Student finance, loans and bursaries

 

Students on a low income

 

You can apply for:

 

Universal Credit

https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

 

Extra help if you're experiencing financial hardship

https://www.gov.uk/extra-money-pay-university/university-and-college-hardship-funds

 

Students with children or dependent adults

 

You can apply for:

 

Childcare Grant - full-time students only

https://www.gov.uk/childcare-grant

 

Parents' Learning Allowance - full-time students only

https://www.gov.uk/parents-learning-allowance

 

Adult Dependants' Grant - full-time students only

https://www.gov.uk/adult-dependants-grant

 

Extra help if you're experiencing financial hardship

https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help

 

Disabled students

 

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) you can apply for:
 

Disabled Students' Allowance

https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas

 

Extra help if you're experiencing financial hardship

https://www.gov.uk/extra-money-pay-university/university-and-college-hardship-funds

 

You may also qualify for disability-related benefits.

https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled

 

Medical, social work and teacher training students

 

You can apply for:

 

NHS bursaries if you're studying certain medical, dentistry or healthcare courses

https://www.gov.uk/nhs-bursaries

 

Help with costs of travel to UK clinical placements if you're studying a medical, dentistry or healthcare course

https://www.gov.uk/travel-grants-medical-dental-students-england

 

Social work bursaries if you're a social work student

https://www.gov.uk/social-work-bursaries

 

Extra help if you're a teacher training student

https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding

 

Students studying abroad

 

You might get a grant to cover some travel expenses if you usually live in England but study away from home.

https://www.gov.uk/travel-grants-medical-dental-students-england

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Help from your university or college
 

Many universities and colleges offer extra money directly to students.

https://www.gov.uk/extra-money-pay-university

 

Funding from charitable trusts

 

Use the Turn2us grant search to check whether you qualify for funding from a charitable trust.

http://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/

 

If you're a student from England, you can apply online for the following academic years:

 

• 2021 to 2022

• 2020 to 2021

 

You can apply for:

 

• Tuition Fee Loans

• Maintenance Loans

• Maintenance Grants (only if your course started before 1 August 2016)

 

You can apply up to 9 months after the start of the academic year for your course.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance

 

Advanced Learner Loan

 

You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to help with the costs of a course at a college or training provider in England.

 

Loan eligibility does not depend on your income and there are no credit checks.

https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan

 

Student finance Higher Education

 

If you're studying full-time

 

You may be eligible for student finance if your course is in the UK and one of the following:

 

•     a first degree, for example, BA, BSc or BEd

•     a Foundation Degree

•     a Certificate of Higher Education

•     a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

•     a Higher National Certificate (HNC)

•     a Higher National Diploma (HND)

•     an Initial Teacher Training course

•     an integrated master's degree

•     a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course

 

Family Action's Educational Grants Programme: This service offers students, especially disadvantaged ones, over the age of 14, the chance to get grants of £200 to £300 to start or continue their education. You'll need to be studying at an affiliated college.

https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/grants/educational-grants/

 

Postgraduate funding

For master's courses starting after 1 Aug 2021, students are able to get a master's loan of up to £11,570. Doctoral-level students are eligible to apply for the doctoral loan of up to £27,265.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/postgraduate-loans/
 

http://www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk/

 

Scholarships and bursaries

There are nifty search tools on the Scholarship Search and Scholarship Hub websites – you'll be surprised at what's available. Some are very specific and are aimed at students from various backgrounds.

 

http://www.scholarship-search.org.uk/

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https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies

 

Care to Learn

 

The Care to Learn scheme can help with childcare costs while you study. You must be aged under 20 at the start of your course. The scheme is available for publicly-funded courses in England. This includes courses in:

 

• schools

• sixth-forms in schools

• sixth-form colleges

https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn/applying-for-care-to-learn

 

Adult education budget

 

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) funds qualifications and programmes for learners aged 19+

To access this funding, you will need to identify a provider that offers AEB eligible courses.