If a student is eligible for funding from a given funding body, this is returned in this field. The definition of fundable should be that of the relevant funding council or regulating body.
If the StudentCourseSession is not fundable, this field is not returned. An exception to this is if provider is a Welsh provider and the place is wholly or partly funded by their employer. See below under ‘Providers funded by Higher Education Funding Council for Wales’ for more details.
Providers funded by the Office for Students (OfS)
For guidance on determining the fundability status of students, providers should refer to the current HESES guidance issued by the OfS – HESES22
Students who spend more than half the active study time for the whole Engagement outside the UK (including through distance learning), should not be returned as fundable by OfS unless any of the following apply:
- There is a clear academic reason for studying abroad rather than in the UK. Even where such a reason exists, the Office for Students must specifically sanction the course as eligible.
- The student is temporarily and unavoidably abroad and remains liable to UK tax on their earnings or is a dependant of such a person. This includes members of HM Forces and their dependants.
- The student is receiving UK student support from the Student Loans Company for the StudentCourseSession.
Note that students who are not considered fundable under HESES definitions may be fundable by a different funding body, for example Research England. Where this is the case, the StudentCourseSession should be coded in accordance with the latter funding body.
Providers funded by Research England
Students who spend more than half the active study time for the whole Engagement outside the UK (including through distance learning), should not be returned as fundable by Research England unless any of the following apply:
1. There is a clear academic reason for studying abroad rather than in the UK. Even where such a reason exists, Research England must specifically sanction the course as eligible.
2. The student is temporarily and unavoidably abroad and remains liable to UK tax on their earnings or is a dependant of such a person. This includes members of HM Forces and their dependants.
3. The student is receiving UK student support from the Student Loans Company for the StudentCourseSession.
Postgraduate research students – Research England
Fundable postgraduate research students are students paying home fees and registered at the reporting provider for a research-based higher degree and should be actively supervised by an academic member of staff employed by a higher education provider in England (that is, Approved (fee cap) providers).
Postgraduate writing up students – Research England
For postgraduate students who are writing up, the FUNDCODE status should be maintained the same as in previous years when they were actively studying. If the student was fundable before they went to writing up then they should be returned as such and if they were non-fundable this would be returned.
Providers funded by the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfE (NI))
Students who spend more than half the active study time for the whole Engagement outside the UK (including through distance learning), should not be returned as fundable by the DfE (NI) unless any of the following apply:
- There is a clear academic reason for studying abroad rather than in the UK, for example, where the student’s research is tied to a specific archaeological site
- The student is temporarily and unavoidably abroad and remains liable to UK tax on their earnings or is a dependant of such a person. This includes members of HM Forces and their dependants.
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students
To be consistent with the year’s early statistics, this field applies to ‘eligible for core funding’.
It is possible for a student to be linked to a Course that is funded by the DfE (NI) (recorded in the CourseRole entity) but for the StudentCourseSession not to be fundable by the DfE (NI). An example of this is where courses are funded through special funding initiatives.
Postgraduate research students
All fundable postgraduate research students should be returned as FUNDINGBODY=5008. Fundable postgraduate research students are students eligible to pay home fees and registered at the reporting provider for a research-based higher degree and should be actively supervised by an academic member of staff employed by a higher education provider in Northern Ireland. This will apply mainly to NI and ROI domiciled students, but there may be a few exceptions relating to certain EU students with 'protected rights' or niche categories in the student support legislation.
Providers funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
To be consistent with the year’s Early Statistics and Final Figures returns, this field applies to ‘eligible for funding’ defined in the Notes of Guidance for the Early Statistics Return.
It is possible for a student to be linked to a Course that is funded by the SFC (recorded in the CourseRole entity) but for the StudentCourseSession not to be fundable by the SFC. An example of this is where courses are funded through special funding initiatives.
Providers funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
To be consistent with the year’s early statistics, when using code 5017, this field applies to those students fundable according to the definitions in the HEFCW HESES guidance.
It is possible for a student to be linked to a Course that is funded by HEFCW (recorded in the CourseRole entity) but for the StudentCourseSession not to be fundable by HEFCW. An example of this is where courses are funded through special funding initiatives.
Valid entry 5006 can also be applicable to Welsh providers where health boards fund some provision.
5028 ‘Student’s employer’ - providers funded by HEFCW only
If a student’s place is funded by an employer, and the mode of study is part-time, then this field should be used to indicate that the StudentCourseSession is funded by an employer, . If the student is also HEFCW-fundable, or fundable by another body, then the employer funding should be indicated in a second occurrence of FUNDINGBODY, using code 5028.
A StudentCourseSession would be returned as funded by an employer when it is known that the place has some or all employer funding (funding other than tuition fees). For example, an employer may provide a letter formally confirming payment for the new entrant on enrolment. The employer funding may cover the particular StudentCourseSession only or may be for all students on a course. It is not necessary that there is a direct link between the job the student is employed in and the course the student is on.
If the source of funding for the place is the student's employer and the employer is a public body, then if the course is run specifically to train people that work in that public body and the whole course or a large proportion of the course is funded by the public body, for example, provision commissioned by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) then the funding would be considered to be from a public source. If it is an individual's place on a course that is being funded then the source would be considered to be the employer.
Providers fundable by the Department for Education (DfE)
StudentCourseSessions should be returned as FundingBody.FUNDINGBODY = 5020 (Department for Education) where the student is able to access student support i.e. where they are:
- Assessed as ‘home or settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme' for the purpose of assessing tuition fee status
- Are home or overseas/international School Direct Salaried trainees on an allocated place and employed in a state-maintained school in a priority subject
Students are not eligible for funding from the DfE where they are:
- Assessed as overseas or international for the purpose of assessing tuition fee status
- A School Direct Salaried trainee on a non-allocated place, employed in a private school and/or undertaking a lower priority (non DfE funded) subject
