Website of the UK government

Help for full-time students

This page outlines the main sources of help available to eligible full-time students from England. They are:

• Student Loan for Maintenance
• Higher Education Grant and tuition fee grant
• Student Loan for Tuition Fees

You’ll need to make a separate application for each year of your course.

Any help you get through a student loan doesn’t have to be paid back until you’ve finished your course and are earning £15,000 or more. Grants don’t have to be repaid at all.

This page outlines what’s available if you started your course before September 2006, or you otherwise qualify under the 2005/06 rules for student finance. If you’re not sure, see the section below headed ‘Does the information on this page apply to you?’.

Student Loan for Maintenance

How much you can get depends on your household income, where you study, whether you live at home, and whether you’re in your final year.

The maximum for 2008/2009 is £6,475. You can get 75 per cent of the maximum regardless of your household income - students from lower income households can apply for the remaining 25 per cent.

See ‘Student Loans’ to find out more.

• Student Loans

Higher Education Grant and tuition fee grant

Students from lower income households who started in 2004/2005 or 2005/2006 can also apply for a Higher Education Grant of up to £1,000 a year to help with living costs.

The tuition fee grant can cover some or all of your tuition fee contribution: up to £1,255 for 2008/2009.

See ‘Higher Education Grant and tuition fee grant’ for more information.

• Higher Education Grant and tuition fee grant

Student Loan for Tuition Fees

All eligible full-time higher education students can take out a Student Loan for Tuition Fees for any tuition fees not covered by the tuition fee grant.

• Student Loans

Extra financial help

There’s extra help available for particular groups of students on top of the standard student finance package. You may already have been getting it - or your circumstances may have changed so that you qualify for extra help.

Help is available for:

• students with disabilities, mental health conditions or specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia)
• students with children (especially lone parents)
• students with adult dependants
• students with financial difficulties (from your university or college, through the Access to Learning Fund)

Follow the links below to find out more.

• Disabled students - extra financial help (disabled people section)
• Extra help for students with children
• Adult Dependants' Grant
• Access to Learning Fund: extra help if you need it

If your circumstances change

If your circumstances change, it’s important to let your local authority know as soon as possible. If you don’t, it could affect the amount of help you’re entitled to - or delay payments to you.

For more information see, ‘If your circumstances change’.

• Contact your local authority (student finance applications) Opens new window
• If your circumstances change while you are studying

How to apply

You can make an application even if you didn’t apply for student finance earlier in your course.

If you’ve already made an application, you won’t need to supply evidence again unless your circumstances have changed.

• How to apply for student finance - after your first year

Does the information on this page apply to you?

This page is a guide to the financial help available if you started your course before September 2006 – or if you otherwise qualify under the 2005/2006 rules for student finance.

You may qualify under the 2005/2006 rules if you:

• took a gap year before starting in 2006/2007, or
• started a course before September 2006, then transferred to a different one

If you’re not sure which rules apply to you, follow the link below to find out.

• Full-time students: check which student finance package is available to you

Not a full-time student from England?

The financial help available will be different if you’re not from England – or if you’re doing a part-time course.

• Student finance: not from England
• Student finance: part-time students