What is Student Finance England?

Student Finance England is a non-profit making government-owned organization that administrates loans and grants to students in colleges and universities in the UK. This is an initiative provided by the government to aspiring students who may not have the financial prowess to self-fund their higher education. A student loan will not cause detrimental consequences if you are unable to pay due to your circumstances but one which is adherent to potential changes in your life. The main objective of their services is to enable people to invest in their futures through higher education for a better standard of living by providing trusted, transparent, flexible and accessible student finance services. One of the great benefits is that this loan does not show on your credit score, meaning you will be able to get a mortgage or finance a car without any hindrance.

Student Loans Company (SLC) administers the student finance schemes for students from England and EU students studying in England under their direction. The loan which is provided by the Student Loans Company is divided into two; Tuition fee Loan & Maintenance Loan.

> What are the benefits of applying for SFE?

Student Finance (funded by the government) makes it possible for students from all backgrounds to attend university.
The package includes a loan for course fees, as well as a means-tested Maintenance Loan or Grant for living expenses.
UK universities can charge up to £9,250 a year in tuition fees, but you'll pay nothing upfront if you're eligible for Student Finance.
If you need extra cash because of a health condition, childcare costs, or clinical placements, or if you are struggling to pay your bills, you may be eligible for financial assistance.
Student Finance must be repaid, but don't let that discourage you! The repayments of student loans work more like a graduate tax, which is much easier to manage after university.
Only after you have completed your course AND earned enough to repay the loan you would be starting to repay the student loan. Payments depend on your income and stop altogether if you fall too far behind.
For the most part, Student Finance is reserved for UK students, but if you're from the EU – or meet other eligibility criteria – you may get support.

> What Funds are Undergraduates Eligible for?

As an undergraduate, you can borrow funds to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with your living costs. Your tuition fee loan is paid directly to the university, while the maintenance loan is paid directly into your bank account.

Programme	Undergraduate (Level 6)
Entry	Standard	Non-Standard
Educational Qualifications Required	A level or equivalent BTEC / NVQ level 3 International Baccalaureate	BTEC / NVQ level 2 with relevant work experience
Duration	3 years (Bachelor’s degree without foundation)
Eligible Fund Amount	Maximum £60,000	Maximum £80,000

You will receive an annual loan of £9,000+ for your course fees, depending on the nature of your study programme.

If you’re a full-time student, you can get up to £9,250.
If you’re studying an accelerated degree course, you could get up to £11,100.

The maintenance loan will range between £7,000 and £12,000, dependent on your course, household income, and where you live.

	2021 to 2022 academic year	2022 to 2023 academic year
Living with your parents	Up to £7,987	Up to £8,171
Living away from your parents, outside London	Up to £9,488	Up to £9,706
Living away from your parents, in London	Up to £12,382	Up to £12,667
You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad	Up to £10,866	Up to £11,116
If you’re 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course	Up to £4,014	Up to £4,106

These loans will be paid in three instalments, typically at the start of each term.

In addition to the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan, additional funding opportunities are available for undergraduates with the specific circumstances listed below.

Students with child or adult dependents.

Childcare Grant

Parents’ Learning Allowance

Adult Dependents’ Grant

Maximum £183 a week for 1 child

Maximum £315 a week for 2 children or more

Depending on your
household income, an annual
amount of £50 - £1,863

Maximum £3,263 annually

Students with a disability, learning difficulty or special need.
- An annual Disabled Students’ Allowance up to £25,575 is provided to help with the costs of:
  - Specialist equipment
  - Non-medical helpers
  - Extra travel expenses to attend the course or placement due to the disability
  - Other disability-related study support

*The funds are transferred to the student's bank account or the service/equipment provider. The ‘Needs Assessment’ will determine how the payment will be made.

Students enrolled in specific academic programs.
- Medical, nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students
- Social work students
- Teacher training students

> What Funds are Postgraduates Eligible for?

As a postgraduate student, you can apply for a postgraduate loan, and once approved, you will receive an annual amount of £11,000+ directly to your bank account to pay for your course fees.

Programme	Postgraduate (Level 7)
Entry	Standard
Educational Qualifications Required	A UK first degree at 2:2 or above with relevant work experience A foreign degree or qualification equivalent to the above
Duration	1 year (Full time) 2 years (Part-Time)
Eligible Fund Amount	£11,000+

Currently, there is no Non-Standard entry available for master’s degrees.
The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% annually.

> Repayment

One of the benefits of a student loan is its flexibility in its repayment. Your repayments are due to start from the following April from when you finish your course, but you must meet some minimum thresholds such as earning a minimum of £27,300. Your repayments are low as your phone bill starting at £35 per month is deducted directly from your pay through your employer.

Of course, this will rise as your pay increases at the rate of 9% of any income above the minimum threshold. If you stop working or earn below the minimum threshold then your repayments stop until you are above the threshold and the debt is written off 30 years after you were due to start repayment.

> Non-repayable grants/Allowances

Disability Student Allowance (DSA)

Did you know that you could get personalised support to complete your studies if you have a disability, condition, or impairment?
The DSA covers various areas such as allowances for specialist equipment, one-to- one mentoring & support from a specialist, and general allowance for things such as travel and other small expense you may have.
How much allowance you get depends on your individual needs which will be assessed up application, unlike the maintenance loan, which isn’t based on your income and does not have to be repaid.

Childcare grant

Did you know that you could get 85% of your childcare costs covered If you enroll on a full-time course?
Having children is one of the best things in life, but don’t let it get in the way of your dreams. If you are enrolled in a full-time course, the child car allowance will give you the chance to get almost all your costs covered, up to £180 for one child or up to £307 for two or more children.
Although this is based on your income, it does not have to be repaid.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may get a Special Support Grant from Student Finance England along with a Maintenance Loan if you get or qualify for:

• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing element of Universal Credit

Even if you choose to study online instead of attending classes at your University because of class size restrictions in 2021/22; you will be eligible for the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan, as well as any grants you qualify for.

Students with children or dependent adults can apply for:

• Childcare Grant - full-time students only
• Parents’ Learning Allowance - full-time students only
• Adult Dependants’ Grant - full-time students only
• Universal Credit
• Extra Help if you’re experiencing financial hardship

In order to apply for a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), you are required to complete a DSA1 application form; evidence must also be provided. The form will be sent to you if you indicate on your main loan application that you wish to apply for a DSA. But leave the worry to us, as we can help you with your student finance application as well as the DSA application.

In order to minimize delays in your application, it's wise to apply for your Student Loan as soon as possible once you have received the Unconditional Offer from the university

Apply now. Don’t worry if you may need to make the change you can do that later if you need to. It’s best to get the application processed so you know what you are going to get

No, you only need to make one application for the whole course

No, you won’t need to declare any money earnt from a job

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