1. Overview
The main student finance package includes a:
- Tuition Fee Loan
- Maintenance Loan - full-time students only
- Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant - full-time students only
You might get extra help on top of this.
The rules are different if you became a student before 1 September 2012.
Tuition fee loans pay for your course. Maintenance loans and grants help with living costs (eg accommodation, books, bills). You have to pay back loans but you don’t need to pay back grants.
You could also qualify for help with the costs of studying abroad.
You apply for student finance every year. You don’t need a confirmed place at university or college to apply.
How to apply or support an application
Find out how to apply for student finance.
You’ll normally need to support a student finance application if you’re the parent or partner of a student.
There’s a different process if you’re a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.