Tuition Fee Loans for full-time students

If you're studying an undergraduate course, you could get a Tuition Fee Loan. A Tuition Fee Loan covers the cost of the fees charged by your university or college. Content provided by Student Finance England.

What's on this page?

Full-time undergraduate applications for 2024 to 2025 are now open!

Apply online now, it takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

You’ll need to repay any loans you borrow, but not until you’ve finished or left your course, and your income is over the repayment threshold.

What's available?

Most students won’t have to pay for tuition fees up front – you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay your fees.

How much you can get depends on:

• how much your university or college charges
• whether you’re studying at a publicly or privately funded university or college
• when you started your course

You could get a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £9,250 if you're studying at an eligible uni or college. If you're studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

If you're not sure if a course qualifies for student finance, check with the uni or college.

Eligibility

Whether you can get student finance depends on your:

• personal circumstances
• course
• uni or college

Your nationality or residency status

UK nationals

• you normally live and work in England
• you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for three years before starting your course

• a UK national or Irish Citizen, or
• settled under the EU Settlement Scheme, or
• granted indefinite leave to remain for other reasons

Lived outside the UK, EU, or EEA?

You can also apply if you’ve been living in the UK, the EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for the past 3 years and are:

• the child of a Swiss national and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• an EEA or Swiss worker, or the family member of an EEA or Swiss Worker, and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or you are an Irish Citizen
• a family member of a UK National - both you and your family member must have lived in the UK, EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for the past 3 years
• the child of a Turkish worker and you and your Turkish worker parent were in the UK by 31 December 2020, with your parent being granted extended leave to remain beyond that date

If you’ve lived outside the UK, EU, or EEA on a temporary basis, you must have returned to the UK by the start of your course to be eligible for student finance.

You can apply if you have one of the following Home Office statuses:

• Humanitarian protection or the family member of someone with this status
• Stateless status or the family member of someone with this status
• Refugee status or the family member of someone with this status
• Calais leave or the dependent child of someone with Calais leave
• Classed as ‘leave to remain’ under the section 67 of the Immigration act or the dependent child of someone with this status
• You, your parent or step-parent have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK as a victim of domestic violence or abuse
• You, your parent or step-parent have been granted indefinite leave to remain as a person who has been a bereaved partner
• You or your family member have been granted leave to enter or remain under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens 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 Extension Scheme

You could also be eligible if you have limited Leave to Remain (including Discretionary Leave to Remain) and have lived in the UK for three years before the first day of your course. Further requirements depend on what age you are:

• If you’re under 18 on the first day of your course, you must have lived in the UK for at least seven years
• If you’re 18 or over on the first day of your course, you must have lived in the UK for at least half your life or at least 20 years, whichever is less

You must also live in England on the first day of your course.

Tuition fee only funding

Most EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals starting courses on or after 1 August 2021 will not be eligible for support from Student Finance England.

Students whose courses start before 1 August 2021 will continue to get student finance for the rest of their course. Find out more on GOV.UK.

You may be eligible for tuition fee only support if you've been living in the UK, the EEA, Switzerland or overseas territories for the past 3 years and you’re:

• an EU national or a family member of an EU national or a family member of a person of Northern Ireland and you have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement scheme
• an EU national or a family member of an EU national who has resident status in Gibraltar
• an EEA or Swiss worker or a family member of an EEA or Swiss worker; or
• a person of Chagossian descent and have British citizenship
• a child of a Swiss national or the child of a Turkish worker and you do not qualify for full support

UK nationals and their family members who have resident status in Gibraltar and lived in the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA or Switzerland for the past three years can also apply for tuition fee funding.

You may also be able to get tuition fee funding if you are a:

• family member of a UK national
• family member of a person with settled status in the UK
• family member of a person of Northern Ireland
• family member of an Irish Citizen

You must have been living in the UK and Islands for the past 3 years and your family member is resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course.

You can also apply if you are a UK national, an Irish Citizen or you have settled status in the UK and you have been living in any of the following for the past 3 years:

• the UK, Islands and/or the specified British Overseas Territories
• the UK Islands and/or Ireland

You can also apply if you have Irish Citizenship and have been living in any of the following for the past 3 years:

• the UK, the EEA, Switzerland or the Overseas Territories, and were resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020
• the UK, the EEA, Switzerland or Gibraltar, and were resident in the EEA or Switzerland on or before 31 December 2020

Courses starting before 1 September 2012

If you started your course before 1 September 2012, you can get a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £3,465.

If you are an EU national, or a relative of one, you’ll be eligible for student finance if all of the following apply:

• you’ve been living in the UK for at least 5 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you’re living in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course

You’ll need to tell us all the addresses you’ve lived at in the last five years, and send us original evidence to prove this.

• Examples of evidence you can send include:
  • Council Tax bills
  • utility bills
  • P60s
  • wage slips
  • letters from HMRC
  • Child Tax Credits letters
  • Child Benefit letters
  • tax returns
  • tax calculations
  • bank statements

  If you were under 18 at the start of the five year period before your course starts, we can also accept:

  • signed/stamped letters on headed paper from your school or college confirming dates of attendance (it must confirm the exact dates)
  • a Child Benefit or Child Tax Credits award letters addressed to your parents, with your name listed on the letter
  • school reports

  Lived outside the UK, EU, or EEA?

  You can still get student finance if you’ve lived outside of the UK, EU, or EEA during the five years before the start of your course, if you had a temporary break in residency.

  To prove this was only a temporary break in residency, you can send:

  • your visa showing that your time abroad was temporary
  • temporary work contracts for you or your parents
  • evidence that you maintained a connection with the UK, for example bank statements showing your UK address, mortgage statements, or utility bills

  If you have not lived in the UK for at least five years before the start of your course, you could be eligible to apply for student finance as an EEA migrant worker, or a relative of one. Find out if you’re eligible.

  Your age

  There’s no upper age limit for student finance, but if you're over 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course, you won’t be able to get the basic Maintenance Loan – the amount of loan you can get depends on your household income only.

  Previous study

  • you change your course, or
  • you have to re-sit a year, or
  • you leave your course but start another

  The number of years for which you are eligible for funding is calculated as:

  Length of current course + one year – years of previous study

  You will use up one year of funding when you register, regardless of how long you actually attend the course.

  If you haven’t got enough years of funding left to cover your course, you’ll have to cover some of the cost yourself. You’ll usually still be able to get a Maintenance Loan in any self-funded years of study. You may also be able to get a bursary from your university.

  You might be able to get an extra year of tuition fee support if you need to repeat a year due to compelling personal reasons, such as bereavement or illness.

  Your uni and course

  • first degree, e.g. BA, BSc, or BEd
  • foundation degree
  • Certificate of Higher Education
  • Higher National Certificate (HNC)
  • Higher National Diploma (HND)
  • Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
  • Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
  • integrated master's
  • Initial Teacher Training (ITT)

  You could also be eligible for funding if you’re studying a Level 4 or 5 qualification with HTQ approval e.g., Certificate, Diploma or NVQ. To find out if your course is HTQ approved and qualifies for undergraduate student finance, speak to your university or college.

  From 1 August 2018, students studying a postgraduate healthcare course will also be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan.

  If you’re not sure whether your course qualifies for student finance, you should check with your uni or college.

  Armed Forces

  • a spouse or civil partner living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas
  • a child, stepchild, or adoptive child living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas
  • a dependent parent living with either a child who is a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas, or the child's spouse or civil partner who is a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas

  From 1 August 2018, students studying a distance learning course will also be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan if they're:

  • a member of the UK Armed Forces who usually lives in England, but is serving in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
  • a relative living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland

  How it's paid

  You need to register at your uni or college before Student Finance England can make your first payment. You’ll usually do this in the first week of your course, and you may have to take your student finance entitlement letter with you.

  Your Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to your university or college in three instalments during the academic year.

  When are payments made to your uni or college?	How much is paid to your uni or college?
  At the start of term one	25% of the tuition fee
  At the start of term two	25% of the tuition fee
  At the start of term three	50% of the tuition fee

  How to apply

  Full-time undergraduate applications for 2024 to 2025 are now open!

  Apply online now, it takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

  When you apply for student finance, you'll need to agree to Student Finance England's terms and conditions.

  New students

  It’s important to apply as soon as possible so your funding is in place for starting your course.

  1. Set up a student finance account
     When you register, you’ll be given a unique Customer Reference Number, and will need to create a password and secret answer. You should keep these safe, as you’ll need them to log in to your account to check the progress of your application, and reapply for student finance next year.
  2. Fill in and submit your application
     The first time you apply, you’ll be asked for proof of identity. You can easily do this by providing your valid UK passport details. If you don’t have a UK passport, you may have to send evidence.
     If you want to apply for student finance that depends on your household income, Student Finance England will ask your parents or partner for their National Insurance number, and their personal income details.
     You will also need the following information to complete your finance application:
     • course start date
     • bank account details
     • National Insurance number – don't worry if you don't know your National Insurance number, or where to find it. HMRC has made it quick and easy to find this information – all you have to do is register your details. This means you no longer have to contact HMRC directly to obtain your National Insurance number
  3. Submit any evidence you're asked for
     Student Finance England may contact you, or your parents/partner, to ask for evidence to support your application. If you’ve had no contact with your parents for over a year, you might be able to apply as an ‘independent student’.

  Tuition fee only students

  If you qualify for tuition fee only funding, application forms are available to download at www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms.

  You should fill in a paper application form and send it to Student Finance England at the following address:

  Student Finance Service
  Student Loans Company
  PO Box 89
  Darlington
  County Durham
  United Kingdom
  DL1 9AZ

  Continuing students

  You should re-apply online as soon as possible to get some money in time for starting your course.

  Tuition fee only students should re-apply using the relevant academic year EUPR1a form available to download at www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms.

  Evidence

  Proof of identity

  UK nationals

  Include your valid UK passport details in your application the first time you apply.

  If you don’t have a UK passport (or it has expired), you can upload a copy of your UK birth or adoption certificate to your online account.

  Non-UK and non-EU nationals

  If you’re a non-UK and non-EU national, you will need to send us your original passport or Home Office biometric residence permit card.

  You’ll also need to provide us with proof of your lawful residency status in the UK for the full 3 years prior to the start of your course. Your biometric residence permit card or proof of your visa stamped in your passport are both acceptable forms of evidence to prove your status. We’ll return your original documents using a secure method of post.

  It’s important to apply early and send us your evidence as soon as possible. We’ll return your evidence as soon as we’ve checked it, so you don’t need to worry about being without your original documents for long.

  Don't send your original documents to us if you’re due to travel within 8 weeks as we can’t guarantee they’ll be sent back in time. Instead, you should send the evidence when you return from travelling.

  Changing your details

  Before your initial course start date, you can tell Student Finance England about any changes by filling in a ‘Change of Circumstances’ form, which you can download from www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/change-an-application.

  After your course start date, you’ll need to ask your university or college to tell us about any of the following changes:

  • your tuition fee amount
  • your course details
  • your course intensity
  • you repeat a year
  • you leave higher education
  • suspend your studies