Finances FAQ

General

When is the Finance Office open?

The Finance Office is open Monday to Thursday, 9am-5pm and Friday 9am - 4.30pm (closed for lunch 1pm-2pm). Students who are genuinely unable to get to the Finance Office during normal office hours may contact the College Accountant to make an out-of-hours appointment.

What methods of payment are accepted?

We accept payment by the following methods:

  • Cash - although please do not bring very large sums of cash into College for safety reasons
  • Cheque - please make payable to Homerton College unless stated otherwise
  • Bank transfer - please contact the finance office for bank details 
  • Credit/debit card - most cards are accepted
  • Paypal - finance@homerton.cam.ac.uk
  • We do not accept American express unless its via Paypal

Fees and accommodation charges

What is the deadline for paying my tuition fees/accommodation/other invoice?

All invoices are due for payment within 14 days of the invoice date. Late payment charges are incurred on all late invoices in accordance with the rules for payment.

Why haven't I received my maintenance loan/grant?

There are a number of possible reasons for this:

  • We first need to register you with Student Finance England (SFE) before they will release your maintenance money. In order to do so, we need to see you to prove that you really are here, so if you didn’t attend financial registration at the start of the academic year, we won’t have registered you. We also need a copy of your SFE paperwork, so if you haven’t yet provided that to us, you won’t be registered.
  • SFE may be missing key personal information for you which is preventing them from paying you your maintenance funds. Usually this means your bank details or National Insurance Number. The college’s Student Ledger Administrators can check online with SFE to see if this is the case; if so, you will need to contact SFE yourself and provide the missing information to them.
I'm a PGCE student, can I use my Training Bursary to pay for my fees?

No. Tuition fees are due at the start of the academic year whereas training bursaries are paid in instalments throughout the year. Students in this situation should take out a SFE tuition fee loan in the first instance, and then if desired, repay the loan early as they receive their training bursary instalments.

When and how will I get my deposit back?

Room deposits are returned a few weeks after the end of a student’s course. This is to allow time for:

  • the housekeeper to inspect your room and notify us of any breakages or cleaning charges
  • the accommodation office to notify us of any late check-out charges
  • the librarian to notify us of any unreturned library books and fines.

Room deposits are only returned by bank transfer, and no longer by cash or cheque. Please ensure the Student Ledger Administrators have your bank details so that they can return your deposit to you on a timely basis.

We can refund deposits to an overseas bank account but any bank charges incurred by the College in doing so will be deducted from the amount refunded.

MMC and Upay

When is my MMC credited to my Upay account?

Your MMC token is activated termly on the first day of your rental contract. For undergraduate students this equates to Travel Day at the start of each term. For PGCE and graduate students this is 1 January and 1 April for Lent and Easter Terms respectively.

What can I use my MMC token for?

Your MMC token can be used for food purchases in the Hall and Buttery and your own personal formal hall tickets. It cannot be used for buying drinks in the bar, Formal Hall tickets for guests or gym membership.

What happens to my MMC token if I haven't spent it all by the end of term?

Unspent MMC token rolls forward to the next term if unspent. However, any remaining token at the end of the academic year will be lost.

Other

I'm doing some work for the College (e.g. in the Library, during open days, in the gym, etc). Why have I been asked for my National Insurance number when I'm not a tax payer?

One of the requirements under HMRC’s new Real Time Information system is that a national insurance number (and date of birth) is required for HMRC’s records. The College will therefore not pay anyone without this information.

Can I hand in my PGCE expense claim form to the Homerton Finance Office?

No, this should be handed in at the Faculty of Education.

I have a cheque from the College that is now so old that I can no longer cash it at the bank. Can I have a replacement cheque?

No, the College is in the process of phasing out cheques altogether - all uncashed cheques over six months old are automatically cancelled by the College, and replacements are no longer issued.

Related pages

Financial Support

Financial Support

Applications forms & Grants for financial support

Applications forms & Grants for financial support

Prizes and Scholarships

Prizes and Scholarships

Latest from The Homersphere

View all