Fees and funding – a guide for parents and supporters

Financial support

To help manage the cost of university, we offer a number of generous scholarships, bursaries and grants.

Expert financial advice, when they need it 

Our Student Financial Guidance team can provide expert financial guidance to students and prospective students on a wide range of issues. The service is free, confidential, impartial and non-judgemental.
While the team can’t speak to you about a student’s specific circumstances, they are always happy to offer general guidance and answer any questions you may have.

Eligibility for support from the Government

The majority of UK students, Irish nationals and those with EU settled/pre-settled status studying full-time undergraduate courses are funded by the Student Finance system. This provides assistance with paying tuition fees and a maintenance loan for living costs, alongside grants for students with dependents and extra support for disabled students. Whilst most students are eligible for some type of support, it’s always worth checking what a student is specifically eligible for before they apply.

How do they apply?

They apply on the gov.uk website via the Student Finance section, this will open for applications in February/March of Year 13. A student must have submitted a UCAS application before applying for financial support from the Government but they do not need to have a confirmed place on a course. We recommend applying for financial support as early as possible to ensure your application is received and processed in good time.

How and when will they repay the loans?

A student will be expected to start repaying their loan when they are earning over £27,295, so you needn't worry about them being under pressure to pay the money back before they have good graduate job. The repayments are automatically taken from wages and are currently calculated at 9% of earnings over £27,295. This is quite modest and the payments automatically stop if earning go below the £27,295 threshold. 

Scholarships and bursaries 

Through our scholarships, we recognise and reward the academic achievements of our students or the promise they show in a specific subject area. Some scholarships are linked to specific courses or philanthropic donors. Through our bursaries we support students from groups underrepresented in higher education, who we identify as being in most financial need. Our scholarships and bursaries are financial awards that do not have to be paid back.
There may be other funding sources available to help support a student at university:
• There are a large number of charities, trusts and other funding organisations in the UK that can offer financial support, usually on the basis of exceptional need or circumstances.
• Students on eligible healthcare courses may qualify for an NHS Students’ Bursary.
• There are a limited number of Social Work bursaries available from the NHS.
• If a student is undertaking teacher training, there may be funding available to support them. It depends on a few different things such as the type of training route/programme, the degree/teaching subject, where a student lives and their personal circumstances.
• The Ministry of Defence provides financial support to Armed Forces personnel (both serving and service leavers) to study a course at university through the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELCAS). Please check ELCAS list of eligible courses.

Support for international students

We are pleased to provide a range of support and discounts to students who live outside of the United Kingdom (UK) or Ireland, or who have EU settled or pre-settled status. You can find out more here. 

How does the University support students in budgeting and managing money?

Our Student Financial Guidance team has put together a number of useful resources for this very purpose, which include guidance on keeping track of money, budgeting, saving money, part-time work and even investing money. Learn more about keeping track.