Student finance

How we can help:

1. Find the appropriate course and approved college/university
2. Prepare and submit your application form;
3. Usually, within 6 weeks you’ll get a loan declaration in the post - sign and return it

The main student finance package includes a:

• Tuition Fee Loan
• Maintenance Loan - full-time students only
• Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant - full-time students only

You might get extra help on top of this.

Tuition fee loans pay for your course. Maintenance loans and grants help with living costs (eg accommodation, books, bills). You have to pay back loans but you don’t need to pay back grants.

You apply for student finance every year. You don’t need a confirmed place at university or college to apply.

Tuition Fee Loan

English or EU full-time or part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan.

The loan is paid directly to your university or college. You have to pay it back.

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Maintenance Loan for living costs

You must be a full-time English student. Part-time students, EU students and students aged 60 and over can’t apply.

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.

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Maintenance Grant for living costs

You must be a full-time English student. Part-time and EU students can’t apply.

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

The grant is paid into your bank account at the start of term. You don’t have to pay the grant back, but any grant you get will reduce ?the Maintenance Loan you can get.

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Special Support Grant

You must be a full-time student. Part-time and EU students can’t apply.

You may get a Special Support Grant instead of a Maintenance Grant if you get or qualify for Income Support or Housing Benefit. The amount you get is the same as the Maintenance Grant, but it won’t 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.

Students with children or dependent adults

You can apply for:

• Childcare Grant - full-time students only
• Parents’ Learning Allowance - full-time students only
• Adult Dependants’ Grant - full-time students only
• Access to Learning Fund
• Child Tax Credit

Disabled students

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia) you can apply for:

• Disabled Students’ Allowances
• Access to Learning Fund

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

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Eligibility

Whether you qualify for student finance depends on:

1. your university or college
2. your course
3. if you’ve studied a higher education course before
4. your age
5. your nationality or residency status

1. Your university or college

This should be a university, college or other institution that offers a qualifying course.

2. Your course

This must be in the UK and 1 of the following:

• a first degree, eg BA, BSc or BEd
• a Foundation Degree
• a Certificate of Higher Education
• a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
• a Higher National Certificate (HNC)
• a Higher National Diploma (HND)
• a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• Initial Teacher Training

Check with your university or college that your course is recognised.

Part-time students:- Part-time students need to study their courses at a rate of at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course in each academic year.

3. You’ve studied before:- Generally, you’ll only get student finance if you’re doing your first higher education qualification. This is true even if your previous course was self-funded.

However, you may still get it if, for example:

• you change course
• you leave your course but decide to start again
• you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, eg you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an honours degree

4. Your age:- There’s no upper age limit for tuition fee loans or grants. To apply for a Maintenance Loan you have to be under 60 at the start of the course.

5. Your nationality or residency status

You can apply if:

• you’re a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)
• you normally live in England
• you’ve been living in the UK for 3 years before starting your course

You may also be eligible if your residency status is 1 of the following:

• EU national, or family member of an EU national
• refugee
• humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for asylum)
• migrant worker
• child of a Swiss national
• child of a Turkish worker

Contact us, request a call back or speak with us online if you have got any questions.  

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