Don't delay applying for money

The main chunk of your money will come from the Government in the form of a loan and, perhaps, grants. Briefly, the help available is:

• The full grant is similar to the maximum amount of tuition fees being charged in England and Northern Ireland. Grants have slightly different names and come in slightly different forms in different parts of the UK.

Maintenance loans

• Don’t confuse this with the tuition fee loan. Tuition fee loans get paid straight to the university on your behalf, so you never actually see a penny of it. The maintenance loan gets paid straight to you, so you can spend it on whatever you want. Yippee!

• Everyone on their first degree can apply for a basic maintenance loan. Students from poorer families are also entitled to an extra, means-tested portion.

• However, how much of this they get also depends on whether you’ve been awarded a maintenance grant – those who are given a grant might not be allowed to borrow quite as much money, so they don’t end up with that much overall.

• Basically, depending on family income, you’re likely to be able to get either just the non-means-tested portion of the loan (richest families), or the full loan (less rich families) or a full grant and some of the loan (poorest families). Or, because these things are done on a sliding scale, somewhere in between.

• Other things to be aware of? Because of the high price of living in the capital, students in London are entitled to a bigger loan.

• Also, students living with their parents won’t get as much money as their living costs are seen to be cheaper (free or cheap rent, mum’s cooking etc).

• Don’t delay! Look into it when you apply to university – there’s no need to wait until you have a confirmed place.

• Getting your forms in late may mean you’re still waiting for money at the start of your first academic year.

• The best place to start is Studentfinancedirectfor all the info or to apply online.

• You can also see the DFES website for the latest deadlines, as well as downloadable forms and application packs.

• Get in touch with your Local Education Authority (LEA) – details from DFES again - for more specific queries.

• Eligible Welsh students studying in Wales get an Assembly Learning Grant to help with their living costs.

• Loans are also available.

• A national bursary scheme for students going to university in Wales has now been introduced.

• Scottish students studying in Scotland get a means-tested loan towards living costs.

• Young students from poorer families get part of their living cost in the form of a non-repayable young students’ bursary (YSB).

• Other grants are available for mature students, student parents and disabled students.

Useful contacts for official funding info/applications

• For students in England:

Student loans company website

Also try Studentfinancedirect, aimhigher and studentfinance 

• For students in Wales:

elwa.org and studentfinancewales

• For students in Scotland:

Look at student-support 

• For students in Northern Ireland go here