Payment of student expenses

Student expenses

If you are a matriculated student at the University of St Andrews you may be able to request a refund of expenses associated with your studies using a student expenses claim form (Word).

The student expenses claim form cannot be used to claim money for work carried out for the University. There are different ways to claim payment for work which will be explained as part of your contract with the University.

Receipts must be provided for all items claimed and expenses will only be reimbursed in line with the expenses policy.

You must sign the student expenses claim form before passing it to the appropriate School or Unit to be authorised.

Student advances

You may be eligible to request an advance if you need to pay out large sums of money before travelling as part of your studies. To make the request you need to fill out a student advances form (Word) at least one month before travelling. This form must be signed and passed to the appropriate School or Unit for authorisation.

On returning from your trip, you must complete a student expenses claim form (Word) detailing what the advanced funds were spent on. Tick the box to indicate that the claim relates to an advance payment and ensure that all receipts are included with the claim.

Complete the student expenses claim form (Word) following your trip even if the advance amount differs from the actual expense incurred. If you have incurred more expenses than the amount advanced then the difference will be paid to you. Where you spent less than the advanced amount, you will need to repay the difference.

The expenses claim form must be completed within 21 days of the return date of your trip. If you fail to submit the expense form and receipts, any scholarships you hold and future expenses could be withheld until this is completed.

How payment is made to you

Once authorised, payment of expenses and advances will be made by BACS transfer.

Please complete your bank details online so that they can be validated, and payment can be processed directly into your nominated UK bank account.

Update your bank details

To update your bank details, log in to MySaint and enter the bank details in the PAYS section, which can be found under the following tabs:

1. My details and development
2. My details
3. Student finance
4. Manage my bank details for payments of scholarship and expenses

If you do not have a UK bank account and want your payment to be sent to your bank outside the UK, email the account number, IBAN, Swift or BIC, along with the account name, to finschol@st-andrews.ac.uk. Foreign transfers may incur charges and the amount can vary depending on the exchange rate.

Foreign currency expenses

If you have incurred expenses in a foreign currency, convert your expense to GBP (£) when you fill out the student expenses claim form. To do this use OANDA to convert the value for the date the expense was incurred.

Mileage payments

Refer to the expenses policy for details on how to record mileage.

The rates are:

• Bicycle: 20p per mile
• Motorcycle: 24p per mile
• Petrol, diesel or electric car: 45p per mile

Contact details

If you have any queries regarding student expenses or advances, email the Finance Operations team at finschol@st-andrews.ac.uk or call them on +44 (0)1334 47 2585.