.

Student Finance England (SFE) will need to assess your application on a case-by-case basis. This is because how much you are entitled to will be determined by a number of factors, for example:

• the number of blocks you are resitting with attendance

• when you will be studying these blocks

• how much your household income is.

DMU will be unable to confirm your resit details to SFE until the results of the resit boards have been added to the Student Records system by your Faculty (which is likely to be the end of September). SFE will then take about 6 weeks to update your entitlement and notify you about this.

Where the blocks you are resitting with attendance are not adjacent, SFE can only assess you for the first block(s) and they will then have to reassess you once you commence your non-adjacent block(s). For example, if you are resitting blocks 1 and 4, SFE will assess you for block 1, then once you have started block 4 they will add this to your assessment.

To get a ball-park figure of how much Maintenance Loan you might get, more information is provided under How much Maintenance Loan might I get?

DMU has devised a calculator based on the Student Loans Company guidance to give you an idea of how much Maintenance Loan you might get. Please note this is a ball-park figure and your exact amount will be confirmed by Student Finance England (SFE). More information is provided under When will I know how much student finance I will get?

To use this calculator, you will need to know your 2024/25 Maintenance Loan full year entitlement amount. This can be found on your SFE letter/ portal. You will also need to know when the blocks you will be resitting with attendance will take place, as you will need to select whether you will be in attendance for each block.

This means when you will be in attendance in 2024/25, not which blocks you failed, as this could be different. For example, you may have failed blocks 2 and 3 in 2023/24 but these may now be running in block 1 and 2. You can find this information out from your Student Advice Centre.

Please select the Year 1 calculator or Year 2 calculator as appropriate (these calculators may not work well on mobile devices, please try them on a PC if you experience any difficulties. These may not open correctly on the Microsoft Edge browser).

Please note this calculator is not suitable for students in receipt of grants – if you are in this situation, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk so that we can book you an appointment.

Your Maintenance Loan will only be reduced if you are not resitting with attendance all 4 blocks. If you are only required to resit 2 blocks (with attendance), you can choose to repeat the year instead (i.e. resit all 4 blocks, with attendance), which would enable you to get the full year of funding. If you choose to only resit the 2 blocks (with attendance), or you are only resitting 1 block (with attendance), this means you will have periods of the academic year when you are not required to be in attendance. You could look to gain full-time employment during these periods to supplement your funding.

If you have yet to start your resits, try to find a job now, so that you can start saving up in advance. If you have a student bank account with an interest-free overdraft, see if you can extend your agreed limit. Money Saving Expert lists the current top student bank accounts. You should also speak to family and friends to see if they can support you.

Check if you are eligible to apply to the DMU Support Fund, however, there is no guarantee of an award and it is not designed to cover a shortfall of Maintenance Loan. Successful applications would only receive a small contribution towards costs. Award amounts may be determined by the number of blocks you are resitting, or whether you are repeating the whole year.

If you are resitting only 1 or 2 blocks (with attendance) and this includes block 1, it is unlikely you will get your payment on 30th September 2024. This is because DMU will be unable to confirm your resit details to Student Finance England (SFE) until the results of the resit boards have been added to the Student Records system by your Faculty (which is likely to be the end of September). SFE will then take about 6 weeks to update your entitlement. Only after your application has been updated by SFE, will DMU be able to confirm your registration, which will release your Maintenance Loan to you.

If your resits (with attendance) do not start until block 2, block 3 or block 4, you will only receive the first instalment of your revised Maintenance Loan once you have started your first block.

You should speak to your accommodation provider and explain there will be a delay to you receiving your funding and ask for an extension. However, you also need to bear in mind that your revised Maintenance Loan may not cover your rent, so you may need to negotiate a different payment plan with the provider. If you are finding it difficult to negotiate with your provider, please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment.

More information is provided under What do I do if I won’t have enough money to pay for my living costs for the year?

If you are concerned about buying food, see if family or friends can help in the short-term. If you have a student bank account with an interest-free overdraft, see if you can extend your agreed limit. If you are unable to pursue these opportunities for support, please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment.

If you started your course at DMU prior to 2023/24 and you are resitting with attendance, each 30-credit block will cost £1,976 (for Home students)

If you started your course at DMU in 2023/24 and you are resitting with attendance, each 30-credit block will cost £2,312.50 (for Home students)

If you are resitting without attendance, you will not be charged any tuition fees.

If you are resitting without attendance, you will not be charged a tuition fee and therefore will not need a tuition fee loan.

If you are resitting with attendance, you will be able to get a tuition fee loan for the blocks that you are resitting, providing you have not exhausted your +1 year (see below).

Student Finance England (SFE) will fund you for the length of your course, plus give you an additional year (+1). For instance, if your course is 3 years in length, SFE would fund you for 3 years + 1 = 4 years funding entitlement. They will then deduct any previous Higher Education (H.E.) study you have done (even if not completed). This remaining entitlement is allocated to the final year of the course first and worked backwards. Please see examples below:

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Hamza is on a 3-year course. He has only had one attempt at Year 1 on a course at DMU in 2023/24 previously, and has failed 3 blocks, which he needs to resit with attendance. The calculation would be:

3 [standard duration of course] + 1 = 4 – 1 [number of previous academic years where H.E. study was undertaken] = 3

3 years funding entitlement remaining, which is allocated to Year 3, then Year 2, and then the resits for Year 1, meaning Hamza would receive a tuition fee loan for his resits with attendance.

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Alex is on a 3-year course. She previously started a degree at the University of Wolverhampton, which she left after 2 months. She has now studied one attempt at Year 1 on a course at DMU and failed 2 blocks, which she needs to resit with attendance. The calculation would be:

3 [standard duration of course] + 1 = 4 – 2 [number of previous academic years where H.E. study was undertaken] = 2

2 years funding entitlement remaining, which is allocated to Year 3, then Year 2, meaning Alex would need to self-fund her tuition fees for her resit with attendance on Year 1.

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If there were reasons outside of your control which have led to you needing to resit with attendance, then you may be able to apply for an additional year of tuition fee funding via Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). Please see Going back to uni or repeating a year for more information. It could be due an illness, bereavement, mental health etc, and you would need to be able to evidence this. If you need help applying for Compelling Personal Reasons, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk so we can book you into an appointment.

Please contact DMU Money Advice:

Phone: 0116 257 7595 (select option 3, then option 3 again)

Email: sfw@dmu.ac.uk

Appointment: book a Quick Query or Money Doctor appointment.

In an appointment, we can go through your finances to ensure you have applied for everything you are entitled to. We can also see if you qualify for any additional financial assistance, including the DMU Support Fund. 

Our web pages have more information on all the financial support we can provide.

DMU Money Advice offer 15-minute Quick Query appointments, you can book these via MyGateway.

Most high street banks offer overdrafts facilities on current accounts, however, they incur very high charges (often higher than a credit card!).

Student bank accounts are different and the overdraft is usually interest free. This means that you will not pay any interest if you use your arranged overdraft. This can be handy to have for funding delays or any unexpected costs.

Overdrafts usually start at £500 and can increase to £1,500 or more, over the duration of your course.

Save The Student also provides some good advice on choosing the right student bank account for you.

It is often easier to convert a current account you might already have, but you can also open a student account with a different bank. You can only have one student account and this is where your student funding should be paid into.

When you apply for a student bank account, the bank will require proof of (photo) identity, such as a passport or driving licence. They will also need to see proof of address, like a tenancy agreement, or check if they will accept a utility bill. They will require proof that you are a current student, you can download a bank letter from the 'My Documents' tile within MyDMU. 

Once you graduate you can convert your student account into a Graduate Account. 

There are a lot of recruitment agencies based in Leicester city centre. Do a Google search, visit them in person, or try the following links: Student jobs in Leicester (Indeed), Student Job or Jooble.

Unitemps recruitment agency is based within the Students’ Union building on campus and advertises part-time/ full-time work opportunities, both at DMU and within local businesses.

Our Careers Team also advertise job vacancies on MyGateway. 

The recommendation is not to exceed working more than 15 hours a week alongside full-time undergraduate studies.

General information is available on the Scholarships and Bursaries that DMU offer.

DMU Money Advice administer the DMU Support Fund (hardship fund)

The Transitions Team are DMU's designated contacts for offering additional support, advice and information to care leavers, estranged students and student carers. They can also see if you qualify for any additional financial assistance.

Make sure that you have applied for, or are receiving, the additional funding for parents from your funding provider, for example, the Parents' Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant for registered childcare.

The DMU Support Fund includes a Parent Bursary category and can also help with a contribution towards registered childcare costs.

Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) can offer additional funding to eligible students. DSA covers some of the extra costs you may have due to a physical or mental health condition.

The DMU Support Fund can also help with related costs associated with a health condition and help with living costs if you are unable to work some, or all, of the academic year.

If you are a new student you may be required to pay a rent deposit before you start your studies.

DMU is unable to offer financial support with this deposit, but can make the following suggestions that may help:

• speak to your landlord to see if you can delay the payment until you receive your student funding. Check your student funding Entitlement letter for the payment date. Please note that it takes 3-5 working days for the Maintenance Loan to be paid into your account once we confirm registration, which means that you may not receive your Maintenance Loan on the date stated on your Entitlement letter
• work part-time over the summer. Employability support and guidance is available through our Careers Team
• apply for a student bank account and arrange an interest-free overdraft. Please refer to our FAQ "What is an interest-free student bank account?" under the "Additional Funding and Other Sources of Income" section
• ask family/ friends for support.

For continuing students, you can start looking for accommodation in Term 2. Once you have secured accommodation, you will be asked to make a rent deposit. For financial support in paying this deposit, you may want to apply to the DMU Support Fund. Please note that the Support Fund does not offer financial support toward retainers.

A guarantor is someone who agrees to confirm that a tenant has the ability to pay the rent and any damages. They will be held responsible for any rent payments due that are not paid by the tenant.

Without a suitable guarantor some accommodation providers will ask you to pay all of your annual rent in advance.

There are a number of guarantor schemes. Here are a few suggestions:

•  Housing Hand 
•  Rent Guarantor 
•  UK Guarantor 

There may be other guarantor schemes available, have a good search online for other rent guarantor schemes.

If you are assessed by your funding provider as independent due to estrangement from your parents, our Transitions Team provide information about this.

Starting university is exciting, but it is a big change; it's normal to find it difficult to settle, or to feel homesick. Our Transitions Team can support you. You can contact them by telephone: 0116 257 7825/7872 or by email  at transitions@dmu.ac.uk.

The #HealthyDMU team can provide advice on actions that can be taken to support your health and well-being. They also offer a variety of Masterclasses that you can get involved in.

You can also get advice and support through our Wellbeing team, who offer counselling services, self help advice and more.

Difficulties with your accommodation can be very unsettling. Book a Quick Query appointment with us, so that we can discuss your difficulties and advise you further.

Difficulties with your housemates can be unsettling. Here are some helpful tips on housemate problems and how to solve them.

There is some further information about housemates under the 'Accommodation' section of the Healthy relationships web page.

Renting in Leicester can be expensive and sometimes the Maintenance Loan doesn’t cover the full rent. You may wish to consider:

• checking that you are receiving your full entitlement to the Maintenance Loan
• securing part-time work - employability support and guidance is available through our Careers Team
• opening a student back account and arranging an interest-free overdraft
• applying to the DMU Support Fund
• asking family/ friends for support
• moving to new accommodation 

If you are considering moving to new accommodation, we would encourage you to discuss the process with us. Please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment.

You can also book a Money Doctor appointment, or an appointment with a Welfare Officer for advice.

If you have been made homeless, please telephone 0116 252 7595, select option 3, then option 4. A member of our team will discuss your circumstances and, where possible, will guide you through your options.

Renting in Leicester can be expensive and some students find it difficult to pay their rent.

To help pay your rent, you may wish to consider:

• checking that you are receiving your full entitlement to the Maintenance Loan
• securing part-time work - employability support and guidance is available through our Careers Team
• opening a student back account and arranging an interest-free overdraft
• applying to the DMU Support Fund
• asking family/ friends for support
• moving to new accommodation 

If you are considering moving to new accommodation, we would encourage you to discuss the process with us. Please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment.

You can also book a Money Doctor appointment, or an appointment with a Welfare Officer for advice.

If you are concerned about how you will pay your rent, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk When you email us, please include:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• the difficulties you are experiencing
• your telephone number so that we can contact you to book an appointment.

If you are being threatened with eviction please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk  When you email us, please include:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• the difficulties you are experiencing
• your telephone number so that we can contact you to book an appointment.

If you need help urgently, please telephone: 0116 252 7595, select option 3, then option 4. A member of our team will discuss your circumstances and, where possible, will guide you through your options.

Of course! Please book into one of our Money Doctor appointments via MyGateway. These half hour slots enable the advisor to look at your income and expenditure and devise a bespoke budget plan with you.

Budgeting apps are really useful and there are lots to choose from. Money to the Masses has produced this video on some of the different apps available.

You can book into one of our Money Doctor appointments via MyGateway. These half hour slots enable the advisor to look at your income and expenditure and devise a bespoke budget plan with you, as well as recommend various money-saving tips to help you further.

Websites like Save the Student have lots of general tips on managing your budget, as well as how to save money, maximise your income and reduce your expenditure.

Start by reviewing your finances. Can you increase your income? Can you reduce your expenditure?

Ideas to consider that could increase your income:

• Are you receiving your full entitlement to the Maintenance Loan?
• Are there any other loans or benefits you could be entitled to?
• Can you apply to charities or trusts? Turn2Us can provide helpful information
• Could you work part-time? See our FAQ Where can I find part-time work?, found under Additional funding and other sources of income further up this page
• If you are working, check that your National Insurance contributions have been calculated correctly
• Are you getting the best deal at your bank with your student bank account and interest-free facility?
• Can you apply to the DMU Support Fund?

Further ideas to consider that could reduce your expenditure:

• Create a visual record of your spending over an average month and identify any areas you could reduce spending in
• Money Saving Expert have some great tips on ways to manage your spending
• Book a Money Doctor appointment with us

If you are unsure of how to get started or you have any concerns about your finances, you can book a Quick Query appointment with us. These are 15 minute diagnostic appointments to help identify specific forms of support that could benefit you.

If you’re considering transferring to a different course, speak to your Student Advice Centre who can give you advice on the process for transferring.

A course transfer may affect your student funding, please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment with us to discuss this further.

If you’re considering repeating a year of study, speak to your Student Advice Centre. They will be able to advise you about the different repeat options that are available to you.

A repeat year is likely to affect your student funding, as you need to have enough automatic student funding available to you so that you can complete your studies. Automatic funding is based on the length of the course (usually a three-/ four-year degree) plus one year (known as a ‘gift year’).

If you do not have enough years of automatic funding entitlement to complete your degree, or have exhausted your entitlement to automatic funding, you will need to consider whether you might be eligible for Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). This is a request for SFE to consider your individual circumstances to potentially grant extra funding at their discretion. Please read our other FAQ on this page What do I do if SFE say I’m not eligible for funding this year due to previous study? for more information.

If your course is delivered via block teaching, please read the information under the Block resits FAQs.

You can also book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment with us to discuss this further.

This can be due to SFE counting the number of years entitlement you have for your course and you may have used up your +1 year or ‘gift year’. However, there are exceptions where SFE might award an extra year of funding if you have previously had to interrupt/ repeat a year and if the reasons were due to a personal situation (such as serious ill health, bereavement, family crisis, mental health issues, caring responsibilities). If this is the case, it may be possible for you to apply to SFE for Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR).

We can support you with this process, but if you would like to apply to SFE for CPR yourself, you can. The following guidelines may help you:

• make your application to SFE online as normal
• once you have made your application, send a letter to SFE with supporting evidence, asking for your compelling personal reasons to be considered
• in your letter, you should include the following details: your name, Customer Reference Number, and course title/ university name; date(s) of your interruption/ suspension/ withdrawal; an outline of the reasons why you are requesting CPR. You will need to include details of what happened, how it affected your studies (i.e. how they led to you needing to repeat a year, or led to you leaving your course), and how you feel now (i.e. you may have received professional support, which means that you feel able to continue your studies).

If you would like us to offer advice regarding your supporting letter and the evidence you have collated, please email: sfw@dmu.ac.uk – when you email us, tell us:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• that you’d like to us to check your documents for CPR
• your telephone number so that we can arrange an appointment.

If you’re considering a Placement Year, speak to your faculty Placement Team who will be able to advise you about the placement options available to you.

Our Careers and Employability Team can also offer guidance on suitable placements.

If you are a 'Home' student, you may be able to receive living cost grants and loans through SFE for your Placement Year. There are different types of student funding available for Home students depending on what kind of placement you will be doing.

If you are considering a Placement Year, please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment with us.

If you’re considering interrupting your studies study, speak to your Student Advice Centre as they will be able to advise you about the interruption process.

We can provide advice on the implications that interrupting has on your student funding. Please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment with us.

When you interrupt, we will let SFE know that you are taking a break from your studies. Your interruption date is taken from the last day that you attended university. When we do this, your student funding will stop and any Maintenance Loan that you receive after this date will need to be repaid to SFE.

SFE are likely to recover any overpayment of the Maintenance Loan when you return to study. If the deduction of the overpayment causes you financial hardship, you can apply to SFE to request that they defer the overpayment to the next academic year. You can then apply each academic year if the overpayment will cause you financial hardship.

If you interrupt because of illness, pregnancy or another serious personal reason, you may still be able to get student finance while you’re not studying. In these circumstances, SFE can award the Maintenance Loan up to 60 days after you interrupt your course. If, after the 60 days, you are experiencing financial hardship, SFE may offer further support. This is called Discretionary Payments. Please refer to the question Student Loans Company have said I've been overpaid. What if I can't afford to repay it? on this FAQs page for more information.

When you are ready to return to study, you need to contact your faculty to let them know that you intend to return. You will then need to make an application to SFE for the academic year that you intend to return. Please refer to the other FAQ I need to repeat a year of study, what do I need to do? for information about the number of years of funding entitlement for a repeat year.

If you’re considering withdrawing from your studies study, speak to your Student Advice Centre as they will be able to advise you about the withdrawal process.

We can provide advice on the implications that withdrawing has on your student funding. Please book a 15-minute Quick Query appointment with us.

When you withdraw from your studies, we will let SFE know that you have chosen to leave your course. Your withdrawal date is taken from the last day that you attended university. When we do this, your student funding will stop and any Maintenance Loan that you receive after this date will need to be repaid to SFE.

If the loss of funding will cause you financial hardship, you can apply to SFE for Discretionary Payments. Please refer to the question Student Loans Company have said I've been overpaid. What if I can't afford to repay it? on this FAQs page for more information.

If the loss of funding will cause you financial hardship, you can apply to SFE for Discretionary Payments. We can support you with this, but if you would like to apply to SFE yourself, you can. The following guidelines may help you:

• send a letter to SFE with supporting evidence, asking for Discretionary Payments to be awarded
• include the following in the letter: your name, Customer Reference Number, course title, university name; date of your withdrawal; outline the reasons why you decided to interrupt/ withdraw; what happened and how it led to you taking a break in your studies/ leaving your course
• why you are unable to support yourself financially (e.g. unable to work due to ill health)
reasons why you need to pay your essential costs and are unable to return to live with your parents/ partner (if applicable)
• evidence how making any repayments now, or being denied discretionary funding, would result in financial hardship (e.g. bank statements; tenancy; outstanding bills; other financial commitments; lack of other financial options; your ability/ inability to work).

If you would like us to offer advice regarding your supporting letter and the evidence you have collated, please email sfw@dmu.ac.uk – when you email us, tell us:

• your DMU student number (P number)
• that you’d like to us to check your documents for Discretionary Payments
• your telephone number so that we can arrange an appointment.

To discuss tuition fee payments and instalment plans, please contact DMU's Income Section: either telephone: 44 (0)116 207 8810 or email income@dmu.ac.uk 

If you get into difficulty paying your fees, please contact the Income Section as soon as possible, as delays can result in you being temporarily excluded from your course. Their contact details are telephone: 44 (0)116 207 8810 or email income@dmu.ac.uk 

We would also recommend booking a 30-minute Money Doctor appointment with us to review your finances and ensure you have everything you are entitled to.