Government grants & loans

You should start thinking about applying for financial help as soon as you apply for a place on a course.

Do not wait until you have a confirmed place on a course before applying - simply quote the course that you think you are most likely to attend. If your course changes after you apply, you should inform the relevant student finance company straight away.

The support that you can apply for includes:

Tuition fee loan

This covers your full tuition fee and means you don't need to pay undergraduate fees directly to Royal Holloway either before or during your study here.  

Student loan for living costs

Student loans help students with their everyday living expenses while studying.  All eligible applicants are entitled to 65 per cent of the maximum loan amount. 

The remaining 35 per cent is income-assessed on your or your household's income.  The figures below show the amounts for students resident in England applying for courses commencing in September 2012:

FULL YEAR	Maximum Available	65 per cent that does not depend on income*	35 per cent that does depend on income
In London*	£7,675	£4,989	£2,686
Parental Home	£4,375	£2,844	£1,531

* As Royal Holloway is part of the University of London, students here receive the London rate of loan

You will start making loan repayments the April after you finish your course and if you earn more than £21,000. 

The repayments are calculated as a percentage of your income over £21,000 and will usually be made automatically through the UK tax system.

Living cost grant

Living cost grants are non-repayable means-tested grants available to students from lower income backgrounds to assist with living costs.

How to apply

How you apply for funding depends on where you are currently living in the UK.  You should take a look at the following websites for further information:

• Student Finance England 
• Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• Student Finance Wales
• Student Finance Northern Ireland

Once you have made your application on the above sites, your application will go through a number of stages before you receive your funding:

• Application is assessed - the student finance authority assesses your eligibility for financial support and the amount to which you are entitled.
• Support is confirmed and prepared for payment -  once the student finance authority decides how much financial help you are entitled to, they write to confirm the amounts that will be paid and when. At this stage you are sent notification of your assessment. If you applied online, you will also be sent an online declaration which must be signed and returned. If all necessary information was supplied with the application, you can expect to be advised of support entitlement between six and eight weeks after you have submitted it.
• Course registration and payment of financial help - when you enrol at Royal Holloway, you will need to bring along your Payment Schedule Letter.  We will send the relevant student finance authority electronic confirmation of your attendance. They will then release payment of the first instalment of loan and/or grant and you should receive this within three to five working days.  Payment is made directly into your bank or building society.
• Further student loan payments - if you have applied and qualify for a student loan, it will be paid to you in three instalments, at the beginning of each term. This means that after registration and your first payment, you will receive two further payments directly into your bank or building society account. Make sure you keep your bank details up to date with the Student Loans Company to ensure you receive the funds.

Here is specific advice for students applying for financial support who have a home address in England.

Step 1 - Register online with Student Finance England

New students with a home address in England should register their details with Student Finance England|. 

Registering provides you with unique security details so you can access your student finance account online or when you call. These are a password and secret answer and an 11 digit customer reference number. They will be used to identify you when you log-in to the Student Finance England website or call the helpline.

Step 2 - Log-in

When registered the Customer Reference Number and passwords enable you to access your online account. This will open a My Account page. From here you can apply by clicking 'Apply for student support' and view/change your account details by clicking on 'Maintain your account'.

Step 3 - Create and submit an application

Once logged in, select the link to ‘Apply for student support’. This will start the application.

You can exit the application at any stage and the information in each completed section will be saved. You can review or change the information entered up until you submit your application. Once the application is submitted it will automatically be sent for processing.

Step 4 - Providing evidence

A new student is required to provide evidence in support of their application. This will include a document or details to verify identity, such as a passport number. Any additional evidence depends on personal circumstances and the type of support applied for.

You will be sent an assessment notice, with an online declaration. This needs to be returned to Student Finance England before any support can be paid.

Step 5 - Maintaining your account

From 'My account' you can:

• update contact and bank details
• view information and correspondence about your student finance application
• ask questions about student finance

Students from other European Union countries may also be eligible to apply for help with the payment of tuition fees. 

In some cases you may also qualify for help with living costs and certain other expenses. More information on your entitlement and how to apply is available on the Student Financial Services| site.

If you are a student applying from outside the European Union, you are not entitled to apply for funding from the UK Government towards your tuition or living costs.

Your own government may, however, provide a scholarship scheme to help you study overseas, or there may be banks in your country that offer international student loans.  

If you are applying from the USA you may be eligible for Direct Stafford and PLUS Federal loans|, and veterans’ benefits| if you are a veteran of the US Military. If you are applying from Canada you may be eligible for loans| from your government. 

Your local British Council| office should be able to provide information on scholarship and loan schemes available in your country, as well as general scholarship schemes that you may be eligible for.