Living in England

Financial Support  and Loans for EU and EEA Students

Student Support is the name given to financial support provided by the Government to some students in the UK.

If you intend to study at an Undergraduate Degree, an HND/HNC, a Diploma of Higher Education or on a Teacher Training Course and you meet all the requirements to classify as a ‘home’ student it is quite probable that you will be entitled to some financial support. Student support is composed of a loan for tuition fees, a loan for living costs, a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to nearly £3,000 per year if you are from a low-income family and, finally, supplementary grants for special circumstances such as disability. With the exception of tuition fees, the loans and grants are based on yours and your family’s income.

You may not be eligible, however, if you have already received some form of student financial support to study at the higher education level, or if you have already obtained a qualification at a higher level, whether in the UK or in your home country.

Student loans will probably be the cheapest form of borrowing you will ever get. Student loan interest rates are low so the money you repay is the same in real terms as the money you borrow.

In 2009-10 the Tuition Fee Loan was up to £3225 a year and eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan (TFL) to pay all or part of their tuition fees. This loan is paid directly to the University on your behalf and, as previously mentioned, you will not have to pay anything back until you have graduated and are earning over £15,000 a year. Tuition Fee Loans are not means tested; provided you are eligible, you may apply for the full £3225 per year, regardless of your household income.

TFLs are available to full-time, undergraduate students from the UK or EU, following HEFCE funded courses. You can choose to take out a TFL to meet the entire cost of your tuition fees, £3225 in 2009/10. Or you could take out a proportion of the TFL and pay the rest of your fees yourself.

EU nationals and those with family living in the European Economic Area and Switzerland are only eligible for a loan to pay for their tuition fees.  EU/EEA nationals  can only receive full Student Support which includes supplementary grants and loans for living costs (maintenance loans), if they have been living in the UK for three years immediately prior to becoming a student. Visit the website below for full details of eligibility and categories:  http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/student_support_england.php

How to Apply for Student Support

You should apply direct to the EU Customer Services Team of the Student Loans Company at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. . Your Local Education Authority or the EU Customer Services Team of the Student Loans Company will send you an application form and you must apply within nine months (six months for part-time courses) of the start of the academic year.