Request tuition fee funding for additional years of study
You could apply for another year of funding if exceptional circumstances (compelling personal reasons) impacted your studies and you have used your gift year.
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Who can get additional tuition fee funding
Undergraduate students in full-time study get tuition fee funding for the length of your course.
You automatically have one additional year of funding, called a ‘gift year’.
After you have used your ‘gift year’, you might be able to apply for one extra year of tuition fee funding from Student Loans Company. You can only do this if your studies were impacted by compelling personal reasons (CPR).
If your funding is from Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), contact SAAS to find out if you can get additional funding.
Postgraduates should contact a Money Adviser to find out if you can get additional funding.
What are Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR)
If unforeseen reasons beyond your control that affect your studies, they are called compelling personal reasons (CPR). This can include:
- mental health
- illness
- bereavement
- pregnancy
- a caring responsibility.
There might be other reasons. Each application is reviewed individually.
Your CPR must have happened either:
- within the same academic year in which you did not complete your studies
or - while you studied at a different university
Your application cannot be based on:
- financial hardship
- not liking your course
- reasons within your control.
How to apply for additional funding
If you can apply for additional funding due to CPR, you should upload a cover letter and supporting documents electronically from your Student Loans Company account.
It can take up to eight weeks for the Student Loans Company to process your application and tell you if you have been successful.
1. Write the cover letter
You need to write a letter to Student Loans Company, explaining your compelling personal reasons and how they impacted your studies.
Use our CPR cover letter template (Office document, 20kB).
2. Gather supporting documents
You need to provide supporting documents that confirm that compelling personal reasons affected your studies.
The documents must be from a professional person who knew about your circumstances in the year your studies were affected.
Supporting documents can include:
- documents from your GP
- letter from a member of University staff
- letter from a social worker/li>
- letter from a counsellor
- letter from a solicitor
- death certificate
- birth certificate
- police report.
Other documents could be accepted too.
Use our CPR evidence guidance (Office document, 48kB) to request supporting documents.
If your application is unsuccessful
You might be able to submit more supporting documents and ask Student Loans Company to reassess your application.
If you do not have more supporting documents, you can still appeal the outcome. Student Finance would review their decision.
If you are not awarded an additional year of tuition fee loan, you will need to find another way to pay your fees.
How tuition fees loan is calculated
If you have studied before, check how much tuition fees you can get (gov.uk).
Maintenance loans for additional years
You should be able to get a maintenance loan (gov.uk) for each year until you finish your course.
Contact us
Get support from a Student Money Adviser.
Get support from a Student Wellbeing Adviser.