Eligible undergraduate students can receive maintenance grants and government-funded bursaries to help with their living expenses. To qualify for any of the above, your household income must be £25,000 or less. If your household income is more than £25,000 but less than £50,020 you may receive a partial grant. Grants are usually paid in three instalments (at the start of each term) and do not have to be repaid. You do not have to take out a loan to be eligible for a maintenance grant. What is available depends upon your household income and differs slightly for students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Please see the websites listed below for accurate up to the minute information:

You will need to check whether or not you are eligible for a loan, as the rules differ slightly for English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and EU students. In general you must be:

• a UK or EU student;
• registered for a course within a higher education institution;
• new to higher education (you are not eligible if you have completed an undergraduate higher education course at another institution, ie you are classified as a ‘second degree’ student).