Student finance loans are for university-level courses. You don't need to wait until you've accepted a course to apply for student finance. You don't even need to wait for your exam results! You can apply from 16 March 2011 and have everything sorted in plenty of time for starting college or uni.

You can use the Student Finance Calculator to:

• Work out what you think your living costs might be
• Work out what financial support you may get
• Compare different universities and courses to see how they weigh up financially.

The more detail you put into the calculator the more accurate your quote will be. It will be useful if you have your household income details to hand when you're using the calculator online.

When you apply online, you can save your application and go back to it at any time, up until you send it. And, best of all, you only have to deal with the bits which are relevant to you. This will save you loads of time and hassle. If you need to make any changes after you've sent us your student finance application, just contact Student Finance England.

If you normally live in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Europe or are an international student, click here for more info on Student Finance.

Clcik here to read Student Finance England's FAQs.

Drop-in Advice Clinics
These will run in the HE computer room on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 22 March to 28 April 2011, between 12pm and 2pm.

For any further information contact Sharon O'Connor on (01793) 498926 or email: sharonoconnor@swindon-college.ac.uk.