Money

Managing your money can seem daunting, but with a bit of preparation you can minimise financial worries and maximise your enjoyment of student life.

Follow our checklist of useful things that you can do now, and contact us if you have any questions. We are here to help.

Checklist

Make or update your student finance application

Undergraduate

You should apply for student finance without delay, if you have not already done so and you are:

  • a UK (United Kingdom) national  
  • normally a resident in England
  • living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three continuous years before the first day of your course.

Other UK nationals may be eligible for full support if you:

  • returned to the UK by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
  • have been living in the UK, EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past three years.

Irish nations to do not need settled status but do need to be settled on the first day of the first academic year of the course.  Please see UKCISA for more details (PDF).

You may also be eligible based on other specific residency status – eg if you have refugee status.

Please see Student Finance for full eligibility criteria.

You need to advise Student Finance if your choice of university has changed since your original UCAS application. You can do this by logging into your Student Finance account before you start your course.  It takes approximately 6 weeks to process an application.

For more information about finance and loans visit the Student Finance website.

Be prepared for financial delays: We recommend that you make sure you have sufficient funds in your bank account when you arrive to cover your rent, food, study, travel and entertainment costs for at least the first two weeks of term in case there are any delays in receiving your student finance.

 

Bursaries and scholarships

Find out more about undergraduate bursaries, scholarships and other financial support for:

Postgraduate

You can apply for a postgraduate masters loan from Student Finance England for your course or living expenses, if you are:

  • a UK or Irish national or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or indefinite leave to remain
  • normally resident in England
  • living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland for three continuous years before the first day of your course
  • starting a full, stand-alone masters course worth at least 180 credits.

Postgraduate students on eligible PGCE courses and postgraduate pre-registration healthcare courses should apply for the undergraduate student finance package, even though you are studying for a postgraduate course.

The scheme allows you to borrow up to a maximum of £11,570, which will be paid in three instalments at the start of each term.

Further details on what is available and eligibility can be found on the Student Finance England website. 

Applications for postgraduate loans are now open.

More information about the loan scheme is available on gov.uk, The Student Room and FindAMasters.

Bursaries and scholarships

Find out more about postgraduate bursaries, scholarships and other financial support for:

Bursaries

If you are eligible for the full undergraduate Student Finance England package of tuition loan and maintenance loan you may be eligible for one of our bursaries. You will need to meet our  bursary criteria based on your household income of up to £25,000 per year or if you are a care leaver or estranged student.

We aim to advise if you are potentially eligible for a bursary once you have completed stage 1 online enrolment after 16 August. You need to have given Student Finance England consent for them to share your household income information with us.

You do not need to apply for a bursary – your details are passed on to the university automatically by Student Finance England once you receive confirmation of your eligibility for the tuition fee and maintenance loan package. Bursaries are paid in two instalments in January and in the spring 2022.

Students who have been notified of their eligibility for the care leavers or estranged students bursary will receive their first instalment at the start of term and the second in May 2022.

If your personal or financial circumstances change at any point in the academic year, please contact the Student Advice team who can check you eligibility for additional funding including bursaries

Two students working at computers

Healthcare courses

If you are starting an eligible pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate healthcare degree, you should apply for funding from the NHS Learning Support Fund.

If you’re eligible, you can get:

  • a Training Grant of £5,000 per academic year
  • parental support of £2,000, if you have at least one dependent child under 15 years, or under 17 years if registered with special educational needs 
  • reimbursement of excess costs incurred on practice placement for travel and temporary accommodation costs (Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses)
  • students experiencing financial hardship (Exceptional Support Fund).

Find out more about the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Open a student bank account

Your maintenance loan or other funding will be paid into your bank account, so it makes sense to have an account organised before you arrive.

  • Look for student accounts with benefits that suit you.
  • Remember to take ID and confirmation of student status – your acceptance letter

If you have applied for student finance, make sure that the company you applied to has your correct bank details. If you are an EU or international student, please be aware that it may take several weeks to open a UK bank account after you have enrolled on your course. You need to make sure you have money for this period by making arrangements similar to those you make if you are going on holiday abroad, like using travellers cheques or a credit or cash card.

Apply for your TOTUM card, powered by NUS Extra

A TOTUM student discount card costs £14.99 per year and entitles you to 350 top brand student discounts both online and in-store.

Visit the Totum website for full details of offers and to apply for a TOTUM card.

NUS logo

Start a budget

Budget while you are here – calculate your income and expenses and work out what your weekly or monthly income and outgoings are.

Budgeting isn't just about seeing how much money you will need to pay for your food, travel and rent – it's a really good way of working out how much you can spend on the things you enjoy.

You can contact the Student Advice Team for helpful advice and tips and you can sign up to our Money Matters blog.

Do the numbers add up?

If your income is the same as or more than your outgoings, it looks like you've got things covered – stick to the budget and you'll be fine.

If your income is less than your outgoings, your money may not last until the end of term. Are there ways to cut back on your spending or increase your income, for example through a part-time job?

Income (+)

  • Student loan
  • Grants, bursaries, sponsorships or scholarships you're eligible for
  • Money from relatives or guardians
  • Income from a job
  • Benefits/tax credit

Outgoings (-)

  • Accommodation
  • Household bills
  • Contents insurance
  • Travel costs
  • Food, laundry
  • Household supplies and toiletries
  • Music, film and social activities
  • Clothes and shoes
  • Credit card or debt repayments
  • Books and equipment
  • Healthcare
  • Childcare

Supplement your income

If you find that you need extra income, there are a few options you can consider.

  • Look for a part-time job: our Careers Service website hosts a jobs database and guides you through securing a part-time job while you're here
  • Check which bursaries and scholarships you may be entitled to receive
  • Reclaim tax on gap year or summer jobs: if you earned less than your annual personal allowance (£12,570 for the tax year 2021–22) and paid tax, visit the HMRC website to find out how to apply for a refund

View job vacancies from our Careers Service

Available support if you have a disability

UK students 

Ensure that you apply for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) and let us know as soon as possible so we can meet you to discuss what financial and practical help we have available to you.

The DSAs can help to pay for things such as travel, a note-taker or reader, study skills help, specialist equipment and other course-related costs. The support you are eligible to receive depends on your disability and not on your household income.

The application process for DSAs can take four or five months so it is important that you apply as soon as possible.

See the GOV.UK website for more information on DSAs. The Student Advice Team can also help with information about DWP benefits, including Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment.

Contact the Disability and Dyslexia team

International students 

If you are not from the UK you will not be eligible to receive the Disabled Students’ Allowances. However, we will do everything we can to support you and help you find funding to pay for equipment and support workers.

To help with this process, please investigate the following options before starting at university:

  • If you have a sponsor, ask if they can contribute money to cover disability-related expenses. Some scholarships offer funding to cover such costs.
  • You may be eligible for a grant from your own government, so contact your education department to ask what support they can provide. Governments that provide support include Eire, Jersey and Guernsey, Sweden, Netherlands, and Thailand, though others may too.
  • You may be eligible for support from non-governmental organisations in your home country.

If additional funding is not available, we will work hard to meet your needs in the best way possible, so please get in touch as soon as you know you are coming so that we can begin to help you.

Find out about bursaries and scholarships

Course fees

Fee payments are handled by the university's Finance department. Contact the Finance department as soon as possible if you anticipate having any difficulties in paying your fees.

Find out more about paying fees and eligibility for discounts.

International students

Self-funded international students are required to pay a tuition fee deposit. You need to pay your deposit before we can issue you with your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number. You can pay your tuition fee deposit online or by bank transfer with our partners Flywire.

Contact the Finance department

Pay your tuition fee deposit

Contact us

There are hardship funds to help students in certain circumstances and we can help you access these if you are eligible. We offer one-to-one sessions at all campuses.

If you are concerned about your financial situation either before you arrive or once you are here, please contact the Student Advice Service. Our service is confidential and non-judgemental.

If you have any ongoing delays with your funding, contact the Student Advice Service.

Contact our Student Advice Service