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Am I eligible?

Answer six questions. Get a straight answer in about a minute.

This is a guide, not a decision. Student Finance England makes the final call — but after several thousand of these, our advisors are rarely surprised.

The rules

Who can study on funding

One qualifying status, plus all three of the general conditions, and you are in.

One of these statuses

British or Irish citizen
EU Settled Status
EU Pre-Settled Status
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Refugee status
Humanitarian Protection

Plus all of these

18 years or older
No previous UK bachelor degree
Living in England when your course starts

Some visa types and residency histories also qualify, and the rules around previous study have exceptions. If the checker above says unsure, that is genuinely worth a call rather than a dead end.

The funding

What Student Finance actually covers

Two separate loans, forever getting muddled up. Here is the difference, plainly.

Tuition loan

Pays your course fees up to the annual cap, sent straight to the university — it never passes through your account.

Maintenance loan

Helps with living costs, paid into your account in three termly instalments. How much depends on where you study and your household income.

Repayment on your terms

You repay 9% of whatever you earn above £25,000, collected like tax. Earn under it and you pay nothing. Anything left is written off after 40 years.

Estimate what you would get

Where we come in

What we handle once you qualify

Eligibility check

We confirm you qualify before you commit to anything at all.

Application support

Paperwork, personal statement, CV, and every message to the university.

Student Finance guidance

We walk the funding application line by line so nothing gets rejected.

We stay with you

Right up to enrolment, and after. Most questions land in week two.

Questions

Funding questions, answered

Very likely, yes. EU Settled Status, Pre-Settled Status, Indefinite Leave to Remain, refugee status and Humanitarian Protection all commonly qualify, as do some visa types. The rules are specific — take the eligibility check or book a call and we will confirm your case in minutes.

Two separate things. A tuition loan covers your course fees and is paid directly to the university — you never handle it. A maintenance loan covers living costs and is paid into your account in three termly instalments.

Only once you earn above the Plan 5 threshold of £25,000, and only 9% of what you earn above it. On a £30,000 salary that is roughly £37 a month, taken automatically like tax. Anything outstanding after 40 years is written off.

It can, depending on which benefits you receive and whether you study full or part time. Tell your advisor on the first call and they will flag exactly what to check before you commit.

Previous study can reduce your funded years, but it rarely rules you out entirely. Bring the dates and we will work out where you stand.

Still not sure where you stand?

Our advisors check unusual cases every single day. Twenty minutes on the phone will tell you more than an hour of reading.