Loans, Grants, Scholarships

The University offers various scholarships and grants, depending on your course, fee status, background, and area of study.

Please note that maintenance loans through Student Finance have a hidden parental contribution piece. Student maintenance loans are calculated based on parental income, and as a result it is expected by the UK Government that parents will bridge the gap between the loan given and living costs that go beyond this loan while at university. You may find this calculator which shows how much parents are expected to pay to support their children helpful.

Maintenance Loans and Grants

UK Full time

You may be eligible for student finance funding if you are not from the UK originally, but you are usually resident in the UK, have lived in Europe for a set period of time, or if you are a refugee. Please check with the appropriate provider to see what you may be entitled to.

Undergraduate students

Student Awards Agency Scotland
- The amount you can get will depend on household income, if it is more than £34,000 you can only get up to £8,400 (loan, no bursary). The maximum amount you can receive is £11,400 a year (£9,400 in loan, £2,000 in bursary). Find out more about loans applications.
- There are a range of other bursaries and grants you can apply for. Find out more about bursaries and grants.
- You must be under 61 when you begin your course to receive the student loan for living costs.
Student Finance England
- The maximum you can get is £10,227 , assuming you live away from home. You will be paid in 3 instalments.
- Information differs for new and continuing students.
- If you’re aged 60 or over, you may get a limited maintenance loan if you are studying full time.
Student Finance Wales
- All students are eligible for at least £1,000 a year grant (that you don’t have to pay back) toward living costs.
- Overall, the maximum someone living away from home will receive is £12,150, the split between grant and loan depends on income. This is paid in 3 instalments.
- Find out more about maintenance support.
- You must be under 60 to get a Maintenance Loan, however if you are aged 60+ you may be eligible for Special Support.
Student Finance Northern Ireland
- The maximum maintenance loan for those living outside of London and not with parents is up to £6,776
- Maintenance grant (which you don’t need to pay back) is available to those whose household income is below £41,065. The maximum grant is £3,475
- Find out more about the loan and grant
- The Maintenance Loan and Maintenance Grant are only available if you’re under 60 when you start your course

Postgraduate students

Student Awards Agency Scotland
- You can get a loan of up to £7,000 to pay for tuition fees. You can also apply for a living costs loan of up to £6,900
- Find out more about postgraduate funding
- No age restrictions are given on the SAAS website
Student Finance England
- Instead of getting separate tuition fee and maintenance loans, for a masters, you get it all together paid directly to you.
- You can get up to £12,471 to contribute toward tuition and living costs. You’ll get it in 3 instalments.
- Find out more about postgraduate funding
- You must be under 60 to be eligible for the Postgraduate Master’s Loan
Student Finance Wales
- You will get overall funding to the value of £18,950, which is intended to cover tuition and living costs. This is made of a mix of grants and loans, the split depends on household income
- Find out more about postgraduate funding
- You must be under 60 when you start your course to receive this funding
Student Finance Northern Ireland
- Tuition fees up to £6,500 are available for postgraduate courses
- There is no postgraduate maintenance loan for Northern Ireland
- Find out more about postgraduate funding.
- There is no age limit for the Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan

UK Part time

Undergraduates

Student Awards Agency Scotland
- You may be eligible for the Part-time Fee Grant to help with tuition fee costs depending on your circumstances.
- You may also be eligible for Universal Credit depending on income. Use the calculator to find out
Student Finance England
- You can get up to £6,935 in tuition fee loans an academic year.
- You may be eligible for the Maintenance Loan but the amount depends on your personal circumstances.
- Find out more about funding
- You may get some funding if you are 60 or over, but it depends and you are best to apply and check. People aged 60 or over are not eligible for the Maintenance Loan.
Student Finance Wales
- You may be eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £6,935.
- You’ll get a mixture of loans and grants towards living costs, depending on course intensity and household income
- Find out more about funding
- You must be under 60 to get the Maintenance Loan
Student Finance Northern Ireland
- You may be eligible for the Tuition Fee Loan and the Tuition Fee Grant depending on your household income and other personal factors.
- There is a small Course Grant which you don’t have to pay back, depending on household income. The maximum is £265 for those with an income below £26,029. If the household income is above £28,067 you are not eligible
- Find out more about funding
- There is no upper age limit for any of the above

Postgraduates

Student Awards Agency Scotland
- You can get a tuition fee loan of up to £7,000
- There is no maintenance loan or grant for part time students, however you may be eligible for Universal Credit depending on income. Use the calculator to find out
- No age restrictions are given on the SAAS website
Student Finance England
- You can receive funding if your course lasts 2-4 academic years (and is no more than twice the length of the full time course)
- You can get up to £12,471 to contribute toward tuition and living costs across your course.
- Find out more about funding.
- You must be under 60 to be eligible for the Postgraduate Master’s Loan
Student Finance Wales
- The maximum loan over the course of your degree to cover tuition and living costs is £18,950.
- Find out more about funding.
- You must be under 60 when you start your course to receive this funding
Student Finance Northern Ireland
- You may be eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500
- Find out more about funding.
- There is no postgraduate maintenance loan for Northern Ireland
- There is no age limit for the Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan

Funding for Disabled Students

Support from the University

You can find out more about the Disability Team at Student Services.

Student Awards Agency Scotland

You may be eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowance if you have certain disabilities or learning difficulties. This is available for full and part time students, and for undergraduates and postgraduates. You do not need to pay this back.

Within the overall allowance there are 3 different allowances for different purposes; Consumable Items Allowance; Equipment, Software, & Accessories Allowance; and Non-Medical Personal Help allowance. Your eligibility for each of these depends on your circumstances and your course. Find out more about the Disabled Students’ Allowance from SAAS, and check out their pdf guide.

Student Finance England

You can apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance from SFE if you have particular disabilities or learning difficulties. The allowance is open to full and part time students, and both undergraduates and postgraduates. You do not need to pay the allowance back. How much you may receive depends on your individual needs.

Student Finance Wales

Full-time, part-time, undergraduate, and postgraduate students with specific disabilities and learning difficulties can apply for this allowance. How much you can get depends on your individual circumstances. You do not need to pay this money back. Find out more if you are a full-time undergraduate, part-time undergraduate, and a postgraduate. There is also a pdf guide.

Student Finance Northern Ireland

You can apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance if you are a full-time, part-time, undergraduate, and postgraduate, and have particular disabilities or learning difficulties. The amount of allowance you get depends on your personal circumstances, and you do not have to pay this money back. Find out more about the allowance for full-time undergraduates, part-time undergraduates, and postgraduates.

Funding for Estranged students

There are other sources of support available for estranged students from national charities, including Stand Alone, who have put together a guide on student finance in the UK for estranged students.

Student Awards Agency Scotland

They define estranged as not being in contact with your parents/guardians, due to a permanent breakdown in your relationship. In these cases, their income is not considered when working out how much funding you can receive to support your studies, instead you will be seen as an independent student.

For funding, you will usually be entitled to the maximum student loan for living costs, and the Estranged Student Bursary. When you apply for funding, you’ll need to inform SAAS that you are estranged, and they will then send you a form to confirm your estrangement. This form needs to be endorsed by a professional who knows your circumstances.

Find out more about funding for estranged students from SAAS through this guide and the website.

Student Finance England

Estranged students are defined as having no contact with their parents for one year before the beginning of the academic year, or having had no relationship with their parents within the last 12 months, and this is not expected to change. You will need to provide proof either through the Confirmation of Estrangement Form or with a letter from a professional who knows your circumstances. When it comes to your loans, your parents’ income won’t be considered.

Find out more from UCAS, the Student Finance site for undergraduates.

Student Finance Wales

Student Finance Wales define estrangement as:

No contact with either of your parents for 12 months or more, or
Your relationship with your parents broke down within the last 12 months and it is not expected to change in the near future

If your relationship with your parents breaks down during your time at University (even if you had a relationship at the beginning of your studies) you may be able to be assessed as an estranged student. Cases for estrangement from Student Finance Wales are reviewed on an individual basis. Your parents’ income won’t be used when calculating your loans.

Undergraduates and postgraduate Welsh students will be able to download a ‘confirmation of estrangement form’ in your online account, and submit written evidence from a professional to explain your situation. See here for information for undergraduates and for postgraduates.

Student Finance Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, some examples of estrangement include:

Living away from your parents e.g. with friends, in supported accommodation, or with other family
You have no relationship with your biological parents and possibly you have not received emotional or financial support for a period of time
You have limited contact with your parents for specific reasons (e.g. keeping in touch with a sibling)

Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and parental income won’t be included when assessing how much student finance you’re entitled to.

You can send in a signed letter from a professional who can confirm your estrangement when you submit your application. Otherwise, Student finance Northern Ireland will send you a form to fill in and one for a professional to fill in. Find out more about finance for estranged students.

Funding for Care Experienced Students

The definition of care experience differs slightly depending on nation.

The Complete University Guide has put together some information on coming to university as a care experienced student which you may find helpful. UCAS have also put together information for undergraduate care experienced students in the UK.

Student Awards Agency Scotland

Full-time undergraduate care experienced students may be able to apply for the Care Experienced Students Bursary (which you don’t pay back). You can find out more about support for care experienced students in Scotland from SAAS, including a guide for care experienced students.

You may also be able to receive the Summer Accommodation Grant which supports you in paying accommodation costs during the summer holiday. The amount varies depending on your living arrangements.

Student Finance England

You can apply for a one-off bursary from your local authority if you have been in local authority care (this bursary does not have to be paid back). See UCAS for more information.

Student Finance Wales

Students are described as care experienced if:

They were in care or accommodation through their local authority
Care lasted for at least 13 weeks
The time in care ended after the age of 14

You will need to submit a letter from your local authority that confirms you are care experienced. Find out more about funding for care experienced students.

Student Finance Northern Ireland

Care experienced provision is for people who have:

Been in care through your local authority
This time in care lasted at least 13 weeks
Your time in care ended after you turned 16
You have not returned to your parents’ care before the first day of the first academic year of your course

You may be entitled to the maximum amount of student finance, as your parental income will not be used to calculate your support. Find out more about funding for care experienced students.

Student parents and student carers can find out more about student finance in their dedicated sections.

Student Loan Repayments Explained

From the April after your course finishes, you can start repaying your student loans. You don’t have to pay back your tuition fee loan or maintenance loan till you earn a certain amount after you graduate. If you stop working, or your income goes below that level, your repayments will automatically stop.

There are several repayment plans:

Plan 1:

You are a Northern Irish student who started an undergraduate or postgraduate course in the UK after 1 September 1998

Plan 2

You are an English or Welsh student who started an undergraduate course in the UK on or after 1 September 2012

Plan 4:

You are a Scottish student who started an undergraduate or postgraduate course in the UK after 1 September 1998
You are an EU student who started an undergraduate or postgraduate course in Scotland after September 1998

Plan 5:

You are applied to Student Finance England and you are on an undergraduate course which started on or after 1 August 2023

Postgraduate Loan:

You are an English or Welsh student who took out a Postgraduate Master’s Loan on or after 1 August 2016
You are an EU student who started a postgraduate course on or after 1 August 2016

Find out more about the repayment plans.

You will pay 9% of your earnings over the threshold of your plan if you are on Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5, and 6% of the amount you earn over the threshold for the Postgraduate Loan.

The threshold for repayment depends on your plan:

Plan 1: you repay when your income is over £24,990 a year before tax
Plan 2: you repay when your income is over £27,295 a year before tax
Plan 4: you repay when your income is over £31,395 a year before tax
Plan 5: you repay when your income is over £25,000 a year before tax
Postgraduate Loan: you repay when your income is over £21,000 before tax

Find out more about the thresholds

You will also pay back interest on your loan, again dependent on your plan. Interest rates for repayment change every year.

Plan 1: 6.25% interest
Plan 2: 8% interest
Plan 4: 6.24% interest
Plan 5: 8% interest
Postgraduate Loan: 8% interest

When your loan gets written off again depends on your plan:

Plan 1: 25 years after the April you were first due to repay
Plan 2, 4, and Postgraduate Loan: 30 years after the April you were first due to repay
Plan 5: 40 years after the April you were first due to repay

If you are a Welsh student, you may be eligible to cancel up to £1,500 of your Maintenance Loan.