Student finance and funding

CONTENTS

1. Undergraduate student finance

2. University tuition fees

3. What are your student living costs?

4. What financial support is there?

5. Other funding and financial support

6. Grants for students supporting family

7. Course-related payments

8. Travel grant

Undergraduate student finance

If you’re starting your first degree, you may wonder how on earth you’ll fund your studies. This is especially true when you see the tuition fees you’ll have to pay or read about the cost of living for students.

To help with these costs, UK-resident students have access to student finance from the government. This financial support provides student loans and sometimes grants. It helps to pay for your tuition fees and towards the cost of studying at university.

Read on for our complete guide to undergraduate student finance and funding. It's a quick primer on the extra funding or grants you may be eligible for based on your personal circumstances.

To start with, we look at how much it might cost you to study for a degree. Understanding these expenses is crucial for planning your academic adventure, so we give a quick overview of the expenses you'll have and where to find out more about them.

University tuition fees

Universities will charge you a tuition fee for each year you study. Tuition fees can vary between universities and courses.

If you’re a UK-resident student paying ‘home’ fees, each nation sets a maximum for the tuition fee you can be charged by universities there. This doesn't apply if you’re an international student, and you will pay more.

You can find and check fees for courses on our course chooser. To check course fees on the Complete University Guide website, view it as a student from your nation. Use the form just below the top menu for this. International students can also check out our top ten universities with the most affordable fees.

Some students may want to consider an accelerated degree. In England, these degrees are completed in two years rather than three, studying over a longer academic year. The tuition fees for each year are higher than for a normal degree, but the total cost is cheaper.

UK residents who get a place on a degree apprenticeship won’t have to pay their tuition fees at all. Instead, you’ll be a paid employee, and your employer will foot the bill for your education.

What are your student living costs?

As well as tuition fees, you’ll have to pay for your living costs, especially if you move away from home. This can include rent, bills, travel, textbooks and other living expenses. Our cost of living calculator can help you work out the expenses you may have as a student, based on UK averages.

What financial support is there?

The UK government provides two types of financial support for undergraduates from the UK:

• A tuition fee loan, paid directly to your university.
• Money to help with your living costs, paid to you.

Living cost support includes maintenance loans and sometimes also grants, depending on which UK nation you come from. Along with the tuition fee loan, this support is known as student finance.

All student finance loans are managed by the Student Loans Company (owned by the government). You must pay student loans back, but you only make a payment if your income is above a certain amount. To learn more, read our guide about Repaying your student loan. If you receive a grant, you don’t need to pay this back.

You’re usually eligible for student finance for the whole of your course. But if you’ve studied before – even if you didn’t finish your course – it may affect how many years of financial support you can get.

Tuition fee loans

The tuition fee loan for UK students will usually cover the full tuition fee. If you’re at a private institution, you’ll get a reduced amount of loan and will need to fund the difference in cost yourself.

Some students from outside the UK may also be eligible for a tuition fee loan, such as students from Ireland. International students won’t be eligible and must fund their own fees – but they may qualify for a scholarship from their university, which will reduce the cost. See our guides to Student finance eligibility and University bursaries and scholarships to find out more.

Maintenance loans

Maintenance funding is generally only available to UK-resident students. The maintenance loan is means-tested, based on your household income. This is usually your parents' income, unless you are a mature or independent student and have earned your own living for several years. If so, your partner’s income may be assessed (if you have a partner or are married).

Unless you’re from Wales, you’ll only get the maximum financial support if you have a low household income. ‘Household income’ includes all income – such as your parents’ earnings and any unearned income from rent or pensions.

The amount classed as a low income hasn’t changed in many years.

• Student Finance England counts a ‘low household income’ as £25,000.
• Student Finance Northern Ireland’s low income is £19,203.
• Student Awards Agency Scotland sets it at £20,999.
• Student Finance Wales has a low-income threshold of £18,370 – but this only affects how much support you get as a loan rather than as a grant.

If your household income is higher than these amounts, you won’t get the full maintenance loan. The implication is that you need to find the difference elsewhere. That said, the full amount of a maintenance loan hasn’t kept pace with the cost of living. Even those with a full loan may need extra financial support if they live away from home.

Other sources of financial support may include money from parents or guardians, a part-time job, or your savings. It's also worth looking for other funding such as grants, bursaries, or scholarships, if you’re likely to meet their criteria.

Low-income students from Scotland or Northern Ireland may also get a grant. England may be reintroducing maintenance grants for some students – but only if you are on a low income, and only if you study certain key courses. The changes to student finance in England may not apply until 2029; once all the details are available, we’ll update our guides with the details.

If you’re from Wales, whatever your household income, you’ll get the same amount of student finance support, made up of a grant and a loan. The less your household income is, the more you’ll get as a grant.

How much financial support can you get – and how do you apply?

On the following pages we tell you about the amount of financial support you might get. We also go through how and when to apply for undergraduate student finance. The details depend on the nation where you live (or were ‘resident’) before starting university.

• Student finance if you come from England
• Student finance if you come from Northern Ireland
• Student finance if you come from Scotland
• Student finance if you come from Wales
• Student finance if you're an international student
• Are you eligible for student finance?

Contact your education authority if you come from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Once you start your university course, you are seen as either a ‘home’ or ‘international’ student. This status normally lasts for your entire degree and decides your fees. But the tuition fees or the funding you receive may change each year.

Other funding and financial support

You might qualify for extra funding if you do well in your studies, if your family has a low income, or if you need more support due to personal circumstances. Below we cover some of the extra financial help you could get.

Scholarships and bursaries

University bursaries and scholarships offer financial support for your learning and living expenses while at university. Bursaries and scholarships don’t need to be paid back.

• Scholarships are usually awarded on merit, i.e. if you excel in your subject or a sport.
• Bursaries normally provide financial support based on your personal circumstances.

You may get them from a university, a charity or a trust. Our university profiles include examples of the university's scholarships and bursaries, with a link to the uni’s own funding pages.

Financial help for care leavers or estranged students

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)

If you have a condition that makes studying difficult, you might qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowance, even if you don’t see yourself as disabled. This financial support helps to pay for extra support you may require due to your learning needs.

The Disabled Students’ Allowance can help UK-resident students if you study a higher education course for a year or more. It may fund equipment or practical support. It can help students who are dyslexic, have AD(H)D, or have a sensory or physical disability. It also supports those with long-term health conditions like MS or cancer, and those who are autistic. If you’re not sure you meet the criteria, talk to your university’s disability adviser. Read our guide to Disabled Students’ Allowance to find out more.

If you’re an international student who has a disability, your university must ensure you’re not at a disadvantage in your studies. You may get access to equipment or in-person support (if available). The support varies from one uni to another, and most unis ask you to first see if any financial help is available from your home country.

University hardship funds

If you run into unexpected financial difficulty during your studies, you may be able to apply to a hardship fund at your university. You will need to prove you have budgeted carefully and applied for any funding you were eligible for.

This is emergency funding, and the amount you get will be determined by your uni. You usually need to be a UK-resident student, although some unis may offer support to EU or international students. Priority will be given to those with a low household income, or students who have children, are disabled, or care leavers.

Many unis or Students' Unions have a money advice service that can help you plan your finances. If you find you’re struggling to make ends meet, speak to them as soon as you can. Otherwise, organisations such as Step Change can help you to manage debt.

Can students claim benefits?

UK-resident students can't usually claim government benefits. If you're on benefits and want to do a degree, it's a good idea to chat with a money advice service (if the university you're interested in has one). You can also contact organisations like Turn2us, a UK charity that helps people facing financial difficulties. In Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has useful information about benefits for students.

You may be eligible to get support from the UK government’s Universal Credit benefit scheme – for example, if you’re responsible for a child.

Universal Credit treats student maintenance loans – and some grants – as 'unearned income'. You’ll be assessed on the full amount of maintenance loan you’re entitled to, even if you choose not to take it. Parents’ Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant aren’t counted as income.

Jobseeker's Allowance isn't normally available to students. You might be able to apply if you're a single parent and can’t work during the summer vacation. If you haven't paid enough National Insurance for Jobseeker's Allowance, you should claim Universal Credit instead.

If you're a disabled student needing help with personal care or mobility, you can claim Personal Independence Payments or similar support. If your health improves during your course, your eligibility may be reassessed.

Parents who are students can still claim Child Benefit.

Your grants or student loans may affect the amount of benefit you get.

Course-related payments

Depending on where you are in the UK, there may be funding available if you study certain courses.

NHS bursary

The NHS bursary or other NHS funding offers different support depending on the following.

• The UK nation you’re from.
• The UK nation you are studying in.
• The healthcare subject you study.

To learn about funding for degrees in medicine, dentistry, nursing, midwifery, or allied health professions, see our guide to NHS funded courses.

Teacher training bursaries or scholarships

In England, incentives are available for undergraduates.

• Undergraduate veteran teaching bursary for recent veterans of the armed forces. They must take a degree that qualifies them to teach secondary education in biology, chemistry, computing, languages, maths, or physics.
• Some maths, physics, computing or languages degrees may offer an opt-in QTS course (qualified teacher status). If you take the opt-in QTS course, you could get a bursary from the government.

Across the UK, there’s more financial help for graduate teacher training. This is especially true for secondary subjects that need more teachers. Employment-based teaching and postgraduate teaching apprenticeships are also available in England.

We cover all these funding options in our pages on How to become a teacher (undergraduates) and How to become a teacher (postgraduates).

Social work bursaries

If you’re studying a degree in social work, you may get financial support from a social work bursary. Awards include amounts towards your living costs and/or placement allowances. You can find all the details on our page about the Social work bursary.

Student finance and studying abroad

If you study abroad for between one term and one year as part of your course, you can still apply for student finance during this time. We tell you about student finance and studying abroad on our pages below, as it depends on the nation you are from.

• Student loans and studying abroad if you come from England
• Student loans and studying abroad if you come from Northern Ireland
• Student loans and studying abroad if you come from Scotland
• Student loans and studying abroad if you come from Wales

It's also worth looking for financial support from university scholarships or student bursaries. For example, funding may be available via the Turing Scheme.

Travel grant

If you are a full-time student from England, Wales or Northern Ireland and get student finance, you may get a travel grant. This helps towards the cost of studying abroad. It also provides placement funding for medical and dental students in the years they don’t receive an NHS bursary.

The travel grant doesn’t apply to clinical placements for nurses, midwives or allied health professionals. Instead, students who receive NHS funding can claim some of their placement expenses back via their scheme. See our guide to NHS funded courses for more information.

If you study abroad at an overseas university as part of your course, the grant can cover expenses such as travel, visas, vaccinations and medical insurance. It can also be used to support the travel costs of students going overseas with the Turing Scheme if they don’t qualify for the scheme’s support.

How do you get a travel grant?

You must be a full-time undergraduate receiving means-tested student finance.

• Overseas study must be for at least half of each academic term.
• Clinical placements must be a requirement of your course, and you won't qualify if you’re eligible for other funding (such as an NHS bursary).

If you've studied at this level before, you might not be eligible for funding.

How much financial support does a travel grant give?

You pay the costs yourself up front and must keep receipts as evidence of your spending. You can then claim the money back.

The amount you get back will depend on your household income, and you'll need to cover c.£303–£309 of the year's cost yourself. If you’re from Wales, you’re expected to pay the first £1,000 if your household income is over £59,200. You won't need to pay the grant back unless you’ve been overpaid, or you leave your course early.

Scottish students and financial support for travel

If you are from Scotland, you can also get financial help with travel expenses for travel abroad. It must be a compulsory part of your course and not a paid placement. You can claim the cost of your journey and medical insurance.

The financial support you get doesn't depend on your household income. (Though if you do have a low household income and are going overseas with the Turing Scheme, you may get support as part of that programme.) You must let SAAS know that you’ll be studying abroad when you apply for student finance that year, and you'll be sent a claims form.

If you’re on an Allied Health Profession (AHP) course, you can claim travel expenses when on clinical placement. AHP placements must be in Scotland.

If you receive the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary, this allows £5 for daily travel. You can claim expenses when your clinical placement costs are higher than this, using the cheapest form of public transport.

SAAS does not provide medical or dental students with any financial support for their placements.