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Going to University in Northern Ireland, 2013

Funding your living (or maintenance) costs

If you come from Northern Ireland

  • You apply to Student Finance NI for a means-tested Maintenance Loan. 
  • The maximum amount available is £4,840 if you are living and studying outside London. The maximum amount available if you are living at home with your parents is £3,750.
  • If your course is longer than 30 weeks you can get an additional loan. The maximum Extra Loan if you are living outside London is £84 per week; £55 per week if you are living with your parents.
  • If your household income is £41,065 or less you may be eligible to receive either a Special Support Grant or a Maintenance Grant. A full grant is worth £3,475 and is payable if your total household income is £19,203 or less. A partial grant is payable if your household income is between £19,204 and £41,065.
  • If you receive the full Maintenance Grant or the full Special Support Grant you are guaranteed to receive a bursary. The amount you are entitled to receive can be different depending on the university you go to, so you should contact them directly to find out more about the bursaries they offer. Bursaries and scholarships do not have to be paid back.
  • Supplementary grants are available to certain categories of students such as lone parents, those with dependants and those leaving care to enter higher education. Extra help is also available to those who have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health problem.
  • For new students, the deadline date for applications to Student Finance NI to guarantee that funds are in place for the beginning of the academic year was 12 April, 2013. The latest you can apply is nine months after the first day of the academic year of your course, usually around 31 May 2014.
  • Loan repayments begin after you have finished your course. You repay 9% of your income above £16,365.

If you come from Wales

  • You apply to Student Finance Wales for a means-tested Maintenance Loan to help cover your living costs.
  • The amount available is up to £5,150 if you are living and studying outside London. 
  • You may be able to receive a partial cancellation of up to £1,500 on your living cost (maintenance) loan, subject to the approval of the National Assembly for Wales. 
  • You may be eligible to receive the Assembly Learning Grant (ALG). The full grant is £5,161 a year, payable if your household income is £18,370 a year or less. A partial grant of between £50 and £5,000 a year is payable if your household income is between £18,371 and £50,020.
  • Note that there is a sliding scale in place and up to £2,575 of the ALG will be paid instead of an element of the Maintenance Loan so that for every £1 of ALG a student receives the amount of Maintenance Loan they can receive will be reduced by 50p.
  • The Special Support Grant replaces the ALG for eligible students. The amount of Special Support Grant you receive will not affect the amount of Maintenance Loan you qualify to receive (but in these circumstances the loan counts as assessable income for state benefits).
  • You may be able to get a bursary, scholarship or award directly from your university. Bursaries and scholarships do not have to be paid back.
  • For new students, the deadline date for applications to Student Finance Wales to guarantee that funds are in place for the beginning of the academic year was 19 April, 2013. The latest you can apply is nine months after the first day of the academic year of your course, usually around 31 May 2014.
  • Loan repayments begin after you have finished your course. You repay 9% of your income above £21,000.

If you come from England

  • You apply to Student Finance England for a means-tested Maintenance Loan.
  • The maximum Maintenance Loan for new students starting from 1 September 2013 is £5,500 if you live away from home and study outside London.
  • You can also apply for a Maintenance Grant if your family income is below £42,611. You can get £3,354 if your household income is £25,000 or under; £50–£3,250 if your household income is between £25,000 and £42,611. 
  • These loans and grants are paid into your bank account at the start of each term, once you've registered on your course. 
  • You may be able to get a bursary, scholarship or award directly from your university. Bursaries and scholarships do not have to be paid back.
  • Further support may be available to certain categories of students such as lone parents, those with dependants and those leaving care to enter higher education. Extra help is also available to those who have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health problem.
  • For new students, the deadline date for applications to Student Finance England to guarantee that funds are in place for the beginning of the academic year was 28 April, 2013. The latest you can apply is nine months after the first day of the academic year of your course, usually around 31 May, 2014.
  • Loan repayments begin after you have finished your course. You repay 9% of your income above £21,000, commencing the April following graduation.

If you come from Scotland

  • Scottish Government has simplified the student funding system with effect from 2013–14. Changes apply to new and continuing students.
  • You apply to SAAS for a loan of maximum £5,500 (means-tested) and minimum (non-income assessed) £4,500.
  • The Young Student's Bursary reduces this loan by a maximum of £1,750 a year if your family income is £16,999 or less a year, reducing to zero for a family income over £34,000 a year.
  • Supplementary grants are available to certain categories of students such as lone parents, those with dependants and those leaving care to enter higher education. Extra help is also available to those who have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health problem.
  • For new students, the deadline date for applications to SAAS to guarantee that funds are in place for the beginning of the academic year is 30 June 2013. The final closing date for receiving applications in session 2013–14 is 31 March 2014.
  • After you have graduated you will start re-paying the loan once you are earning over £16,365 a year. You can make extra voluntary payments straight to the Student Loans Company to reduce your loan quicker.

If you come from the (non-UK) EU, EEA or Switzerland, or if you’re the child of a Turkish worker in the UK

  • Some EU nationals may qualify for a Tuition Fee Loan and additional help, but there are important eligibility criteria that should be met in full. 
  • You should be an EU national, or the family member of someone who is, you should have lived in the UK for three years or more before your course starts; you will be living in the UK on the first day of the academic year in which your course starts; usually your main reason for living in the UK was not to receive full-time education. If these criteria are all satisfied and your course also qualifies, you should contact:
Student Finance Services European Team
PO Box 89
Darlington
DL1 9AZ
Telephone (+44) (0) 141 243 3570
  • EEA and Swiss migrant workers, and the children of Turkish workers may also qualify for additional help.

If you are an international student, coming from overseas

Useful links

 


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