If you had to suspend your studies, repeat a year of your course or transfer courses, your funding from Student Finance could be affected.

However, you can apply for an additional year of tuition fee if:

• compelling personal reasons impacted your studies
• you are a full-time undergraduate student.

Students with funding from Student Awards Agency Scotland should contact SAAS directly.

Funding from Student Finance is different for postgraduate students. Talk to a Money Adviser for more information.

Examples of compelling personal reasons

If unforeseen reasons beyond your control affect your studies, they are referred to as compelling personal reasons or CPR by Student Finance.

Examples of compelling personal reasons include:

• bereavement
• illness
• pregnancy
• caring responsibilities
• family crisis.

Student loan entitlement

Funding from Student Finance is limited.

Students are entitled to a tuition fee loan for the standard duration of their course, PLUS one supplementary year, and MINUS any years of previous study.

Previous study is any study taken at degree level, anywhere in the world. Even if you self-funded your previous study, or only registered briefly onto a course, it will count as a full year of previous study.

If you have used this entitlement, you will not automatically get a tuition fee loan for an additional year (or years) of study. If compelling personal reasons affected your studies, you can apply for further funding.

Maintenance loan

The same rule does not apply to maintenance loan support. You should be eligible for a maintenance loan for each year of study until you finish your course.

How to apply for compelling personal reasons

You need to:

• write a covering letter to Student Finance, explaining your compelling personal reasons and the impact on your studies.
• provide supporting documents.

The compelling personal reasons must have happened within the same academic year in which you did not complete your studies.

Support with application

You can use our CPR cover letter template (Office document, 20kB) to help with your application.

You can also talk to a Money Adviser for support with your application.

Supporting documents

Supporting documents must be from a professional person(s) who was aware of your circumstances in the year that compelling personal reasons affected your studies.

Supporting documents can include:

• documents from your GP
• letter from a member of University staff
• letter from a social worker
• letter from a counsellor
• letter from a solicitor
• death certificate
• birth certificate
• police report.

Your supporting documents must confirm that your compelling personal reasons affected your studies.

You can use our CPR evidence guidance (Office document, 48kB) to request supporting documents.

Submitting your application

Submit online

You should be able to upload the letter and supporting documents electronically from your Student Finance account.

Submit by post

You can also post it to the following address, depending on your funding provider:

Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ

Student Finance Wales
PO Box 211
Llandudno Junction
LL30 9FU

If you are funded by Student Finance Northern Ireland, send your application to your local office.

We advise sending your application by Royal Mail's tracking service. We recommend phoning your local Student Finance office a few days later to ensure it has been received.

Timeline for applications

It can take up to six to eight weeks for Student Finance to process your application and let you know if you have been successful.

Rejected applications

You may be able to submit additional relevant supporting documents to request Student Finance to reassess your application.

If you don't have further supporting documents, you can appeal to request Student Finance to review their decision. Read about the Student Finance England appeals procedure.

If you are not awarded an additional year of tuition fee loan, you will need to self-fund.