SFE - HE Connect

Student Finance in the UK

Student Finance England is a non-profit government organisation, and their purpose is to establish well-qualified and successful staff in a workforce area. They provide financial support on behalf of the UK Government to students who are interested to obtain higher education in the UK. It’s good to know that the Student Finance England offers funding for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

In order to get the funding, the student needs to have one of the European or British citizenships. Funding is also available for students from Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Types of Funding

For Undergraduate programs

For postgraduate programs

For Undergraduate Programs

Tuition fee (University fee), which will cover the college/university fee. If we refer to the academic year 2023-2024 the maximum Tuition fee a full-time undergraduate student can get is £9,250.
Maintenance loan (living cost): this loan will be paid directly to the student bank account and will help with the living cost and expenses like rent, books, travel, etc. Again, if we refer to the academic year 2023-2024, the maximum maintenance loan a student can get is £12,667
Grants: there are four different grants available from SFE.
- Adult Dependant’s Grant: is available for full time undergraduate students if they have an adult financially dependent on them
- Childcare Grant: is available for full time undergraduate students who has children under the age 15 or under 17 if they have special educational needs.
- Parents’ Learning Allowance: is available for full time undergraduate students with children
- Disabled Students’ Allowance: is to support the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long-term illness, or any other disability

For postgraduate Programs

Tuition Fee: The student will be eligible for just one payment which will cover both the tuition fee and some of the living expenses (maintenance costs).
- Masters: For the academic year 2023-2024 the maximum a student can get is £11,836 which will cover the university and the living cost. The tuition fee differs from university to university. But we can give an example: if the tuition fee for the university is £6,500, the rest £5,336 will remain for the student expenses.
- Postgraduate Doctoral: The student can get up to £27,892 to support their studies. The first payment will be received after the course start date, once the university or college confirms that the student is registered.
  The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% each year. After your application has been approved the student will be sent a letter with the payment dates or can be check in the online account.
Maintenance Loan: There is no separate maintenance loan for postgraduate students.
Grants:
- Disabled Students’ Allowance: is the only grant available for postgraduate students. And it is intended to support the study-related costs incurred to the student due to a mental health problem, long-term illness, or any other disability.

If you have any further queries, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Eligibility criteria for UK/EU students

Both UK and EU students are eligible for the funding if they meet the following criteria:

The student needs to live normally in England
1. EU students must have lived in the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) for at least three years prior to the start of their course
EU student must possess either of the settled or pre-settled status.
1. Additionally, EU student with pre-settled status has to provide a proof of employment
In case the UK/EU student is under the age of 25, proof of support from a family member is required

Documents to support the application

In order to apply for Student Finance England, besides the main application, the student needs to send specific documents. The documents differ from student to student. Some of the student will apply just for the tuition fee and other students can apply for tuition fee, maintenance loan and one of the above-mentioned grants.

These are a few examples of the documents the SFE requires: passport, marriage certificate (if the student is married), birth certificate (if the student has children), bank statements, payslips or invoices, employee contract, P60, etc. To get information specifically for you, connect with one of our counsellors, they will assess your scenario and can explain you better the entire process and guide you what you need to send to prove your eligibility.

These are general requirements. And depending on individual cases you may be expected to fulfil additional requirements. Connect with one of our expert counsellors for detailed information as per your individual case.

By country

By discipline