Do you qualify for student finance?

In order to get student finance, both you and your course must be 'eligible'. This means meeting certain requirements – based, for example, on where you normally live and whether you've studied a higher education course before.

Eligibility for financial help

Before you apply for student finance, you need to check if you and your course are eligible. The rules on eligibility can be complicated, and the information on this page doesn’t cover all circumstances. But it offers a general guide on whether you’ll be eligible for student finance if you:

• are doing a higher education course - like a first or ‘undergraduate’ degree - or a postgraduate course of Initial Teacher Training
• normally live in Northern Ireland, and
• are studying anywhere in the UK

Checking if you’re eligible

To qualify for the government’s standard student finance package, you must meet certain conditions – based on where you live, the type of course you’re doing and several other factors. You’ll need to check that you are personally eligible.

• studentfinanceni

What if these rules on eligibility don’t apply to you?

Different rules apply if any of the following is true:

• you normally live outside Northern Ireland
• you are doing your course outside the UK
• you are doing a postgraduate course (apart from a course of Initial Teacher Training)
• Studying at an overseas university