Loans and grants for living costs
UK undergraduates starting in 2012
If you are a full-time undergraduate student from the UK and you are studying a university-level course for the first time you can apply for financial support from the government to help you meet your living costs during your studies. This can include a non-repayable maintenance grant and/or a student loan for living costs.
Government funding for full-time UK undergraduates
| Household income | Maintenance grant | Living cost loan | Total support/year |
|---|---|---|---|
|
£25,000 or less |
£3,250 |
£3,875 |
£7,125 |
|
£30,000 |
£2,341 |
£4,330 |
£6,671 |
|
£35,000 |
£1,432 |
£4,784 |
£6,216 |
|
£40,000 |
£523 |
£5,239 |
£5,762 |
|
£45,000 |
£0 |
£5,288 |
£5,288 |
|
£50,000 |
£0 |
£4,788 |
£4,788 |
|
£55,000 |
£0 |
£4,288 |
£4,288 |
|
£60,000 |
£0 |
£3,788 |
£3,788 |
|
Over £62,500 |
£0 |
£3,575 |
£3,575 |
Source: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills March 2011
Student loan for living costs
You can apply for a student loan from the government to help with costs such as accommodation, food and travel. The student loan for living costs does not have to be paid back until after you are working and earning more than £21,000 a year.
The amount you are eligible for depends on whether or not you live at your parents' home, your household income, the length of the course and the size of the maintenance grant you are eligible for. A loan of up to £4,395 a year is available to students living away from home and studying outside London (studying up to 45 weeks a year). A loan of up to £3,351 a year is available to students who continue to live at their parents’ home (studying up to 45 weeks a year).
More about how you repay the loan
Maintenance grant
In addition to the student loan for living costs if you are a UK student and have a household income of less than £25,000 you are entitled to a full grant of £3,250 a year. If your household income is between £25,000 and £42,600 are entitled to a grant of between £3,250 and £50.
Grants do not have to be paid back.
How to apply
You don’t need to wait until you have been offered a place at university to apply for your student funding. You should be able to apply for it at the beginning of the year. Check your student finance agency for the exact deadlines. You need to reapply for student finance each year of your course.
For UK students the agency you apply through depends on where you are living when you first apply:
- England: Student Finance England
- Northern Ireland: Student Finance Northern Ireland
- Scotland: Student Awards Agency for Scotland
- Wales: Student Finance Wales
Students who hold passports from other EU countries should apply through Students Finance Services Europe
Find out more about student finance for EU students
For more information visit the DirectGov website
Government support for specific circumstances
Specific government help is also available for students with disabilities and for students with children or other dependants. Depending on your family circumstances you could also be eligible for certain state benefits and child tax credits whilst you are studying.
For more information see students and benefits
