bkUB, a new website to facilitate the access to the special programme of economic measures for 2013-2014 academic year
From 2 September, bkUB website is available for UB students. It is a new website, particularly designed by the University of Barcelona to inform students about the new programme of economic measures for 2013-2014 academic year, so-called bk-UB. Its objective is to support those students who may have some trouble affording tuition fees.
This academic year, UB has optimized the initiatives set up last academic year in order to lessen the problems caused by the surcharge on fees and help students (in 2012-2013, more than 700 students took profit of different grants conferred by UB). The programme bkUB has been born to help more students and avoid withdrawal for economic reasons.
UB will preserve a fund of € 600,000 to help students. Here are some remarkable measures that will be taken throughout the academic year:
From 2 September, bkUB website is available for UB students. It is a new website, particularly designed by the University of Barcelona to inform students about the new programme of economic measures for 2013-2014 academic year, so-called bk-UB. Its objective is to support those students who may have some trouble affording tuition fees.
This academic year, UB has optimized the initiatives set up last academic year in order to lessen the problems caused by the surcharge on fees and help students (in 2012-2013, more than 700 students took profit of different grants conferred by UB). The programme bkUB has been born to help more students and avoid withdrawal for economic reasons.
UB will preserve a fund of € 600,000 to help students. Here are some remarkable measures that will be taken throughout the academic year:
Tuition fees facilities
• Seven-instalment payment. It complements single instalment and three-instalment payments. More than 2,000 students chose this new payment option in Julyʼs enrolment period.
• 30 % fee allowance in masterʼs degrees. More than 80 % of students of masterʼs degrees profit it.
• Conditional enrolment. Students who applied for a general grant and have financial accreditation, or they have already received a grant, are eligible for conditional enrolment. At first, UB assumes the amount of those credits enrolled for the first time.
• Fee allowance for students of Engineering. The latest decree concerning tuition fees approved by the Government of Catalonia included an increase in the tuition fees of these degrees. Students of Engineering must apply for the Equitat grant in order to obtain a fee allowance of € 3.76 per credit.
Financial aids
• Aids to afford first time repeated subject fees. UB aims at lessening the increase in tuition fees of repeated subjects for those students who are in a special economic, academic, working or familiar situation.
• Aids for incoming students who do not receive a grant. They are mainly addressed to incoming students who are not awarded with a general grant due to the new changes in requirements.
• Aids for unexpected situations. They are mainly addressed to those students who undergo a change in their economic situation which hinders them from affording tuition fees when the period to apply for a grant has been closed.
Information about public grants
The website of the programme bkUB also provides information about how the application to General Grants, of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, or to Equitat Grants, conferred by the Government of Catalonia, must be done.
At the same time, to extend the information about the programme and other grants, the University provides students with the Student Support Service (SAE), the Grants and Financial Aid Service, the secretaries for Students and Teaching Staff and the website Món UB.
A committee to analyse special cases
A committee complements the programme bkUB. It is composed by representatives of the University and students. It is in charge of analysing the situation of those students who have some trouble affording enrolment fees due to a difficult economic or personal situation.
The committee held the first meeting in July to give an answer to those students who did not received any grant or have an unemployed relative. The first meeting solved 31 cases which are added to 23 solved by the facultiesʼ secretaries during last academic year.
The second meeting of the committee takes place in September; it will set the criteria to distribute financial aids for unexpected situations which may happen during the academic year.