Student Finance / Government Loans

Loans for tuition fees and maintenance are available from the UK government through Student Finance to help eligible undergraduate students pay for their studies.

You can typically apply for Student Finance from February ahead of the academic year.

To cover the costs of studying you can apply for:

• a Tuition Fee Loan, to cover your tuition fees in full
• a Maintenance Loan for living costs like rent (full-time students only)
• a Maintenance Grant, if your household income is less than £42,600 and you qualify through our widening access eligibility criteria

You can get a Tuition Fee Loan of up to:

• £9250 for new full-time students

The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to your university or college.

The loan is paid directly to the institution at which you study and you will have to pay this loan back.

Only full-time, UK domiciled students can get Maintenance Loans for their living costs. You may have to give details of your household income.

The maximum Maintenance Loan for new students whose funding body is Student Finance England was, as of 2018/19:

•  £11,002 per year if studying in London and living away from home.
•  £7,097 per year if you’re studying in London and living at home.

Students receiving tuition and maintenance loans from other funding bodies will need to check the relevant website for that funding body for further details.

These loans are paid into your bank account at the start of each term, once you’ve registered on your course, and you will have to pay this loan back.

Students with children or dependants 

Students in this category may be eligible for support from the following:

• Childcare Grant
• Parents’ Learning Allowance
• Adult Dependants’ Grant
• Access to Leaning Fund
• Child Tax Credit

Students with disabilities

Students in this category may be eligible for support from the following:

• Disabled Students’ Allowance
• Access to Learning Fund
• Disability Living Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Incapacity benefit

For students to be eligible for funding from Student Finance England, they must be studying on an eligible course at a provider registered with the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS is the new independent regulator for higher education in England and all higher education providers need to register with the OfS for their students to be eligible for student support in the 2019-20 academic year. The OfS will start publishing providers on its Register from July 2018. We have made an application to register and expect a decision by September 2018. No provider will be able to confirm whether student support is available until it has a decision from the OfS. Visit www.officeforstudents.org.uk for more information.

How to Apply