The majority of UK full-time students are funded by the ‘Student Finance’ system which provides assistance by paying a Tuition Fee Loan, and a Maintenance Loan for living costs; alongside grants for students with dependants - outlined below – and extra support for Disabled Students.

Scottish students are funded through SAAS.

New undergraduates in 2023 will need to apply to their national Student Finance office. There are separate offices depending on whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Details are available at www.gov.uk/student-finance where you can also apply online, or download the application form 'PN1' if you prefer to apply on paper. You should apply as early as possible to ensure that you receive your funding at the start of your programme. Also, ensure that you choose the London Campus version of the course when you are applying online.

In order to be generally eligible for Student Finance funding you need to:

• have ‘settled status’ in the UK*; and
• have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for 3 years before the start of the course*; and
• be ordinarily resident in the UK at the start of the course

*Refugees who have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK do not need to fulfil the 3 years residence requirement; asylum seekers who have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, or Humanitarian Protection, do need to fulfil the 3 years residence requirement.

European citizens classed as EEA Migrant Workers (or their spouses or children), and EU nationals who have ‘settled status’ under the EU Settlement Scheme may also be eligible for fees and maintenance support.  European nationals with ‘pre-settled status’ may be eligible for tuition fees support only. For more information visit www.gov.uk/student-finance 

Students who have already studied in full-time higher education – if they received government funding and/or studied at a publicly-funded Higher Education Institution – may not be eligible for, or may have only a limited eligibility to, the Loans/Grants outlined below.

A year’s tuition fee for most of our undergraduate Honours degree courses for UK students will be £9250 in 2023/24. 

For students resident in England, a Tuition Fee Loan will be available from Student Finance England to pay the fees.  This loan is not subject to any age restriction and does not depend on household income. You will not start to repay student loans until you are earning over £25,000 per year.

In order to apply for the highest rates of Maintenance Loan you need to be aged under 60 at the start of the course, although a reduced rate is now available to those over 60. 

Your parents’ income (including that of your natural parent’s spouse/partner with whom you live) is assessed unless you qualify for ‘Independent Status’. You can be classed as ‘independent’ from parents, and therefore their income is not counted, if you meet one of the following conditions:

Students who are classed as being in ‘vulnerable groups’ and who are eligible to claim means-tested welfare benefits while they study (e.g. Income Support, Housing Benefit) will be eligible for a higher rate of Maintenance Loan.  Generally, the main groups of students who will be eligible for this are lone parents, students with certain disabilities, and students who the Department for Work and Pensions have deemed to be incapable of work.  A student who fulfils one of these criteria and has a household income of less than £25,000 will receive a maximum Maintenance Loan of either £14,202 (‘London’ rate) or £9,910 (‘Parental Home’ rate).

If you have a spouse (or co-habiting partner if you are aged 25 or over) who is financially dependent on you, you may be eligible to receive a grant of up to £3,354.

Scottish students, funded by SAAS, can receive a Dependants’ Grant of up to £2,640 for an adult dependant.

If you are a lone parent, married to another student, or have a spouse/partner who is on a low income or unable to work, you could receive a Childcare Grant from SFE to meet up to 85% of your childcare costs.  The maximum grant for one child is £188.90 per week.  The maximum grant for 2 or more children is £323.85 per week.  Your childcare provider must be OFSTED registered or approved.  This grant is payable over the vacations (including summer) as well as during the academic year.

If you are in receipt of assistance towards childcare costs through Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit, you cannot also receive the childcare grant.  You can, however, opt to receive the grant rather than the WTC/UC childcare element.  (WTC assists with 70% of costs, but the Childcare Grant assists with 85% of the costs).  Student Finance England will want to see that you have stopped claiming for childcare costs through WTC/UC before awarding you the Childcare Grant. 

This is a grant for students with children to help with study-related costs.  The maximum is £1,915.

Scottish students, funded by SAAS, can receive a Lone Parent's Grant of up to £1,305.

The Adult Dependants Grant (ADG), Childcare Grant (CCG) and Parents Learning Allowance (PLA) are specialist grants for lower-income households. The amount you may receive depends on the income of your spouse/partner and/or children - as they need to be financially dependant on you, the student, in order to receive the grants. 

A distinct lower and upper income threshold will be applied to each dependants’ grant (with two sets of thresholds for CCG where the student claims for one child or two or more children). The table below explains: 

*  Weekly maximum amount for one child is £183.75.

** Weekly maximum amount for two or more children is £315.03.

This is the University's hardship fund to help students who face unexpected costs, higher than expected costs, or face serious financial problems for other reasons.  Applications can only be made after you have enrolled for the academic year.  You will need to provide evidence of all of your income and outgoings for an assessment to be made.  Priority groups of students for assistance from the Fund include students with children, students who are incapable of work, and final year students suffering financial difficulties. 

Applications are processed by the University's Student Support Fund Team. You can find more information on the Fund here.

As a student, you can receive free school meals for your children if you receive either:

• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190); or
• Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £14,000 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Your Student Finance funding is not included in the income calculation, as it is not taxable.

In most areas, you will need to contact the Local Education Authority of your child(ren)’s school and show evidence of your Tax Credits award or Universal Credit. In some LEA areas, however, the schools handle their own Free School Meals applications themselves, so check with the school to find out how to apply.

Certain kinds of properties are exempt from Council Tax.  These include student halls of residence and ‘dwellings occupied only by students’ (which includes the house or flat of a student who lives alone). 

If you live with non-students then your property may not be exempt from Council Tax.  If you live with a non-student spouse or partner, and there are no other adults living in your home, you can receive a discount of 25% on the Council Tax bill when you become a student, irrespective of your spouse/partner’s income.  Your spouse/partner may also be able to claim Council Tax Reduction/Support to further reduce the bill, if they are on a low income.

You will need to obtain a Council Tax Certificate from the University after enrolment to prove your status as a full-time student. Simply print one from your university MySunderland account when you have started your course.

Surveys indicate that around 50% of full-time students have part-time jobs during term-time.  Most students work during the summer vacations.  Any earnings you receive do not affect the amount of Student Finance funding you receive. They may, however, affect any tax credits or means-tested benefits you may be eligible to claim. 

Contact the University’s Careers Adviser at the Gateway at London Campus, for advice on finding part-time work - and contact us in Student Financial Guidance Team if you need to discuss how earnings might affect any benefits you are claiming (e.g. Housing Benefit, or Universal Credit, etc).