Academic year
This is the twelve month period over which a year of a course is taught and over which colleges and universities manage their activity. As with the school year, this will normally start and end in the late summer/early autumn. Your own course may start at a different point in the college or university academic year.
Bursary
This is a grant that you do not have to pay back. You may get them from SAAS or your College or University depending on your course
Civil partner
Two people of the same-sex can form a legal relationship of civil partnership by signing a registration document. You are not a ‘civil partner’ if you are sharing a home with your partner but you are not married or in a civil partnership.
Continuing Student
A student who is proceeding to the next academic year is a continuing student (but note that this may also include students who are repeating a year). Progression from FE level to HE level does not count as a continuous programme of study
Discretionary
Some funding, such as college bursaries, is discretionary. This means that even if you meet any qualifying criteria such as your age or residency status there is no guarantee that you will receive any funding you apply for. For all discretionary funding you should always contact the provider of the funding as soon as possible and find out what how much you will receive.
EU Student
A student who is a European Union national and who has been resident in an EEA country for three years.
Further Education (FE)
Courses below Higher National Certificate level (that is Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 6 or below) are classed as Further Education and are typically taken at college but continuing to study at school after school leaving age is also included.
Higher Education (HE)
Courses at Higher National Certificate level or above (that is Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 7 or above) are classed as Higher Education. These are usually taken at college or university
Income Assessment (also known as means-testing)
How your income and, if appropriate, that of your family is assessed to work out how much funding you may get. Not all income is counted and the amount is also reduced by some outgoings.
Independent
A student whose parents’ income is not taken into account. If you are married, living with a partner or in a civil partnership your partner’s income may be taken into account.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
The LSC is responsible for planning and funding vocational education and training for England but is currently involved in making Career Development Loans available across the UK.
Means testing (see income assessment)
Ordinarily Resident
The courts have defined this as "habitual and normal residence in one place". It basically means that you, your parents or your husband, wife or civil partner live in a country year after year by choice throughout a set period, apart from temporary or occasional absences such as holidays or business trips. You may not be treated as ‘ordinarily resident’ in Scotland if your main purpose in coming here is to study and you would normally be living somewhere else.
Parental Contribution (HE/FE)
An amount by which the income-assessed proportion of the student loan/FE bursary is reduced based on parental income.
Relevant Date
(HE): For the purposes of HE the date used for deciding eligibility is:
Course that begins between 1 Aug and 31 Dec - 1 Aug
Course that begins between 1 Jan and 31 Mar - 1 Jan
Course that begins between 1 April and 30 June - 1 April
Course that begins between 1 July and 31 July - 1 Jul
(FE): For the purposes of FE, the date used for deciding eligibility is the first day of the first academic year of the course.