How to apply for Student Loans, grants and bursaries - new students

It’s best to apply for student finance as soon as possible after you have made your course application. On top of Student Loans and grants from the government, you may be able to get a bursary or scholarship from your place of study.

How to apply for student finance

The main student finance application lets you apply for Student Loans and grants from the government – and, in many cases, a bursary from your university or college. You will need to use one of several different forms to make your main application for student finance. Which one depends on whether you are:

studying full time
studying part time
taking a teacher training, social work, healthcare or Open University course

You will need to make a new application for each year of your course.

Full-time students: apply for student finance

It is best to apply as soon as possible - but you can still apply up to nine months from the first day of the academic year.

Apply online

Full-time students can save time by applying online for the 2012/2013 academic year.

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Apply on paper

You should apply to your local Student Finance NI office.

How to complete your application

You will have to supply some documents to support your application – evidence of your identity, household income and so on. The form will let you indicate whether you want to apply for extra help – for example, because you are disabled, or because you have children or other dependants.

Studying full time: applying for bursaries and scholarships

You may be able to get a bursary or scholarship from your place of study on top of student loans and grants from the government. If you qualify, you should apply as soon as you have a confirmed place on your course. Some universities and colleges administer their own bursaries and scholarships. Search for your university or college on the UCAS website to find out who you should apply to.

Search for a university or college on the UCAS website

Studying part time

The form for part-time support (PTG1) will not be available for 2012/13 study until July or August 2012.

Part-time students need to apply for the fee and course grant for each year of their course. To do this, complete the application form for part-time student finance (PTG1) and take it to your university or college when you start your course. Once you’ve attended for two weeks, the college administration office will complete the rest of the form, confirming: