Below is a summary of the financial support available. You can use the support calculator to get a rough idea of what support you will receive.
Tuition fees
You will have to pay up to £3,145 each year towards your tuition fees . If you don't have the money to pay your fees at the start of your course, you can apply to us for a student loan to pay part or all of your fees. Your application for a student loan to pay your tuition fees is only valid for one academic session, so you must make sure you apply every year. We may not be able to give you a loan to pay your tuition fees if you have done a course of higher education before or if you have to repeat a year of your course. Please see our previous assistance section for more details. However, we can make an exception if you have to repeat a year because of medical or compassionate reasons. If you do not take out a loan to pay your fees, you will have to make your own arrangements with your university or college regarding how you are going to pay them.
The amount of loan for tuition fees you can get does not depend on your own income and that of your parents or your husband, wife, civil partner or partner, as appropriate.
Find out more about tuition fees and the student loan for tuition fees
Student Loan for living costs
The amount of loan you can get depends on:
- what course you are taking;
- where you live while you study; and
- your and your parents' or your husband's, wife's, civil partner's or partner's income .
The maximum student loan we can pay if you live away from home while you study is £4,510 a year for a standard 30 week course. If the family income is over approximately £54,000 a year, you will only receive the minimum loan of £890 a year. If you want to apply for the minimum loan only, your parents do not need to fill in the application form.
Students' Outside Scotland Bursary
We will pay this bursary instead of part of the student loan so it reduces the amount of loan your need to take out. We will pay the highest amount of £2,095 a year if your family income is £18,820 or less a year, which will go down to zero for a family income over £33,330 a year. If you have done a course of higher education before you may not receive this bursary for some or all of your course.
Find out more about the Students' Outside Scotland Bursary
Additional Loan
As well as the main loan, if you are a young student, you may also be eligible for the Additional Loan. We will pay the highest amount of £590 for a household income of £17,835 or less a year, which will go down to zero for a household income over £21,210 a year. We do not reduce this part of the loan by any parents', or husband's, wife's, civil partner's or partner's contribution.
Travel expenses
This grant is income assessed so the amount we will pay depends on your parents' or your husband's, wife's, civil partner's or partner's income. If you are a dependent student living in your parents home while you study, you can claim up to £790 a year for a standard 30 week course. If you live away from your parents home, you can claim up to £450 a year for daily travel costs and the cost of one trip between your home and your university or college at the start and end of each term or semester.
You would normally apply for help with your travel costs at the end of your first term. Application forms are available from around mid December. You can apply on line, download a form from our website or contact us and we will send you one.
Find out more about travel expenses.
Other supplementary grants
There are supplementary grants available to certain categories of students such as lone parents, those with dependants and those leaving care to enter higher education . Extra help is also available to those who have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health problem .
Other sources of funding
There may also be other sources of funding you are entitled to from your college or university, the Department of Work and Pensions and other organisations .