University Level
All part-time and full-time students entering onto a Higher Education course with us may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees if they are enrolled on one of the following:
Foundation Degree
Higher National Certificate (HNC)
Higher National Diploma (HND)
The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at www.gov.uk/studentfinance as soon as the application service opens.
You should apply as soon as possible so you can be fully assessed for financial support, as applications usually take between 4 and 6 weeks to process.
Before you start your application, make sure you have:
You will be sent a student finance entitlement letter which will set out exactly what support you can receive. You should sign and return the declaration form.
If you are studying full-time, you may also be able to apply for a maintenance loan to help with your living costs. This option will form part of the application process through Student Finance England.
Disability Students’ Allowance:
Students with a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty are eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
This is an award to help pay for extra costs you may have to pay as a direct result of your disability or specific learning difficulty. We would encourage you to submit your application for this as early possible as it can take some time for it to be processed.
Please refer to Student Finance England website for further information. www.gov.uk/student-finance
Parents’ Learning Allowance:
This helps with the extra cost of being a student parent, and does not have to be paid back. Please refer to Student Finance England website for further information. www.gov.uk/student-finance
If you pay for childcare during the academic year you may also be able to get a childcare grant. It can pay up to 85% of your childcare costs and does not need to be paid back.
If you are aged 19 or above and want to improve your career prospects, you can get a loan for some courses at levels 3-6 so you don’t have to pay fees up front (excluding HNC, HND and degree courses).
You don’t start to repay the loan until you have completed the course and are earning over £27,295 per year.
