PGCE Funding Info Help

I want to study a PGCE in computer science at Sunderland uni. I have used my 4 years of student finance so I need funding to pay for it. I have heard that you can get a different student finance loan for PGCEs, and also that their is other funding I can get. I'm not sure if this is true or not and wanted to know if anyone else knows more about on the subject of funding.

Thanks

Reply 1

jelly1000

Original post by Dark Red00

A PGCE is one of the 'exception' courses to the student finance rule. That means that it doesn't matter how many years of student finance you have used up, you can access it again for a PGCE. It's not a different student finance loan, its the same one they offer to undergrads- the £9,000 tuition fee loan plus means tested maintenance loan. On top of that the government offers bursaries (non repayable) to encourage people into teaching. See the table here for figures
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/bursaries-and-funding

The bursary is guarenteed if you get/have got a first or 2:1/2:2 in your degree and it will be £25,000 or £20,000.

Alternatively if you are on track/have got to get a first or 2:1 in your computing degree, you can apply for a scholarship from the Academy of Computing
http://academy.bcs.org/scholarships

These scholarships are competitive and if you were successful they would be awarded instead of the bursary.

Reply 2

S27

Original post by jelly1000

These scholarships are competitive and if you were successful they would be awarded instead of the bursary.

is there actually any difference between the scholarship or bursary?

Reply 3

jelly1000

Original post by S27

is there actually any difference between the scholarship or bursary?

A person with a 2:1 could get £25,000 if successful in securing the scholarship, where as they'd 'only' get £20,000 through the bursary scheme. Otherwise not that I can see.

Reply 4

S27

Original post by jelly1000

A person with a 2:1 could get £25,000 if successful in securing the scholarship, where as they'd 'only' get £20,000 through the bursary scheme. Otherwise not that I can see.

Thanks, it seems to me that it is simply not worth the effort of competeing for a scholarship when in the majority of cases they are equal to the government ones. Are they any kind of payback schemes for the bursary or scholarhips if people don't teach again or go overseas.

Reply 5

jelly1000

Original post by S27

Not as far as I'm aware, however my knowledge is limited to whats on the two above websites, so you are best double checking with others on here.

Reply 6

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by S27

Thanks, it seems to me that it is simply not worth the effort of competing for a scholarship when in the majority of cases they are equal to the government ones.

The scholarships are "government ones" too - they are fully funded by the Department for Education. They really are not that competitive. If you are a serious applicant, you will be successful. There is a shortage of applicants so the vast majority are gratefully accepted.

Reply 7

jelly1000

Original post by Mr M

I know a serious candidate who got turned down for the Chemistry one, so they aren't as easy to get as you appear to be suggesting.

Reply 8

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by jelly1000

I know a serious candidate who got turned down for the Chemistry one, so they aren't as easy to get as you appear to be suggesting.

They must have said or done something fairly stupid during the process. That's quite unusual.

Reply 9

Charl.Marie

Does anyone know when we should apply for the SFE tuition fee loan? And do we apply in the same way as we did for our undergrad finance?

Reply 10

S27

Original post by Mr M

Even so, if apart from the exception @jelly1000 speaks of, you would be better going for the usual bursary as the provider does everything for you!

I just thought the scholarship would have some fancy extras!