Tuition Fee Support

If you’re going into higher education as a full-time undergraduate student in 2011/12, you can apply for a student loan to pay your fees. Part time undergraduate students can apply for a fee grant. These loans are repayable, but only once you meet the earning threshold set by the Government. Grants are not repayable.

Tuition fees loans available to students in 2011/12 are a maximum of £3,375.

Eligibility

Student finance isn’t available to everyone - there are some conditions you need to meet to qualify for finance. Some of these conditions are personal, such as your age and where you live, while others are to do with your course and place of study. Find out if you qualify here.

How to Apply

New and returning full-time students should apply online now for student finance for 2011/12. Part-time students can apply after they register on their course at the start of term.

Applying for full-time student finance

The deadline for 2011/12 full-time student applications has now past. You can still apply for student finance but there's no guarantee all your money will be ready when the academic year starts. Don’t wait until you have a place on a course to apply.

Applying for part-time student finance

Part-time students can apply using a paper form after their course starts. The form needs to be stamped and signed by your university or college when you register on your course.

The latest you can apply for student finance

You can apply for student finance:

up to nine months after the start of the academic year if you’re a full-time student
up to six months after the start of the academic year if you’re a part-time student

Student Finance England pays this direct to your university or college.

Repaying Student Loans

Your student loan repayments will normally start on 6 April after you graduate, or stop attending your course.

The repayment threshold for student loans, before deductions, is currently:

· £15,000 a year

This is equivalent to:

· £1,250 per month or

· £288 per week

If your income exceeds these amounts, you will be required to make repayments. In most cases, these repayments are collected automatically through the tax system.

Interest on Student Loans

Student loans accrue interest from the date they are paid out, up until they are repaid in full. Usually the interest rate for student loans is set in September each year

The interest rate is currently 1.5 per cent.

Information relating to funding can be found here.