As a student, you’ll have two main costs, tuition fees and living costs. The good news is there’s financial support available to help you pay for these. There is a tuition fee loan to help pay for your course fees and a maintenance loan to help with living costs, such as rent, books and travel.

If you’re starting University in September 2024, you can apply now for your student finance. Students who are residents in England can apply to Student Finance England (SFE).

How do I apply?

To avoid any delays in receiving your student finance you should apply as soon as you can at gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance.

What will I need?

It will take around 30 minutes to complete your application and to complete it you’ll need:

  1. Your passport (if you have a valid UK passport)
  2.  details of your university and course
  3. your bank details
  4. your National Insurance number.

You may also have to ask your parent(s) or partner to provide details of household income.

How long will it take?

It can take up to six weeks to complete your application, so you should apply as soon as possible. If your application is late, your money might be too.

What if I haven’t got my place at university yet?

Don’t worry if you don’t have a confirmed place at university, you can apply using your preferred choice and change the details online later if you need to.

For more information, including how you’ll pay back your finance, check out this video: