Contact

Mail :
Student Support Team
Dept. for Children's Services
Plymouth City Council
Plymouth PL1 2AA
Phone :
01752 253290
Email :
studenthelp@plymouth.gov.uk
Fax :
01752 255945

Office location

  • Student Support Team
    Martins Gate
    Bretonside
    Plymouth PL4 0AT

Office hours

  • 28 April to 27 June
    Monday to Friday
    Phones - 2pm to 4pm
    Personal callers - 9.30am to 4pm
  • 30 June to 28 November
    Monday to Friday
    Phones - 2pm to 4pm
    Personal callers - 2pm to 4pm

Useful numbers

  • Student Finance Direct Customer Support Office: 08456 077 577

Martins Gate

Plymouth Student Support Team

The Plymouth Student Support Team deals with the funding of students whose home address is in Plymouth and who are on higher education courses. A higher education course is for example a degree, a Higher National Diploma (HND), a foundation degree, or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

Funding for courses of further education such as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Level 3 or A levels, is usually dealt with by the school or college which is providing the course. However, if you are in the sixth form at school and do not qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), or have a financial emergency, we do also administer a school access fund. Please see the link on the left of this page.

Higher education funding

If you are attending a higher education course you need to complete a form each year so that the Student Support Team can calculate your entitlement to funding. In the first year the form is called PN1 and in following years it is PR1. Forms are usually available towards the end of March for the following academic year. Please see our current situation page for more details.

The Student Support Team will assess your entitlement to funding based upon any previous study, the nature of your residence in the UK and your financial situation. This takes some time, but generally we hope to process your form within 6 weeks. Forms are dealt with strictly in the order that they are received.

Once the Student Support Team have assessed your entitlement they pass this information to the Student Loans Company (SLC) by a joint computer system. The SLC will then write to you confirming how much your are entitled to receive and when you can expect it. The SLC is also responsible for making the actual payments.

Different rules apply to your funding depending on when you started your course. See our higher education funding - for students who started their courses before 1 September 2006 page and our higher education funding - for students starting courses after 1 September 2006 for more details.