Financial support available from the Government

There are a number of sources of funding to help you with the costs of studying for your degree, these can be divided into two types of funding - loans and grants.

Loans have to be paid back, but not until after you have graduated and are earning over £21,000 per year. Grants do not have to be repaid.

Loan and Grant figures on the pages in this section apply to English students studying an undergraduate (Foundation or BA) degree.

How do I apply for loans and grants?

Funding for 2013 courses

Full-time English students via Student Finance England from early 2013. You should apply as early as possible and you don't need to have a confirmed place on a course, and if your course changes, you can change this using your online student finance account.

The final deadline for applying is still to be confirmed but will be spring 2013 for new students to make sure the finances you need are in place when you start your course. Applying online is the easiest way to apply for student finance. You will be able to apply this via the Direct.gov website from early 2013.

Students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will need to contact their relevant student finance company, see links on the right-hand side of this web page.

Applying for student finance online should be a straight-forward process, but it's always good to know that there's a friendly source of expert advice close by. You can contact our Enquiries Service by telephone on + 44 (0) 1252 892883 or email us.

Funding for 2012 courses

To ensure your grants and/or loans are paid to you as close to the start of term as possible please ensure you have completed the following steps:

Signing and returning the declaration form:

If you applied for your grant and/or loan on online you will be sent a declaration form with your entitlement letter. You need to sign and return this form right away for your application to be approved.

Payment of grants and/or loans:

Your maintenance loan and any grants due to you will be paid directly into your bank account in three instalments throughout the year. Your first payment will be released once you have registered with us and your attendance has been confirmed.

How do I repay my loans?

The tuition fee loan and maintenance loan for living costs are put together into a single loan and each year you will pay back 9% of your income over £21,000 until the loan is paid off. The size of your repayment is based on your salary, not on the size of your loan - so your monthly repayments will be the same, however large your loan. If you stop earning over £21,000, you stop repaying and any money not paid back after 30 years will be written off. For more information on repaying your loan please see the Student Loans Repayment website.

Interest on student loans

Interest is charged from the day you receive your first loan payment until the loan is repaid or written off, whichever is first. Any loan remaining after 30 years will be written off. Remember - no student will have to make payments until April 2016, regardless of when they finish or leave their course. You can get more information on repaying your loan please see the Student Loans Repayment website or calculate the amount you may have to repay on the Student Loan Calculator.