Student Finance - Aimhigher West Midlands

Every UK student is potentially eligible for two loans: a Tuition Fee Loan, which will cover the cost of your first undergraduate course, and a Maintenance Loan, which can support your living costs. Both of these loans are provided by Student Finance England (SFE).

Your maintenance loan is calculated based on where you plan to study (London or elsewhere in the UK) and the amount you are provided with depends on your household income. You may need a parent/guardian to help you calculate this.

You may also be eligible for a scholarship or bursary. We recommend researching your chosen university to find out what financial support is available to you.

  • Individual university scholarships: Universities offer a range of scholarships and bursaries based on different criteria.
  • Disabled students allowance: If you have a disability, or physical/mental health condition, SFE may be able to provide extra funding to support you
  • Dependants grants: If you are a young carer, have any children, or anyone that you have to support financially, SFE may also be able to help.

Top Tip

If you think you may qualify for any type of bursary/grant, it’s always worth applying to find out!

How it works

1.

Once you have applied to university using UCAS, you can then apply online for your student finance at www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance.

2.

You may have to provide evidence of your household income. You can use the Student Finance calculator on the government website to get an estimate.

3.

Once your application is approved and you have firmly accepted an offer at university, student finance will pay your tuition fee loan directly to the university for you. Any maintenance loan payments are then scheduled to be paid to you in three instalments over the academic year – September, January and April.

Once you finish university, the repayment part can sound a little complicated, but we’re here to help. It all depends on how much you are earning, and not on how much you have borrowed.

Currently, you pay nothing back until you are earning £26,575 as a yearly salary. You would pay back 9% if you earn anything over this amount. If your earnings fall below £26,575, the repayments stop. If you earn enough to start paying back your student loan, the amount will be deducted from your monthly salary automatically. There is nothing you need to do to arrange this.

Currently, after 30 years, any outstanding debt is written off and will never be passed to anyone else.

Check out Save the Student for more in depth information on repaying your loans.

Save the student

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