Student finance: Northern Ireland

If you're from Northern Ireland and doing a higher education course in the UK, there are certain conditions you personally need to meet to qualify for student finance. Use this page to confirm your personal eligibility then check that your institution and course are eligible.

Checking if you're personally eligible

The rules on eligibility are complex, but as a general guide your personal eligibility depends on:

  • the place where you're ordinarily resident
  • whether you have taken a higher education course before
  • your age

Residence

To qualify for student finance as a student from Northern Ireland, you will normally need to meet all three of the conditions on residence. This means that on the first day of the academic year in which your course starts, you must usually:

  • have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before starting the course (and not wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education)
  • be a UK national or have 'settled status' in the UK (under the terms of the Immigration Act 1971)
  • be ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland

You're 'ordinarily resident' somewhere if it's where you normally live. It doesn't matter if you're out of the country temporarily from time to time.'Settled status' means that there are no immigration restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK. Even if you don't meet these criteria, you may still qualify for the standard student finance package. Ask your local Student Finance NI office, or your university or college, for advice.

Previous study

If you have studied before, this may affect your eligibility for student finance. You may not be able to get financial help if you have taken a course of higher education in the past and either:

  • you got student finance from the government while you were doing it or:
  • the college or university received funding from the government or;
  • your previous course was equal or lower in level to your new course

In general, you'll be entitled to financial help for the length of your course plus, if necessary, one extra year to cover things like false starts and transfers. If you are unsure about whether your previous study affects your eligibility for student finance, speak to your local Student Finance NI office, college or university.

Your age

To qualify for a Student Loan to help with accommodation and living costs (called the Student Loan for Maintenance), you need to be aged under 60 when you start your course. There's no upper age limit on grants and Student Loans for Tuition Fees.

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