Website of the UK government

Finance for new students starting in 2009/2010

If you’re starting a full-time higher education course in 2009/2010, the main types of financial help you may be able to get are:

• a Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant - worth up to £2,906
  
• a Student Loan for Tuition Fees to cover your fees in full (up to £3,225)
  
• a Student Loan for Maintenance - worth up to £4,950 if you live away from home, or more if you study in London (though the maximum you can get is reduced if you’re getting help through the Maintenance Grant)
  
• a bursary from your university or college

You can enter your details into the Student Finance Calculator for an estimate of how much you’re likely to get.

• Student Finance Calculator: get an estimate of how much you could get Opens new window

• Student Finance Calculator: retrieve a saved estimate Opens new window

How do you apply for student finance?

The fastest and easiest way is to apply online. Student Finance England provides the service for online applications in 2009/2010.

If you apply online for the parts of the finance package that depend on household income, your parent or partner can support your application by supplying their financial information online.

If you prefer to apply on paper, use form PN1.

• Register, login and apply online for 2009/2010

• Student finance forms and guides 2009/2010

• More on applying for student finance

Want to know more about the help you can get?

Student Loans, grants and bursaries

All eligible students are entitled to a minimum level of support, but how much you get depends on your household income - and some other factors, like where you live while you’re studying.

For more details, follow the links below.

• Student Loans

• Maintenance Grant: help with living costs

• Bursaries, scholarships and awards

Getting extra help

You may be able to get extra help on top of Student Loans, grants and bursaries if you’re disabled or you have a specific learning difficulty or mental health condition.

Extra help may also be available if you have a child or adult dependant.

The Access to Learning Fund can provide help for students on low incomes who get into financial difficulty.

• Financial help for disabled students (disabled people section)

• Childcare Grant and other help for students with children

• Adult Dependants' Grant

• Access to Learning Fund: extra help if you need it

How do you know if you’re eligible for student finance?

Not everyone is eligible for the type of financial help described on this page.

Both you and your course need to meet certain conditions - for example, you must meet some residency requirements, and your course must lead to a recognised higher education qualification.

• Eligibility for student finance

• Student finance: not from England

More useful links

• Download guide to financial support for new full-time higher education students 2009/2010 (PDF, 629K)

• Benefits for higher education students with low incomes (money, tax and benefits section)

• Student finance: what parents and partners need to do