Homepage > Money > HE Student Finance

• Considerations for Higher Education (HE)
• Student Loans
• Bursaries
• Maintenance Grants
• Sponsorships
• Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)

Considerations for Higher Education (HE)

If you are considering entering HE then you need to think about ways to fund it. You should be considering the cost of:

• tuition fees
• accommodation
• books
• travel
• living expenses (food, drink, nights out etc.)

Therefore it is a good idea to find out about student loans and government grants.

Student loans

Student loans are available to help you with the costs of living expenses and tuition fees. Interest is charged at the rate of inflation; this means the amount you repay will be equal in value to the amount you borrow. You don’t have to start repaying this loan until you are earning £15,000 or over per year.

To find out how much you can borrow and how your loan will be paid please visit the following website:

• Students who applied for the academic year 08/09 visit Student Finance Direct
• Students applying for the academic year 09/10 visit Student Finance England (An on-line application service will be available here.)  

Bursaries

Universities and colleges often offer a bursary which is non-repayable cash support. Bursaries are intended for low income households to ensure that no-one is discouraged from applying for Higher Education on the grounds of financial hardship. You can search the DirectGov bursary map to find information on the bursaries available at different colleges and universities.      

Maintenance grants

Full time students will be eligible for a non repayable grant. You may be eligible if your household income is less than:

•  £25,000 – you are likely to be eligible for a full grant worth up to £2,906.
• £60,032 – you are likely eligible for a partial grant, dependant on your household income.

Sponsorships

If you have a specific career in mind, you might find it a good idea to approach companies to see if they offer any sponsorship programmes. With a sponsorship programme you are usually guaranteed a job once you have completed your degree and you often get your tuition fees paid by the sponsor. Sponsorship can help you gain valuable experience of working in a sector that interests you, which will help you find a suitable job when you graduate. The main sponsors include:

• The armed services (Army, Navy, RAF).
• Banks and accountancy firms.
• Local authorities
• Certain industries and companies.

Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs)

If you have a disability or learning difficulty and are studying in higher education you can apply for extra funding called DSAs. DSAs help with course-related costs that arise, as a result of your disability. These allowances do not depend on your income and unlike student loans you do not have to repay them. Extra support could include:

• Specialist equipment allowance.
• Non-medical helper’s allowance.
• Other costs – for example tapes or Braille paper.
• Extra travel costs you have to pay as a result of your disability.

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