Tuition fee loan guide

You’ll usually only get student finance if you’re studying your first higher education qualification, even if your previous  programme was self-funded. You may still be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances and for some programmes.  

If you’ve studied before, the number of years you can get funding for depends on how long you studied previously.  

Tuition fee loans are usually applied to the final years of your new programme. To work out your eligibility:  

• take the total length of your new programme  
• add one year  
• subtract the number of years you studied before . 

If you studied part of a year, it counts as a full year.  

You may still be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances.  

This can include:  

• topping up a qualification (for example, progressing from an HNC, HND or foundation degree to an Honours degree)  
• studying certain subjects, such as science, technology or healthcare‑related programmes.  

Eligibility will depend on your individual situation. 

It typically takes around four weeks to process your application. Applying in the wrong way may delay your application. 

Yes, interest is charged from the day you take out the loan. The terms and conditions can change.  

If you cannot apply online, you’ll need to post your application form instead. Refer to specific loan body guidelines.  

If you’re reapplying for student finance after withdrawing from a programme or suspending your studies, you’ll need to follow the correct process for your situation. 

The process includes:  

• checking how and when to apply  
• making an application  
• submitting required information or forms.  

You can apply online. If you cannot apply online, you can use a paper application form. If you qualify for tuition fee-only funding, you should apply using the tuition fee loan application form. 

You may still be eligible for funding if you:  

• stopped your programme within the first year and return to study  
• suspended or withdrew and are going back to study  
• are repeating a year at the same university or college . 

If you stopped your studies for a personal reason (for example, illness or pregnancy), you might get funding for your full programme, but you’ll need to apply with supporting evidence. 

The terms and conditions explain what you’re agreeing to when you take out a student loan and outline how the loan works.  

You can use the official undergraduate student finance checker to see what you may be able to apply for.

The application process usually involves:  

• checking if you’re eligible  
• preparing your application  
• applying or reapplying each year  
• providing evidence if requested  
• updating your details if your circumstances change. 

You can apply online or by post, depending on what applies to you.  

Yes, you’ll need to reapply for student finance for each year of your programme. 

Tuition fee loans are paid directly to your university or college.

You’ll start repaying your loan when your income is over a certain threshold. Your monthly repayments depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

Yes, you can give someone permission to act on your behalf (for example, using Power of Attorney). 

You may be able to get support if you are:  

• an estranged student (under 25 with no contact with your parents)  
• a care leaver. 

Find out more via UCAS

You can view the official guides here:  

• 2025–2026
• 2026–2027

You can read the Student Finance England privacy notice here.

You must be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your programme.  

The academic year is a period of 12 months starting on:  

• 1 September, if your programme starts between 1 August and 31 December  
• 1 January, if your programme starts between 1 January and 31 March  
• 1 April, if your programme starts between 1 April and 30 June  
• 1 July, if your programme starts between 1 July and 31 July  

You can apply for the postgraduate master’s loan if all of the following are true:  

• You’re a UK national or Irish citizen or have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or indefinite leave to remain so there are no restrictions on how long you can stay . 
• You normally live in England.
• You’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years in a row before the first day of the first academic year of your programme (apart from temporary absences such as holidays).
• If you’ve been living in Ireland or a British overseas territory, you do not need to normally live in England. You can apply for the loan if you attend your programme in England or do distance learning in England.  

You might also be eligible if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) and you’ve been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past three years. To be eligible, you must have either:  

• returned to the UK on or after 1 January 2018 and by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• been living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein on 31 December 2020.  

If you’re an EU national or a family member of an EU national , you may be eligible if you’re an EU national, or a family member of an EU national, and all the following apply:  

• You have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (no restrictions on how long you can stay).  
• You’ve normally lived in the UK, the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or overseas territories for the past three years (this is also known as being ‘ordinarily resident’).  
• You’ll be studying at a university or college in England.  

You could also be eligible if you’re:  

•  The child of a Swiss national, and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.  
• A migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein with pre-settled status, or a family member of a migrant worker where both have settled or pre-settled status.  
• A resident of Gibraltar who is a UK or EU national, or their family member.  
• An EU national and have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the past three years.  
• Receive student finance for EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein nationals from August 2021
  • If you started a programme on or after 1 August 2021, you usually need to have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance. 
  • You need to have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021.
  • If you’re joining family members in the UK who have settled status, you can apply for student finance before you have been granted pre-settled status. 
  • Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme. They can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if they wish to, for example, apply on behalf of a child.  

If you have a different residency status, you may also be eligible if your residency status is one of the following: 

• Refugee (including family members).  
• Humanitarian protection (including family members).  
• Child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK – you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020.  
• A stateless person (including family members).  
• An unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment.  
• A child who is under the protection of someone granted ‘Section 67 leave’, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as the person responsible for them (known as ‘leave in line’).  
• Granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain 
• A child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)  

• You’ve been given settled status but not under the EU Settlement Scheme.  
• You, your parent or step-parent have been granted settlement (‘indefinite leave to enter’ or ‘indefinite leave to remain’) as a victim of domestic violence.  
• You, your parent or step-parent havhe been granted settlement (‘indefinite leave to enter’ or ‘indefinite leave to remain’) as a bereaved partner.  
• You or your family member have been granted leave under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).  
• You or your family member have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.  
• You’re a person of Chagossian descent and have British citizenship.  

If you’re a non-UK national and have lived in the UK for a certain number of years, you could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:  

•  under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least seven years 
• 18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least twenty years (or at least half of your life).  

Both the following must also apply:  

•  You’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years in a row before the first day of the first academic year of your programme.
• You had permission to enter or stay in the UK for those three years. 

You’ll start repaying your loan when your income is over a certain threshold. Your monthly repayments depend on how much you earn, not what you owe.

Yes, you do not need a confirmed place at a university or college to apply.  

Information on applying is linked to specific academic years, and you can apply once applications open for your chosen year.  

You can find detailed guidance on how and when to apply through the official Student Finance Wales website. 

You may already have a student finance account if you studied previously. If not, you’ll need to create an account to apply.

No, you only need to apply once, even if your programme lasts for more than one year.  

You may still be eligible if you meet specific residency criteria, including certain EU, EEA, Swiss, or other recognised status categories, or if you are a family member of someone who qualifies. Eligibility depends on your individual circumstances.  

Based on your application, you could be eligible for one type of student finance, depending on your circumstances. Student Finance NI will assess your application and confirm your eligibility.  

You can download the official guide here:  

• • 2026–2027 guide

You can view the official terms and conditions guide here:  

• 2026–2027 guide

You can download the official guide for financial support for part-time students here:  

• • 2026–2027 guide

You should use the guide that matches your academic year, as funding information may differ between years. 

You can view the official terms and conditions guide here: 

• • 2026–2027 guide

A tuition fee loan is a repayable loan used to cover the cost of your tuition fees, as set by your university or college.  This loan is paid directly to your university or college on your behalf.  

Find out more