Money matters
Financial challenges can be amongst the biggest barriers to starting a new course and it is important to plan how you will pay for your course and support yourself during your studies.
Getting Funding
Many universities and colleges offer scholarships and bursaries to prospective students, see our HE in Hertfordshire page to find the website for your chosen institution.
Gov.uk provides useful information on student finance applications as well as which loans, grants and bursaries you may be eligible for.
UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) provides an overview of student finance and the support on offer to students
Charitable trusts
Some charitable trusts also offer financial support, bursaries, scholarships and grants for eligible applicants.
- Hertfordshire Community Foundation
- Save the Student
- The Complete Universities Guide
- The Association of Charitable Organisations
- Money Saving Expert
- Family Action
- Turn 2 Us
Disability
Gov.uk includes information for students with disabilities and gives details of the Disabled Students' Allowance.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships offer the opportunity to 'earn while you learn', usually in a paid job role with recognised qualifications funded by the government and employers.
24+ Advance Learning Loan
Learners aged 24 and over can apply for a 24+ Advance Learning Loan to cover the cost of Level 3 and 4 course fees, which includes A Levels and Access Courses.
Bursaries are also available to eligible applicants to provide support towards living costs, course resources and childcare.
Postgraduate Study
Postgraduate Loans
For the 2016/17 academic year, the Student Loans Company (SLC) will be introducing loans for students wishing to undertake a postgraduate taught masters in any subject.
- From September 2016, new students will be able to apply to the Student Loans Company for a loan of up to £10,000 per student for postgraduate Masters study
Postgraduate loans will be:
- Available to UK Nationals (and individuals with settled status in the UK) who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years on the first day of the first academic year of their course
- Available to EU Nationals
- Available to applicants aged under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course
- Available to full-time and part-time postgraduate masters programmes (part-time courses are subject to a minimum 50% intensity requirement)
- Paid directly to the student and will be non-means tested, leaving the student to decide how to spend the loan; whether this will be to cover part or all of fees, or towards living costs
When will postgraduate loan applications open?
- SLC anticipate that applications will open in Summer 2016
Can I apply if I began my postgraduate Masters study prior to the 2016/17 academic year?
- Unfortunately not. The postgraduate loan scheme is being introduced for the 2016/17 academic year, for new students only
Please note: Students who already hold a Master’s qualification (or an equivalent, or higher level qualification) will not be eligible for a postgraduate loan.
Professional and Career Development Loans are available from Barclays and Co-operative banks and offer reduced interest rates to pay for courses and training.
NHS Bursaries
The NHS Bursary Scheme provides bursaries for tuition fees and living costs for eligible students who have been accepted onto NHS commissioned courses
Career Specific Advice
Many of the career specific websites in our Exploring your career options also including information about funding.