Financial Help for EU Students
If you’re from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and study a full-time or part-time course, you may be eligible to pay for Home fees and receive the Tuition Fee Loan, and other financial help from Student Finance.
Keep reading to learn more about Home fees, Student Finance loans and eligibility for EU students in undergraduate courses.
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What are student loans for?
UK and EU students can request student loans from Student Finance England (SFE) and borrow money to pay for an undergraduate, postgraduate, Initial Teacher Training or postgraduate doctoral course. Also, Maintenance loans are available to help with living costs such as travel, accommodation and books.
To qualify for Student Finance make sure that:
- The course is provided by a recognised University or College in the United Kingdom.
- You’re studying towards your first degree, or higher education course even if the previous degree has been self-funded or funded through sponsorship.
There may be exceptions in some cases. If you’re unsure about your eligibility, we recommend contacting Student Finance England or directly speaking with the university.
Or, if you’re applying for your first year, you can book a Free Consultation with our educational consultants to get help with the application to university and Student Finance.
EU Student Finance and Home Fees from August 2021
If your course starts after August 2021, you must have a pre-settled or settled status under the EU settlement scheme to be eligible for home fees and Student Finance support.
Most EU students coming to the UK after 1 January 2021 must apply for a student visa and won’t be eligible for home fees and student finance funding.
To learn more about the changes and new regulations for EU students check our guide for EU students to study in the UK after Brexit.
If you hold a pre-settled or settled status and want to apply for a university course, you can book a free consultation or contact us. We will assist you with the university admission process including the Student Finance application.
Tuition Fee Loan for EU Students
UK Universities and Colleges charge students a tuition fee to provide core services including lectures, campus and other student-related services.
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status studying for a foundation, undergraduate or postgraduate course are considered ‘Home Students’. These students pay for ‘Home Fees’, which are cheaper than university fees for international students.
How much Tuition Fee Loan does Student Finance pay?
Tuition Fee Loans are meant to cover the full cost of your studies. Full-time ‘home students’ in England can receive up to £9,250 of Tuition Fee loan per academic year, depending on the cost of the course.
Student Finance will pay the full tuition fee each academic year as listed below:
-
- Full-time student: Up to £9,250
- Full-time student at private institutions: Up to £6,165
- Part-time student: Up to £6,935
- Part-time student at private institutions: Up to £4,625
Note: Students on an accelerated course or fast-track degree can be funded up to £11,000 per academic year and the course generally lasts only 24 months.
When Tuition Fee Loan is paid?
Tuition fee loans are paid directly to the university by Student Finance for every year of your studies. The university will receive the funds from Student Finance in three instalments as in the example below.
| Payment | % of total amount borrowed | Amount paid |
| 1 | 25% | £2,312 |
| 2 | 25% | £2,312 |
| 3 | 50% | £4,626 |
| Total amount paid | £9,250 |
(Payments are calculated on a Tuition fee of £9,250)
Eligibility for Student Finance
You may be eligible for Student Finance depending on the university or college, course, your previous studies, nationality and residency status.
In general, the following categories are eligible for Student Finance:
- EU national or a relative of one, who has been living in the EU in the last 3 years before the course start date and having settled or pre-settled status.
- Citizens from EEA and Switzerland or a relative of one, who has been living in the EEA in the last 3 years before the course start date and having settled or pre-settled status.
- EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals living in the EEA in the last 3 years before the course start date and working in the UK or starting a new job from the course start date.
- UK national or individual with settled status and have lived in the UK for at least 36 months before the start of the academic year.
- A child of a Swiss national or a child of a Turkish worker.
- Refugee or a relative of one.
- People who have been granted Humanitarian protection or a relative of one.
- People who have been recognised as a stateless person.
- People who have been granted ‘leave to remain’ or a child of someone who has been awarded ‘leave to remain’ (under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016).
EU Student Maintenance Loan
As well, students who qualify for Tuition fee loans may be eligible to receive additional funds to help with living costs: the Maintenance Loan.
The Maintenance Loan is funding available to pay for living costs such as rent and food during studies. This loan is paid directly to the student’s bank account in three different instalments throughout the year.
The total amount paid by Student Finance mostly depends on personal circumstances, with the average Maintenance Loan around £6,800 per year up to a maximum of £13,022 per year.
Maintenance Loan eligibility
Maintenance loans are available mainly for:
- Students at undergraduate courses, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses or Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).
- UK and EU nationals with settled status who lived in the UK for 5 years.
- EEA migrant workers
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Student Finance loan repayment
Student loans provided by Student Finance England must be paid back, including Tuition Fee and Maintenance loans. When leaving a course early, students are still liable to pay back received funds. Only grants and bursaries are free and must not be paid back.
Student loan repayments are made directly to the Student Loan Company (SLC). The repayment amount depends on your course start date and your monthly income after your studies. This means that if you receive a student loan you will start repaying for it only when your yearly salary exceeds the threshold set by Student Finance.
When does student loan repayment start?
When you start repaying your loan depends on your course start date:
- If your course starts after 1 August 2023, you will be liable for repayments of your Student Loan starting from April 2026 (even if you leave your course earlier).
- For courses starting before 31 July 2023, you will be liable for repayments from the month of April after course completion, or after leaving the course earlier.
As mentioned before, your student loan repayments start only when your salary reaches a certain threshold based on your course start date. For example, if your course starts after 1 August 2023, and your yearly salary does not reach the repayment threshold on April 2026, you will not start repaying the Student Loan.
Student loan repayments for undergraduate students
As stated by the UK Government website “You’ll repay 9% of your income over the repayment threshold”. The repayment thresholds are set by the Student Loan Company and depend on your course start date and yearly salary.
For undergraduate studies, the Studen Finance repayment threshold is either one of the following:
- £27,295 a year – for courses starting from 1 September 2012 to 31 July 2023
- £25,000 a year – for courses starting after 31 July 2023
If your course started between 1 September and 31 July 2023 you will start repaying your student loans only once you earn £27,295 a year. If the course begins on 1 August 2023 your repayments will be due when you earn £25,000 a year.
Any changes to your yearly salary will reflect on the amount of repayment to be paid to the Student Loan Company, whether your salary increases or decreases.
Let’s look at how graduate earnings affect monthly repayments based on your course start date in the tables below.
Monthly repayments for courses starting from 1 September 2012 to 31 July 2023
The following table shows monthly repayments for undergraduate courses starting from 1 September 2012 to 31 July 2023:
| Income each year before tax | Monthly income before tax | Approximate monthly repayment |
|---|---|---|
| £27,295 | £2,274 | £0 |
| £28,000 | £2,333 | £5 |
| £29,500 | £2,458 | £16 |
| £31,000 | £2,583 | £27 |
| £33,000 | £2,750 | £42 |
Example:
This is how to calculate your monthly repayment if you earn £28.000 per year (£2.333 per month) after your studies:
- £2.333 (monthly salary) – £2,274 (monthly repayment threshold) = £59
- £59 x 9% = £5
This means that if you will earn £28.000 per year, the monthly repayment of your student loan will be £5.00.
Monthly Repayments for courses starting from 1 August 2023
Now look at monthly repayments for undergraduate courses starting from 1 August 2023:
| Income each year before tax | Monthly income before tax | Approximate monthly repayment |
|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £2,083 | £0 |
| £28,000 | £2,333 | £22 |
| £29,500 | £2,458 | £33 |
| £31,000 | £2,583 | £45 |
| £33,000 | £2,750 | £60 |
Example:
This is how to calculate your monthly repayment if you earn £29,500 per year (£2,458 per month) after your studies:
- £2,458 (monthly salary) – £2,083 (monthly repayment threshold) = £33
- £375 x 9% = £33
This means that if you’re going to earn £29,500 per year, the monthly repayment of your student loan will be £33.00.
Extra Help
Some students may be entitled to receive extra amounts of money if any of the below applies to them:
- Single parent or single foster parent
- Have a partner that is studying full-time, and one parent is responsible for a child
- Have a disability
- Have been recognised as incapable of work
Student Finance England will require additional evidence to pay additional funds to students, so it is recommended to prepare the documentation well in advance before applying.
Request a free consultation with our advisors for support with your application and secure a place at the university this year.