Keele University
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The Access to Learning Fund
The Access to Learning Fund (ALF) is a fund allocated to all universities by the Government. It’s purpose is to enable us to allocate payments (which don’t have to be repaid) to students experiencing severe financial hardship.
Who Can Apply?
In order to be eligible to apply to the fund you have to:
- Be a UK student (ie. Pay “home” tuition fees)
- Be eligible to receive financial support from the UK government ie grant, loans.
- Be in receipt of your full entitlement of statutory and discretionary student funding including the maximum student loan you can take out
- Show evidence of hardship (documentation will be required).
How Do I Apply?
You have to complete and return to us an ALF application form with supporting documentation. These can be obtained from the Student Financial Support Office, A.S.K or the school of nursing and midwifery. Your application must be returned to the Student Financial Support Office with supporting documentation. If you wish to see a member of staff about your application or if you need help with applying, you can make an appointment by calling 01782 733996/734087, emailing studentmoney@keele.ac.uk or you can just come in to the office during opening hours.
Will I definitely get some money?
The short answer is no. Whether you receive funding depends on a number of factors. We are not able to prioritise first year undergraduates or postgraduate students, however we will consider applications from all eligible students and this should not discourage you from applying.
Can I apply more than once a year?
Applications are processed and assessed on the basis of your full year’s funding and expenditure. For this reason, we are unable to accept subsequent applications for funding in one academic year unless there has been a significant change in your financial circumstances since your first application.
How long does it take before I know if I will get any money?
It normally takes around three to four weeks to process an application with the correct required documentation. If we need additional information to complete processing your application we will email you at your Keele email address; a delay in returning the documentation to us will result in a delay in our processing your application. When we have processed your application, we will write to you at your contact address to let you know whether we have been able to make a payment. You should come to the office to obtain further details and to collect a cheque if an award has been made.
What if you don’t make a payment/what if I think you haven’t given me enough money/I think you’ve taken too long to process my application?
The amount of money we receive for this fund has been going down every year for the last few years. That said, we do work in a methodical and systematic way to ensure that we allocate money to those who need it most. If you would like an explanation about how we assessed your application please come into the office and we will be happy to go through it with you.
What if I’m still not happy?
You can make a formal complaint and your application will be reviewed and it may be reassessed. You should write within twenty eight days of receipt of your notification to:
Helen Johnson
Head of Student Funding
42 The Covert
Keele University
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5AZ
stating the exact reason for your complaint.
We will aim to respond within five working days of receipt of your complaint. Regulation 26 is the University regulation dealing with complaints.
