Finance for courses starting before September 2006

You’ll need to make a separate application for student finance for each year of your course. The type of help you can get depends on whether you’re studying full or part time, and when your course started. This page is a guide to what’s available if you started before September 2006, and are applying for finance for the 2012/2013 academic year.

Help for full-time students

This page outlines the main sources of help available to eligible full-time students from England. They are:

Student Loan for Maintenance
Higher Education Grant and tuition fee grant
Student Loan for Tuition Fees

You’ll need to make a separate application for each year of your course. Any help you get through a student loan doesn’t have to be paid back until you’ve finished your course and are earning £15,795 or more. Grants don’t have to be repaid at all. This page outlines what’s available if you started your course before September 2006, or you otherwise qualify under the 2005/06 rules for student finance. If you’re not sure, see the section below headed ‘Does the information on this page apply to you?’.

Student Loan for Maintenance

How much you can get depends on your household income, where you study, whether you live at home, and whether you’re in your final year. The maximum for 2012/2013 is £6,780. You can get 75 per cent of the maximum regardless of your household income - students from lower income households can apply for the remaining 25 per cent.See ‘Student Loans’ to find out more.

Student Loans

Higher Education Bursary and tuition fee grant

Students from lower income households who started in 2004/2005 or 2005/2006 can also apply for a Higher Education Bursary of up to £2,000 a year to help with living costs. The tuition fee grant can cover some or all of your tuition fee contribution: up to £1,380 for 2012/2013.

Student Loan for Tuition Fees

All eligible full-time higher education students can take out a Student Loan for Tuition Fees for any tuition fees not covered by the tuition fee grant.

Student Loans

Extra financial help

There’s extra help available for particular groups of students on top of the standard student finance package. You may already have been getting it - or your circumstances may have changed so that you qualify for extra help. Help is available for:

students with disabilities, mental health conditions or specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia)
students with children (especially lone parents)
students with adult dependants
students with financial difficulties (from your university or college, through the Support Funds)

Follow the link below to find out more.

Disabled students - extra financial help (disabled people section)

If your circumstances change

If your circumstances change, it’s important to let your local authority know as soon as possible. If you don’t, it could affect the amount of help you’re entitled to - or delay payments to you.

How to apply

You can make an application even if you didn’t apply for student finance earlier in your course. If you’ve already made an application, you won’t need to supply evidence again unless your circumstances have changed.

Does the information on this page apply to you?

This page is a guide to the financial help available if you started your course before September 2006 – or if you otherwise qualify under the 2005/2006 rules for student finance. You may qualify under the 2005/2006 rules if you: