My friend Lucy is a French national. She has been living in the UK for the last 4 years and has pre-settled status. She has been accepted for a full time university BSc degree offer which starts in September 2021.. Can she apply for a tuition fee loan?

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

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the education authority if you live in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or Isle of Man.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

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 or dental student you might also qualify for help with the costs of attending clinical placements in the UK.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

You’ll usually only get student finance if you’re doing your first higher education qualification - even if your previous course was self-funded. You may still be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances and for some courses.

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

You can calculate the amount you will get by taking the total number of years of the course you are applying for and adding one year. Then take away the number of years you studied for. If you studied for part of a year you should count it as a whole year.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

You may also get limited funding if you hold an Honours degree or a higher level of qualification and start a new course. This could be a part-time Honours degree, a joint Honours degree or an Integrated Master’s degree in one of the following (or 2 if it’s a joint Honours degree):

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

a child who is under the protection of someone granted ‘Section 67 leave’, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as the person responsible for them (known as ‘leave in line’)

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

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.

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

Check with your university or college if you’re not sure.

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

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

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

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

Check with your university or college if you’re not sure.

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

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

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

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

Check with your university or college if you’re not sure.

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

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

Check with your university or college if you’re not sure.

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

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

a first degree, for example BA, BSc or BEd

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the education authority if you live in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or Isle of Man.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the education authority if you live in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or Isle of Man.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the education authority if you live in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or Isle of Man.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.

Student finance

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

If you’re a continuing student or you’ve already created an account, log in to your account.

Before you apply

You start repaying once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

You’ll be charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out. The terms and conditions can change.

The rules are different if your course started before September 2012.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How to apply

If you’re under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’.

There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the education authority if you live in the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or Isle of Man.

You can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example using Power of Attorney) if you want them to apply for you.

New full-time students

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

Applying during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information about:

changes in your household income

self-isolation stopping you from posting evidence

contacting the Student Loans Company

Coronavirus and maintenance loans

You do not need to tell SLC if your course has moved online, as long as your living arrangements stay the same. If they have changed, you must update your address in your online account.

Extra help with travel costs

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Continuing full-time students

What you’re eligible for depends on when your course starts.

You may also be able to get extra help.

If your course starts on or after 1 August 2016

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan if your course starts 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.

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

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.

Living at home | Up to 7,747 | Up to £7,987

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £9,203 | Up to £9,488

Living away from home, in London | Up to £12,010 | Up to £12,382

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £10,539 | Up to £10,866

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for up to £4,014.

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.

Tuition Fee Loan

Maintenance Loan for living costs

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. 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.

Living at home | Up to £5,247 | Up to £5,410

Living away from home, outside London | Up to £6,597 | Up to £6,802

Living away from home, in London | Up to £9,205 | Up to £9,490

You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad | Up to £7,838 | Up to £8,081

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Help with the costs of studying abroad

Help during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read the guidance for students during coronavirus for more information, including if:

your university or college is shut

your household income changes

you’ll need to repeat or extend your studies

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Part-time students

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.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance. You might need evidence of any changes.

If your course starts 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.

You can get up to £6,935 in an academic year.

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 2 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.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan.

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.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

EU students

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.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Tuition Fee Loan

| 2020 to 2021 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year

Full-time student | Up to £9,250 | Up to £9,250

Full-time student at a private university or college | Up to £6,165 | Up to £6,165

Part-time student | Up to £6,935 | Up to £6,935

Part-time student at a private university or college | Up to £4,625 | Up to £4,625

Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Tuition Fee Loan.

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

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.

Apply

Further information

2020 to 2021 academic year

2021 to 2022 academic year

Extra help

Check on the student finance calculator to see what extra help you might be able to get.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

Universal Credit

extra help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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

Universal Credit

Disabled students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You may also qualify for disability related benefits.

Medical, social work and teacher training students

You can apply for:

NHS bursaries if you’re studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you’re studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

social work bursaries if you’re a social work student

extra help if you’re a teacher training student

Students studying abroad

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you normally live in England but study away from home.

Help from your university or college

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

Funding from charitable trusts

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

Eligibility

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

Your university or college

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

Your course

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

If you’re studying full-time

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a first degree, for example 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)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

Check on the student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for.

If you’re studying part-time

Your course needs a ‘course intensity’ of 25% or more for you to be eligible for student finance.

You’ll be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

a Foundation Degree

a Certificate of Higher Education

a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

a Higher National Diploma (HND)

an Initial Teacher Training course

an integrated master’s degree

You’ll be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

an Initial Teacher Training course (if it’s degree level or above)

an integrated master’s degree

a Foundation Degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy

a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice

If you’ve studied before

If you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You might also get funding if you:

suspended your course or withdrew before it finished - and you’re going back to study any course

are repeating a year of your course at the same university, college, or institution.

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, you were ill or pregnant) you might get funding for all of your course - you should apply online with supporting evidence.

If you already have a degree

You may be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.

You may get limited funding if you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification, for example you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree.

agriculture and related subjects

architecture (if it’s a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)

biological sciences

computer science

mathematical sciences

medicine and allied subjects

physical sciences

technologies

courses leading to qualification as a veterinary surgeon

You could also be eligible if you’re starting a healthcare course on or after 1 August 2017.

Your age

There’s no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans or grants.

If you’re 60 or over

You may get limited funding for Maintenance Loans if all of the following apply:

you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your
course

you’re studying full-time

your course started on or after 1 August 2016

The amount you can apply for depends on your household income.

Your nationality or residency status

You may be able to get help with:

your tuition fees and living costs (full support)

your tuition fees

The type of help you can get depends on your nationality and residency status.

When you’re eligible for full support

You can apply for full support if all the following apply:

you’re a UK or Irish citizen or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)

you normally live in England

you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

You may be eligible for full support if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) who:

returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years

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

refugee (including family members)

humanitarian protection (including family members)

migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein (including family members) with settled or pre-settled status

child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

a stateless person (including family members)

an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

you’ve been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) because you’ve been the victim of domestic violence

you’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course.

When you can apply for help with your tuition fees

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you have one of the following:

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re an EU national or the family member of an EU national

pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re the family member of an Irish citizen or person of Northern Ireland

Irish citizenship

Gibraltarian status as an EU national

been living in Gibraltar as a UK national

If you’re an Irish citizen, you’re still eligible to apply if you’ve lived in the UK and Ireland in the 3 years before your course.

Use the student finance calculator to see what finance you can get.

Apply

Apply for student finance or find out how to apply.

Apply

Find out how to apply for student finance.

Parents or partners of students

Confirm your income if you’re the student’s parent or partner.