Student Finance England

Whether you qualify for student finance depends on:

• Your university or college.
• Your course.
• If you’ve studied a higher education course before.
• Your age.
• Your nationality or residency status.

For further information see the GOV.UK website 

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course started on or after 1 August 2016.

Tuition Fee Loan

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

Maintenance Loan for living costs

You may have to give details of your household income. The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term. You have to pay the loan back.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home. If you’re a medical student you might also qualify for help with the costs of attending clinical placements in the UK.

For further information for new full-time students see the GOV.UK website

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course started. You’re a ‘continuing student’ if you got finance last year. 

If your course started on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course started on or after 1 August 2016.

Tuition Fee Loan

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

Maintenance Loan for living costs

You may have to give details of your household income. The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of term. You have to pay the loan back.

In your final year, you’ll receive less money than you did in previous years.

If your course started before 1 August 2016

You can apply for grants and loans if your course started before 1 August 2016. Aswell as applying for the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan for living costs as above, you can also apply for:

Maintenance Grant for living costs

You have to give details of your household income and your course start date.

The grant is paid into your bank account at the start of each term. You do not have to pay it back, but any funds you get will reduce the Maintenance Loan you can get.

Special Support Grant

You may get a Special Support Grant instead of a Maintenance Grant if you get or qualify for:

• Income Support.
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
• Housing Benefit.
• The housing element of Universal Credit.

The amount you get is the same as the Maintenance Grant, but it will not reduce the Maintenance Loan you can get.

You may get the Special Support Grant if, for example, you’re a lone parent or have certain disabilities.

You’ll be told if you can get the grant when you apply for student finance.

For further information on continuing full-time students see the GOV.UK website

You may be able to get a loan if your part-time course has a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more. ‘Course intensity’ measures how much of your course you complete each year compared to an equivalent full-time course.

You can work this out by comparing your module credits with the number of module credits a full-time student will study. You’ll be asked how many credits you’ll study when you apply for the loan. Check with your university or college if you’re not sure.

What you can apply for depends on when your course starts.

If your course started on or after 1 August 2018

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan.

Tuition Fee Loan

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

Maintenance Loan for living costs

How much you can get depends on:

• Where you live while studying.
• Your household income.
• Your course intensity.

The loan is paid directly into your bank account two weeks after the start of each term. You have to pay the loan back.

You can only apply for a Maintenance Loan as a distance learning student if you cannot attend your course in person because of a disability.

You’re not eligible for a Maintenance Loan if you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course.

If your course started before 1 August 2018

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

For further information for part-time students see the GOV.UK website

You may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan and help with living costs if you’re from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

Tuition Fee Loan

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

Help with living costs

You may be eligible for help with your living costs if both the following apply:

• You’ve lived in the UK for more than 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.
• You have settled status.

For example, if your course begins on 20 September 2021, you must have lived in the UK since 1 September 2018.

Academic years start on 1 September, 1 January, 1 April or 1 July. Ask someone who runs your course if you do not know which one applies.

Student Finance from August 2021

If you’re starting a course on or after 1 August 2021, you must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance.

If you’re coming to the UK from 1 January 2021, you may need to apply for a visa to study here.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.

For further information see the GOV.UK website

You may be able to get extra financial help, this can include:

• Students on a low income.
• Students with children or dependent adults.
• Disabled students.
• Medical, social work, and teacher training students.
• Students studying abroad.
• Social work students.
• Teacher training students.
• Help from your university or college.
• Funding from charitable trusts.

For further information see the GOV.UK website