How many years of student finance can you get in the UK?

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Whether you’re thinking about going to university for the first time or you’ve studied part of a course before, you might be wondering how many years of student finance funding you can get.  

We’ve put together this blog with everything you need to know about student finance in the UK, including: 

• What’s student finance?

• What’s the eligibility for student finance in the UK?

• Can you get student finance if you already have a degree?

• How many years does student finance fund?

• How do you work out how many years of student finance you can get?

What’s student finance? 

Each part of the UK has its own funding agency for students applying for university.  If you live in England, you must apply to Student Finance England (SFE), which is provided by the Student Loans Company. In Scotland, it’s The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). In Wales, it’s Student Finance Wales. In Northern Ireland, it’s Student Finance NI. The agency you must apply to depends on where you usually live.  

What’s the eligibility for student finance in the UK? 

Your eligibility for student finance, the loan you can receive, and the amount of tuition you’ll be charged depends on where you live. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, students from other parts of the UK will pay more for tuition than home students. You should check the eligibility criteria for the funding agency for your region. 

Can you get student finance if you already have a degree? 

You typically only get student finance if you’re studying for your first higher education qualification. This means you won’t get funding if you already have a degree, even if you self-funded previously.  

However, you may be able to get limited funding in specific circumstances, for example, if you’re topping up a foundation degree to a higher level qualification or if you’re studying for a professional qualification. You should check your eligibility with the funding agency for where you live. 

If you've previously studied a full-time undergraduate course, this will reduce your student finance entitlement even if you didn’t complete the course.  

How many years does student finance fund? 

Student finance will typically fund you for the entirety of your higher education course plus one extra year of study. This extra year is designed to support you if you need to change courses or repeat a year.  

If you’ve studied a full-time higher education course previously but not completed it, this will reduce the amount of student loan you can receive. This applies even if you studied outside of the UK. If you’ve only studied for part of a year, this counts as a whole year of study (even if you only attended one lecture). However, previous study on a part-time higher education course doesn’t impact the amount of funding you can receive.  

You might still be able to receive further funding if you couldn’t complete your course because of a compelling personal reason, such as an illness or bereavement. You’ll likely be asked to provide this evidence when applying for your new funding.  

How many years does Student Finance England fund? 

Student Finance England (SFE) provides funding for the standard length of a course (typically three years for an undergraduate course) plus one extra year (known as a ‘gift year’). This extra year is designed to give you some flexibility if you decide to change courses. For example, if you were studying a three-year undergraduate course and decided to change to a different course after your first year, SFE would provide you with funding for all four years.  

How many years does The Student Awards Agency Scotland fund? 

For students ordinarily resident in Scotland, SAAS will pay the tuition fees of eligible students for five years in total. This includes up to four years for a degree and an additional year to allow for repeating a year or changing course. Previous study won’t affect how much maintenance loan you receive.  

If you’ve studied previously and your entitlement doesn't cover the entire duration of your new course, SAAS will fund the later years of your course. For example, if you’ve studied two years previously out of a four-year course and you apply for a new four-year course, you’ll only receive funding for three out of the four years. This means your tuition fee loan will start from year two of your course, and you’ll need to pay for your first year of tuition by yourself. However, you’ll still receive your living costs loan for the entire duration of your course.  

How many years does Student Finance Northern Ireland fund? 

Like the other funding agencies, SFNI will provide funding (in the form of a tuition fee and maintenance loan) for the length of your course plus one extra year. 

How many years does Student Finance Wales fund? 

SFW will also provide tuition fees and maintenance loans for the length of your course and one additional year.  

How do you work out how many years of student finance you can get? 

If you’ve studied part of a higher education course previously, it can be tricky to work out how much entitlement you have left. Follow these three steps: 

1. Add one extra year to the duration of your new course (most undergraduate courses are three or four years long). 

1. Work out how many previous years of study you have - remember, this includes all years that you studied, even if you only started for a portion of the year. 

1. Minus the number of years you’ve previously studied from the duration of your new course plus one extra year.  

For example, if you started a three-year course previously and dropped out after a few months because you didn’t enjoy it, this is what your calculation will look like if you want to study a new 3-year course:  

1. 3 years + 1 additional year = 4 years (this is the total number of years your student funding agency will cover).

1. 1 previous year of study (your first year counts as a whole year, even though you only studied for a few months).

1. 4 years of student loan entitlement - 1 previous year of study = 3 more years of student loan entitlement.

This means you’ll get funding for the entirety of your 3-year course! However, if you need to repeat a year or change your mind about your course choice, you won’t have any extra entitlement to cover you.  

All-inclusive student accommodation by UniHomes 

Working out how much student finance you can get can be complicated, especially if you’ve previously studied part of a course. However, sorting out your student accommodation doesn’t need to be so complex! 

UniHomes has a comprehensive landlord and letting agent network with all-inclusive student properties in student cities across the UK. All of the accommodation offered on our site includes water, high-speed broadband, an optional TV licence and uncapped energy*. 

It’s easy to find the perfect student house that fits your budget, preferred location and number of housemates using our simple-to-use website. Plus, with bills included, you won’t have the usual hassle of setting up utility accounts and organising direct debits - everything you need is included in your monthly rent payments! 

Contact us today to learn more about how all-inclusive student accommodation works, or look at the properties for rent in your student city.  

*Subject to our acceptable usage policy.