Financial support for higher education students

Joe Lewis

Higher education generally comprises qualifications at level 6 and above in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and at SCQF level 9 and above in Scotland. It also includes some lower-level qualifications like Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNCs/HNDs).

Higher education is devolved, which means eligibility for financial support, and the nature and amount of what is available, varies across the UK. Support primarily comes from student finance loans and grants/bursaries provided by UK governments. Support might also be available to students from universities, educational trusts and charities, employers, and the benefits system.

Student finance

Financial support for higher education tuition fees and living costs primarily comes from government loans and grants/bursaries. See the relevant Commons Library casework article for information on student eligibility for support in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

To ensure they have applied for everything to which they may be entitled, students should consult the website of the respective student finance body for where they normally live:

Students must reapply for support each year of their course. They will only repay any loans when they are earning over a certain amount. Grants and bursaries do not have to be repaid.

Tuition fee support

Undergraduate tuition fee levels differ across the UK, but support is available to eligible students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the form of a loan. Eligible students living in Scotland are entitled to have their fees paid for them by the Scottish Government (an article published by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre has more information).

For postgraduate degrees, loans are available to eligible students across the UK. See the Commons Library casework article Finding funding for a master’s degree for more information.

Living cost loans and grants/bursaries

Depending on their country of residence and course, students can apply for loans, grants, and bursaries to help cover day-to-day living costs, including accommodation, food, and transport.

The amount and type of support to which a student is entitled may be based, in part, on their household income. In most cases, this will include their parents’ income. If a change of circumstances reduces a student’s household income during the academic year, they may be entitled to more support and should contact their relevant student finance body.

For students not entitled to the maximum amount of support, the UK Government has said:

You may not get the full amount, so you may have to find other ways to fund the rest of your living costs. This could include, for example, part-time work, local authority assistance, bursaries, scholarships, or family contributions.

Additional support for personal circumstances

Whether a student can access additional support through the student finance system generally depends on their personal circumstances and course. This support includes:

Disabled Students’ Allowance to help cover the extra costs a student might incur because of a long-term health condition, mental health condition, physical disability, or learning difficulty.
A Childcare Grant for eligible students from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Students in Scotland should apply to their university or college for support from childcare funds, and lone parents may be eligible for the income-assessed Lone Parents’ Grant and Childcare Grant.
Parents’ Learning Allowance for students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which can be used towards the everyday costs of study, such as study materials and travel.
An Adult Dependants’ Grant for eligible students from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland with a partner or another adult who depends on them financially. The Scottish equivalent is the Dependants’ Grant.
A Care Experienced Students Bursary (CESB) for students in Scotland who are care leavers. Care leavers in the rest of the UK should contact their local authority to ask about the Higher Education Bursary. For more information, see the Propel website.
Students studying certain courses, such as medical, dentistry, healthcare, social work, and teacher training degrees, may be entitled to additional financial support, including bursaries and grants.

See also guidance published by the Student Loans Company on cost of living student finance support in England.

Support from universities

Most universities will have a student advice/welfare service that can advise on a range of issues including finances, housing, and benefits.

Students concerned about their financial situation should speak to their university or students’ union to learn what additional funding might be available, including hardship funds in England and Wales, discretionary funds in Scotland, and support funds in Northern Ireland. Many universities have expanded the support they offer to students in response to the rising cost of living.

Universities may also offer scholarships and bursaries to students who have excelled academically or are from a disadvantaged background, such as refugees and asylum seekers. Opportunities will be advertised on providers’ websites and listed on websites such as the Scholarship Hub. Each university will have its own rules about eligibility and how much might be available.

The more generous sources of funding are likely to be competitive and targeted at postgraduate students. See the Commons Library casework article Finding funding for a master’s degree for more information.

Charitable funding

Students can apply to educational trusts and charities for small amounts of funding if they meet an organisation’s eligibility criteria. This process is explained in a document published by London Metropolitan University.

The London School of Economics has published a list of charitable funding available to students. St George’s Medical School has published a list for medical students. The Register of Education Endowments is a list of Scottish trusts. Organisations such as Turn2Us and Funds Online have searchable online databases of grants.

The House of Commons Library also holds reference books to help identify relevant funding (parliamentary log in required). These books may be available in larger public libraries. They include:

The Guide to Educational Grants
The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
The Grants Register

Employer support

Some organisations offer financial support or sponsorship to their employees for undertaking higher education courses. The Prospects website has an article on employer sponsorship while the University of Essex has published a blogpost on how to ask an employer to fund your education.

Degree apprenticeships combine work with study and are available at bachelor’s and master’s level. Apprentices are employed by an organisation and paid a salary. They spend at least 20% of their time studying at a higher education provider, and their fees are covered by their organisation and the Government.

In England, degree apprenticeships can be searched through the Government’s Find an apprenticeship service, and in Wales through the Careers Wales website. In Scotland, degree apprenticeships are known as Graduate Apprenticeships. Northern Ireland offers higher level apprenticeships (HLAs).

Support with childcare

See the Commons Library casework article Childcare support for students for information on free childcare entitlements and tax-free childcare for which students may qualify.

Benefit support

Most full-time students are not eligible to claim Universal Credit, but there are some exceptions. Students may qualify for disability-related benefits and financial support, such as Personal Independence Payment.

Students who want to check what benefit support they may be eligible for should seek advice from a professional welfare specialist. Welfare rights advisers can be found using the postcode finder on the Advice Local website. If students are having problems claiming Universal Credit, they can contact the confidential Citizens Advice Help to Claim service.

For information on other publicly funded financial support, see the government’s cost of living support webpage.