Undergraduate student funding explained

Alongside the awards and scholarships offered by the Royal Agricultural University, there is financial support available from the Government to help UK undergraduate students cover the costs of living and studying. Funding is available whether you are studying full-time or part-time.

Here is a short video explaining more about student loans and how they work.

For further information here too:

• Save the Student Finance Guide 2024
• SFE Quick Start Finance Guide 2023/24
• Everything you need to know about student finance 2023/24

Loan and grant information

2023 entry

Types of help for full-time higher education students can include:

Tuition Fee loans 

Tuition Fee loans up to £9,250 for full time students and up to £6,935 for part time students. Your tuition fee loan will be paid directly to your university by the Student Loans Company.

Maintenance loans 

This loan is to help you with the cost of living whilst at university, for example day-to-day costs, such as accommodation, travel, food and utility bills.

All students who’ve been permanently resident in the UK in the three years prior to the course commencing are entitled to receive a student maintenance loan. 

The RAU is a registered Higher Education provider. For more information visit the Office for Students website.

How to apply

Applying for student finance is a straightforward process. The types of funding available include tuition fee loans, maintenance loans to cover your living expenses as well as extra help if you have a child, disability or an adult dependant - make sure you apply for everything you’re eligible for.

Tuition fees are set by the university. If you apply for a tuition fee loan this is paid directly to the university. Maintenance loans can also be applied for and are intended to cover your living expenses. This loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term. You can work out what you may be eligible to borrow here: www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator.

Visit the following links to find the right loan application form for you, with accompanying guidance:

• Students from England
• Students from Wales
• Students from Scotland
• Students from Northern Ireland

Repaying your loans

With these loans, you won't need to pay anything upfront when you start university. You only start to repay the loans when you've graduated and are in full-time employment (earning £25,000 or over from April 2018). 

Who can apply?

If you have applied for a student loan before, even if it was for a different university, you could still be eligible to apply for another one from the Student Loans Company, for up to a maximum of four years for full-time undergraduate study. 

If you wish to change course and have not received all of this funding, you may be able to receive part or full funding for another course, depending on the length. Please check with Student Finance England or your funding body.

Students from EU and EEA countries may be able to apply for a tuition fee loan if you have lived in the UK for the past three years years. You can find out more here: gov.uk/student-finance/eu-students.

When to apply

You can apply as soon as the portal opens for applications, you do not need to know your first choice of university. Don’t wait until you have your exam results or until you’ve been given a conditional offer - the sooner you apply, the sooner your money will be available when you start your course.

If you don’t get into your first choice of university, or change your mind, you can simply change your application to another course or university, or cancel your application.

New students living in England should apply by 19 May, you can apply after this date, but it's not guaranteed that you'll receive it in time for September. Continuing students should apply by 23 June. You’ll need to apply for funding for each year of your studies as each application is only valid for one academic year.

It can take up to six weeks to process your application. Keep checking the progress of your application via the online portal.

Once your loan is approved, that’s it - you don’t need to do anything else unless you decide to change your course. More information about applying can be found here: studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk.