UK Student Finance

You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to pay your fees while you’re studying. This means you don’t need to worry about paying your fees up-front. Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) pays the loan directly to the University so you don’t need to arrange payment.

Am I eligible?

The tuition fee loan isn’t assessed on your household income. If you meet residency criteria, you’ll be eligible. Your eligibility can be affected if you’ve studied at university before.

What can I get?

Your fees will be £9,250 which means you can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover these costs. The loan is automatically paid directly to us so you don’t need to worry about organising the payment of your fees. You can take a partial tuition fee loan but you’ll need to speak to us about paying the remaining balance.

What if I don’t want a tuition fee loan?

If you want to pay your tuition fees yourself you should find out about other payment options available.

You can apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) for funding to cover your living costs. This will be paid directly to you at the start of each term. You can use this to pay for accommodation, food and course-related costs.

Am I eligible?

If you meet residency criteria you’ll be eligible. Your eligibility can be affected if you’ve studied a higher education course before.

Do my personal circumstances make a difference?

The amount of loan you get depends on:

• whether you provide SFNI with information about household income
  
  • for example, your parents' or partner's income
• whether you live away from home
• which year you started university
• your year of study
• if you get funded by the NHS
• if you’re on a placement year

What can I get?

If you’re at University in 2022/23 and your household income is £41,540 or under you may get means-tested support via a Maintenance loan and/or Maintenance grant.

You can read about the support available to you in the 2022 SFNI Guide to Financial Support.

Some students can get more loan or grant. Students who are likely to qualify for this extra funding include:

• single parents
• student parents if they have a partner who is also a student
• students with certain disabilities

How do I get paid?

Your entitlement letter will detail your individual payment dates and amounts. You're normally paid at the start of each term.

You can apply online for your finance. You don’t need to have a confirmed place; just use your preferred choice on your application.

If you’re applying for non-income assessed support (not using your household income) you can fill the whole application yourself. If you want to be income-assessed, your parents or partner will need to fill in a section of the application.

Paper forms are available to apply for finance, but the online application portal is quick, efficient and user-friendly. You have to apply on a paper form for non-standard funding like the Childcare Grant (CCG).

Is there a deadline?

Applications usually open in February. You should apply as early as possible to make sure your funding is in place for the start of term. If you need to change any details on your application you can do this online before the start of your course.

Do I have to apply every year?

Yes, you’ll need to submit an application for each year of study, but you won’t always have to send evidence. From your second year, SFNI will contact you automatically with application instructions.

To get an income assessed maintenance loan, your sponsors need to give Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) details about household income. In the 2023/24 academic year, SFNI will ask for income details from the 2021/22 tax year.

Whose household income is assessed?

If you’re under 25 years old, SFNI ask for the household income of your sponsors, who are usually your parents. If you live with one parent, they’ll be your sponsor, and nobody else needs to give income details. They’ll also ask for details of your own taxable income.

If you’re an independent student, you’ll need to provide your own income details. If you live with a partner, they’ll need to send income evidence too. Take a look at the SFNI criteria you must meet to be considered an independent student (PDF: 96KB).

What is residual household income?

Once SFNI have evidence of your sponsors’ income, they’ll calculate your residual household income. This is your gross household income minus certain allowances, which include:

• a deduction for each financially dependent child other than yourself who lives in the household
• deducting pension payments and additional voluntary contributions

If one of your parents is a student, SFNI will only use the income information of the parent who is not a student.

What if my household income has dropped?

If your household income has dropped by 5% or more, then you can ask SFNI for a Current Year Income Assessment (CYIA) which could result in you getting more money.

Your sponsors will estimate their income for the 2023/24 tax year. SFNI will then reassess your application based on these estimates. At the end of the 23/24 tax year, your sponsors will need to send evidence to prove their income for the year.

Contact

If you have any queries about your household income assessment calculation, please call SFNI on 0300 200 4050.

If you’re assessed as an independent student, then Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) won’t take your parents income into account. They’ll ask for your income details and if you have a partner they’ll ask for their income details too.

Can I be classed as Independent?

You have to meet certain criteria to be considered an independent student. For instance:

• you’re 25 years old or over prior to 1 September of that academic year
• you have been married or in a civil partnership before 1 September of the academic year
• you have the care of a person under the age of 18
• you have no living parents
• you can prove that you supported yourself financially for the three years before the start of your course

SFNI criteria you must meet to be considered an independent student (PDF: 98.5KB).

If you haven’t been in contact with your parents for a year or longer and this isn’t likely to change you can apply as an estranged student. Find out more on the StandAlone website.

Am I independent if I’ve been in care?

You can apply for independent status if you were looked after by a local authority throughout any three month period ending on or after the date you turned 16, and before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

Have I supported myself financially?

You need to be able to prove that you have earned enough money to live on for three full years prior to the start of your course. Living in the parental home can stop you being considered independent unless you can prove you were contributing to the household. Your parents choosing not to give you money doesn’t mean you’re financially independent.

How does being Independent change my funding package?

Independent students are assessed on their own household income. Most young people’s income is much lower than their parents’ so this could result in you being paid a higher amount of maintenance loan.

How do I tell SFNI that I’m Independent?

SFNI will ask questions about your personal circumstances on your online application. Once you’ve answered these questions, SFNI will ask for evidence to support your claim.

Examples of evidence include:

• a copy of your marriage certificate if you’ve been married
• copies of P60s if you’ve supported yourself financially
• birth certificates for children under the age of 18 and evidence you’re caring for them, such as Child Benefit or Universal Credits letters

If you need any help with your application for independent status you should get in touch with the Student Advice Centre in the Students’ Union. They can support you in gathering all relevant information and building a case.

If your sponsors’ (usually your parents or partner) income drops by 5% or more, you can request a Current Year Income Assessment. This means Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) take estimates of your sponsors’ 2023/24 income into account so you could get more maintenance funding. Estimates are finalised in April 2024.

Am I eligible?

If your household income has dropped by 5% since the 2020/21 tax year, you can apply for a CYIA. A drop in household income could occur when a sponsor retires, is made redundant, goes part-time, and so on. If you think you’re eligible, you need to be income assessed based on the 2020/21 tax year first. You can then ask for a CYIA so SFNI can determine whether there’s been a drop in income.

How does it work?

Your sponsors fill in the Current Year Income Assessment form with what they expect to earn in the current tax year. These figures will be estimates and you might get more maintenance funding.

From the following April SFNI will write to your sponsors to ask for proof of their earnings for the tax year. If their evidence matches the estimated figures, then the assessment will stay as it is.

If your actual income income has changed from your original estimate, you should let SFNI know as soon as you can. They may adjust the amount of your maintenance funding:

• if your actual income is higher and they’ve paid you too much, they may ask you to pay it back
• if your actual income is lower and they haven’t paid you enough, they’ll top up your payments

Is there a deadline?

You need to be income assessed by 31 May 2023 in the first instance. If you need to apply for a CYIA after April 2023, your sponsors can enter actual earnings for the 2022/23 tax year.

What happens to future applications?

When you apply in 2023/24 and 2024/25, SFNI will assess you on the figures used in 2022/23 unless you ask for another CYIA in the meantime.

Where can I get the forms?

You can get the forms to support an initial means assessment or CYIA from the SFNI website.

You’ll start repaying your loan the April after you graduate or leave your course. The amount you repay depends on how much you earn. Interest will be charged from the date of your first instalment and is linked to the rate of inflation.

You’ll repay 9% of any income you earn over £19,895 per year, and this will come directly from your wages. So if you earn £30,000 a year, you’ll pay 9% of £10,105 a year, which is £75 a month.

The current interest rate is 1.1%. If you're a student on Plan 1, you can find interest rates on your student loan repayment account.

Where can I get extra help?

Find detailed information on interest and repayments on your student loan repayment account. If you need to discuss your repayments, call SFNI on 0300 100 0077.

The funding available from Student Finance NI is aimed at helping students who are taking an undergraduate degree for the first time. You’ll usually get student finance for your first higher education degree, but exceptions can apply.

You could get limited funding if, for example:

• you change course
• you leave your course but decide to start again
• you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification – for example, you’ve finished an HNC, HND or Foundation Degree and now want to do an Honours degree

If you already have a degree and you're starting a specified second degree, contact Student Finance NI for details of eligible courses.

If you've previously studied a course at degree qualification level you may not get funding, even if your previous course was self-funded.

You can apply online for your finance. You don’t need to have a confirmed place; just use your preferred choice on your application.

If you’re applying for non-income assessed support (not using your household income), you can fill the whole application yourself. If you want to be income-assessed, your parents or partner will need to fill in a section of the application.

Paper forms are available to apply for finance, but the online application portal is quick, efficient and user-friendly.

Is there a deadline?

Applications usually open in April. You should apply as early as possible to make sure your funding is in place for the start of term. SAAS advise you’re guaranteed to receive money at the start of your course if you apply by 30 June. If you need to change any details on your application, do this online before the start of your course.

Do I have to apply every year?

Yes, you’ll need to submit an application for each year of study. You don’t normally have to send evidence to support your application from Year 2, but sometimes SAAS will ask for it as part of a sample check.

To get an income assessed maintenance loan your sponsors need to give Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) details about their household income.

Whose household income is assessed?

If you’re under 25 years old, SAAS ask for the household income of your sponsors, who are usually your parents. If you live with only one parent, they’ll be your sponsor. They’ll also ask for details of your own taxable income.

If you’re an independent student, you’ll need to provide your own income details. If you live with a partner, they’ll need to send income evidence too. Read below for more information about independent status.

What is gross household income?

SAAS calculate your entitlement to funding based on your gross household income. This is the total combined figure of yours and your sponsors’ household income before things like tax and national insurance are taken off.

What if my household income has dropped?

If your household income has dropped by 15% or more, you can ask SAAS for a Current Year Income Assessment (CYIA) which could result in you getting more money.

Your sponsors will estimate their income for the current tax year. SAAS then reassess your application based on these estimates. At the end of the tax year, your sponsors need to send evidence to prove their income for the year.

Contact SAAS on 0300 555 0505 for advice on applying for a CYIA.

Contact

If you have any queries about your household income assessment calculation, please call SAAS on 0300 200 4050.

You’ll start repaying your loan the April after you graduate or leave your course. The amount you repay depends on how much you earn and when you started your course. Interest will be charged from the date of your first instalment, and is linked to the rate of inflation.

You can read about repayments and interest on this SAAS guide.

Student Finance Wales (SFW) changed the type of funding you can get in the 2018/19 academic year. You can either apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and a Fee Grant or a Tuition Fee Loan on it's own. This means you don’t need to worry about paying your fees up-front. What you get depends on when you started your course.

Am I eligible?

Tuition fee loans and grant aren’t assessed on your household income. If you meet residency criteria, you’ll be eligible. Your eligibility can be affected if you’ve studied at university before.

What can I get?

Your fees will be £9,250. You can apply for a tuition fee loan of £9,250 to cover this.

If you started in 2017/18 or before, you can apply for a £4,296 tuition fee loan and a £4,954 tuition fee grant. The loan and grant will be paid directly to us, so you don’t need to worry about organising the payment of your fees. You can take the fee grant on its own, but you’ll need to speak to us about paying the remainder of your tuition fees.

What if I don’t want a tuition fee loan?

If you want to pay your tuition fees yourself you should find out about other payment options available.

You can apply to Student Finance Wales (SFW) for funding to cover your living costs. This will be paid directly to you at the start of each term. You can use it to pay for accommodation, food and course-related costs.

Am I eligible?

If you meet residency criteria you’ll be eligible. Your eligibility can be affected if you’ve studied a higher education course before.

Do my personal circumstances make a difference?

The amount of loan you get depends on:

• whether you provide SFW with information about your household income
  
  • for example, your parents' or partner's income
• whether you live away from home
• which year you started university
• your year of study
• if you get funded by the NHS
• if you’re on a placement year

What can I get?

If you’re starting University in 2020/21 and your household income is £59,200 or under, you'll be eligible to receive a £9,225 living costs loan/grant.

Rates for students starting their course in 2022/23 are:

• ‌‌SFW Rates 22/23 (PDF: 106 KB)

How do I get paid?

Your entitlement letter will provide details about your individual payment dates and amounts. You're normally paid at the start of each term.

Partial Cancellation of loan

If you took a Maintenance Loan from Student Finance Wales in the academic year 2017/18 or before, you could have up to £1,500 cancelled from your balance by the Welsh Government when you start repaying. Once you make your first repayment, up to £1,500 will be automatically cancelled off your Maintenance Loan. You won’t be eligible for partial cancellation if you have any outstanding charges, costs, expenses or penalties in relation to your loan or if you’re in breach of your loan agreement.

Apply online for your finance. You don’t need to have a confirmed place; just use your preferred choice on your application.

If you’re applying for non-income assessed support (not using your household income) you can fill the whole application yourself. If you want to be income-assessed, your parents or partner will need to fill in a section of the application.

Paper forms are available to apply for finance, but the online application portal is quick, efficient and user-friendly.

Is there a deadline?

Applications usually open in February. You should apply as early as possible to make sure your funding is in place for the start of term. If you need to change any details on your application, you can do this online before the start of your course.

To make sure you receive your finance by the start of the 2020/21 year you need to have applied by June 30th 2020. You can still apply after this date but there's no guarantee you'll be paid on time.

Do I have to apply every year?

Yes, you’ll need to submit an application for each year of study. If you're returning in September 2021 you can apply from February 2021.

To get an income assessed maintenance loan your sponsors need to give Student Finance Wales (SFW) details about their household income. In the 2022/23 academic year SFW will ask for income details from the 2020/21 tax year.

Whose household income is assessed?

If you’re under 25 years old, SFW ask for the household income of your sponsors, who are usually your parents. If you live with one parent, they’ll be your sponsor and nobody else needs to give income details. They’ll also ask for details of your own taxable income.

If you’re an independent student, you’ll need to provide your own income details. If you live with a partner, they’ll need to send income evidence too.

What is residual household income?

Once SFW have evidence of your sponsors’ income, they’ll calculate your residual household income. This is your gross income minus certain allowances, which include:

• a deduction for each financially dependent child other than yourself who lives in the household
• deducting pension payments and additional voluntary contributions
• a deduction for parents who are also students

What if my household income has dropped?

If your household income has dropped by 15% or more, then you can ask SFW for a Current Year Income Assessment (CYIA) which could result in you getting more money.

Your sponsors will estimate their income for the 2022/23 tax year. SFW then reassess your application based on these estimates. At the end of the tax year, your sponsors need to send evidence to prove their income for the year.

Contact

If you have any queries about your household income assessment calculation, call SFW on 0300 200 4050.

If you’re assessed as an independent student, Student Finance Wales (SFW) won’t take your parents’ income into account. They’ll ask for your income details and if you have a partner they’ll ask for their income details too.

Can I be classed as Independent?

You have to meet certain criteria to be considered an independent student. For instance:

• you’re 25 years old or over prior to September 1st of that academic year
• you have been married or in a civil partnership before 1 September of the academic year
• you have the care of a person under the age of 18
• you have no living parents
• you can prove that you supported yourself financially for the three years before the start of your course

The full list of criteria is on SFW’s website.

What if I’m not in contact with my parents?

If you haven’t been in contact with your parents for a year or longer and this isn’t likely to change, you can apply as an estranged student. Find out more on the StandAlone website.

Am I independent if I’ve been in care?

You can apply for independent status if you were looked after by a local authority throughout any three month period ending on or after the date you turned 16, and before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

Have I supported myself financially?

You need to be able to prove that you have earned enough money to live on for three full years prior to the start of your course. Living in the parental home can stop you being considered independent unless you can prove you were contributing to the household. Your parents choosing not to give you money doesn’t mean you’re financially independent.

How does being Independent change my funding package?

Independent students are assessed on their and their partner’s household income. For most students this results in being paid a higher amount of living costs funding.

How do I tell SFW that I’m Independent?

SFW will ask questions about your personal circumstances on your online application. Once you’ve answered these questions SFW will ask for evidence to support your claim.

Examples of evidence include:

• a copy of your marriage certificate if you’ve been married
• copies of P60s or payslips if you’ve supported yourself financially
• birth certificates for children under the age of 18 and evidence you’re caring for them, such as Child Benefit or Universal Credits letters

If you need any help with your application for independent status, get in touch with the Student Advice Centre in the Students’ Union. They can support you in gathering all relevant information and building a case.

If your sponsors’ (usually your parents or partner) income drops by 15% or more, you can request a Current Year Income Assessment (CYIA). This means Student Finance Wales (SFW) take estimates of your sponsors’ 2022/23 income into account so you could get more money for living costs. Estimates are finalised in April 2023.

Am I eligible?

If your household income has dropped by 15% since the 2020/21 tax year you can apply for a CYIA. A drop in household income could occur when a sponsor retires, is made redundant, goes part-time, and so on. If you think you’re eligible, you need to be income assessed based on the 2020/21 tax year first. You can then ask for a CYIA so SFW can determine whether there’s been a drop in income.

If you apply in 2022/23 SFW will compare your estimates to your household income from the 2020/21 tax year.

How does it work?

Your sponsors fill in the Current Year Income Assessment form with what they expect to earn in the current tax year. These figures will be estimates and you might get more maintenance funding.

From the following April SFW will write to your sponsors to ask for proof of their earnings for the tax year. If their evidence matches the estimated figures, then the assessment will stay as it is.

If your actual income income has changed from your original estimate, you should let SFW know as soon as you can. They may adjust the amount of your maintenance funding:

• if your actual income is higher and they’ve paid you too much, they may ask you to pay it back
• if your actual income is lower and they haven’t paid you enough, they’ll top up your payments

Is there a deadline?

You need to be income assessed by 31 May 2023 in the first instance. If you need to apply for a CYIA after April 2023, your sponsors can enter actual earnings for the 2022/23 tax year.

What happens to future applications?

When you apply in 2023/24 and 2024/25, SFW will assess you on the figures used in 2022/23 unless you ask for another CYIA in the meantime.

Where can I get the forms?

Your sponsors can apply for an income assessment using a PFF2 form which is available on the SFW website. To apply for a Current Year Income Assessment, use a CYIA form.

You’ll start repaying your loan the April after you graduate or leave your course. The amount you repay depends on how much you earn and when you started your course. Interest will be charged from the date of your first instalment and is linked to the rate of inflation.

I started my course after September 2012

You’ll only start to repay your loan if you’re earning over £25,725 per year. You’ll pay 9% of anything over £25,725 and this will come directly from your wages. This means if you earn £30,000 a year you’ll pay 9% of £4,275 a year, which is £32 a month.

Interest rates on tuition fee and maintenance loans are calculated as the current Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 3%. Since 2012 interest rates have been:

• 2012/13: RPI (3.6%) plus 3% = 6.6%
• 2013/14: RPI (3.3%) plus 3% = 6.3%
• 2014/15: RPI (2.5%) plus 3% = 5.5%
• 2015/16: RPI (0.9%) plus 3% = 3.9%
• 2016/17: RPI (1.6%) plus 3% = 4.6%
• 2017/18: RPI (3.1%) plus 3% = 6.1%
• 2018/19: RPI (3.3%) plus 3% = 6.3%

In 2019/20 interest is 5.4% (calculated as RPI (2.4%) plus 3%).

I started my course before September 2012

You’ll repay 9% of any income you earn over £18,924 per year and this will come directly from your wages. This means if you earn £25,000 per year, you’ll repay 9% of £6,076, which is £45 a month.

The current interest rate is 1.75%. If you're a student on Plan 1, you can find interest rates on the GOV.UK website.

What’s a partial cancellation of my maintenance loan?

If you take out a maintenance loan through Student Finance Wales (SFW) before 2018/19, you could have up to £1,500 cancelled from your student loan balance by the Welsh Government once you make your first repayment. You won’t be eligible for partial cancellation if you have any outstanding charges, costs, expenses or penalties in relation to your loan or if you’re in breach of your loan agreement.

Where can I get extra help?

Find detailed information on interest and repayments on the GOV.UK website. If you need to discuss your repayments, call SFW on 0300 200 4050.