Undergraduate student loan
Undergraduate students from the UK can access funding from the government. This is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to help cover living costs.
How much can I borrow?
Tuition fees
Tuition fee loans of up to £9,250 per year are available for UK students who are starting a full-time undergraduate course at the University in 2022/23. This loan is paid directly to the University to go towards your tuition fees.
Living costs
Maintenance loans are available to help with your living costs, such as food, accommodation and travel. This loan is paid directly into your bank account once you have registered at the University.
- For students from England, if you live at home while you study, you could receive a loan of up to £8,400. If you live away from your family home, you could receive a loan of up to £9,978. You may need to give details of your household income to be assessed for the maintenance loan. The Gov.uk website explains what is meant by household income in more detail.
- For students from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, please refer to your government website.
Use the student finance calculator to estimate how much maintenance loan you could receive.
Previous study
If you've previously studied in higher education for any number of years, you may not receive tuition fee funding for all years of another degree. Contact a money advice adviser to discuss how you may be affected.
You will not generally be eligible for a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan from Student Finance England if:
- you already have an honours degree;
- and your current course is at the same or a lower level than your previous course.
Read more about funding for second-degree students studying medicine, dentistry, or veterinary science.
Read more about how to apply for additional funding from Student Finance if compelling personal reasons affected your studies.
Part-time study
Part-time undergraduate students are able to apply for funding from Student Finance England, providing:
- you are studying over 25% of the full-time course in each year;
- you do not have a degree qualification already.
If you started your course in or after August 2018, you can apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan. If you started your course before August 2018, you can apply for a tuition fee loan only. Find guidance on loans for part-time study on the GOV.UK website.
If you don't live in England, you can find further information on the following websites:
How to apply
- Students from England - apply online at GOV.UK
- Students from Wales - apply online at Student Finance Wales
- Students from NI - apply online at Student Finance NI
- Students from Scotland - further information and application forms at Student Awards Agency for Scotland
Repayment
You have to pay back the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan. You will start to pay back the loans once you have finished or left your course. Repayments usually start in April, after you leave.
If you are an English student who started a course on or after 1 August 2023, you will begin to repay your loan when your income is over £25,000 a year.
If you are an English student who started a course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023, you will begin to repay your loans when your income is over £27,295 a year.
For students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Gov.uk website provides useful guidance on repaying your student loans.
Students from other regions
European Union
If you're starting a course on or after 1 August 2021, you usually must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance.
If you're coming to the UK from 1 January 2021, you may need to apply for a visa to study here.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
More information on student finance for students from the EU can be found at GOV.UK.
International students
You must have enough funding in place for your living costs and your tuition fees before you arrive at university. You can use our funding search tool to look for relevant scholarships and bursaries.
Isle of Man and Channel Islands
Find out what living cost and tuition fee support is available from the relevant island government website:
University bursaries
All UK students will automatically be considered for funding from these schemes:
If you have an offer to study or are awaiting a decision, you are also invited to apply for additional funding.
Use our funding search tool to see if there are any other bursaries that you could apply for.
Foundation year
Find out how to apply for funding for the one-year Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences and Foundation in Science, Engineering and Mathematics.
Funding enquiries or money worries
Money advice queries:
money-advice@bristol.ac.uk
Call our Student Services:
+44 (0)117 428 3000