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• Students from low-income families
• Students with children or other dependants
• Students with disabilities
• Academic years longer than 30 weeks
• Health profession and social work courses

Students from low-income families

There’s lots of government and university money for UK students from low-income families. But what you get depends on your actual family income, where you live and where you are studying.

Each of the four UK countries helps students from low-income families in its own way (eg a Maintenance Grant in England and Northern Ireland, Assembly Learning Grant in Wales, or various SAAS Bursaries in Scotland). The amount you get is not standard in the four countries, and neither is the maximum family income where help is available (though you should qualify for the maximum if your household income is less than £18k). Check your country’s student support website to see what money you are eligible for.

All universities charging the maximum fee (other than those in Scotland) help UK students from low-income families, in addition to the money you get from your own government. If your family income is under £20k you certainly should get at least £338 pa. Sometimes you need to apply for it; increasingly you will get it automatically on the basis of your student support assessment (so long as, on your application, you opt to allow the financial information to be shared with your university).

Universities have different bursary schemes (sometimes called scholarships, even when they are not competitive). At some universities you will only get the minimum of £338 pa if your family income is up to around £20k; at others there will be help for students whose family income is up to £40k. You may get more if you are from a designated school, have high entrance qualifications, or are on a specified course etc – this can all total up to as much as £5000 pa. The details are outlined in our university descriptions; and the university search lists allow you to compare what’s on offer at different universities if your family income is around £18k−£20k. Bursaries are not repayable.

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Students with children or other dependants

UK students with children or other dependants qualify for additional grants and allowances; this is assessed with your main student support application. The names and amounts of this help vary (so the figures given here are approximate). They are all means-tested.

If you have children, you may qualify for a Parents Learning Allowance of up to approx £1508 pa; and a Childcare Grant of up to 85% of your actual costs to a maximum of approx £150 per week for one child.

If you have an adult dependent, you may be eligible for up to approx £2642.

Students with dependents are some of the few who may be entitled to some benefits (eg housing benefit); find out before you start from your local Jobcentre Plus office.

Many universities also have money to help students with children or other dependants – check the individual university descriptions.

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Students with disabilities

UK students who have a disability that will increase their courses costs should qualify for one or more of the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). These are not means-tested and you will be assessed for the DSA along with the rest of your student support application. You need to indicate on the form that you want to apply for a DSA.

Depending on what help is required, you may be eligible for DSAs to help towards general course expenditure (up to approximately £1724 pa), for a personal helper (up to £20.5k pa) and a one-off payment for specialist equipment (of up to £5.2k). There may be money available from your university or college as well – check the individual university descriptions.

Most graduates who want to do a further degree course are not eligible for student support; disabled students are exempt from this bar.

You can get useful information and advice from Skill (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities), check out the website www.skill.org.uk.

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Academic years longer than 30 weeks

The student loan is increased for UK students whose course lasts longer than 30 weeks in the year. The basic amount is some £83 per week. This is less if you are living with your parents, more if you are in London or abroad.

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Health profession and social work courses

There is extra help for UK students who have been accepted on an NHS-funded pre-registration course in one of a number of health professions (eg nursing, chiropody, dietetics) and for medical and dental students in their fifth and subsequent years (including graduate entrants for most of their course). These students are entitled to a non-returnable NHS bursary of some £2810 pa (for 30 weeks), a reduced-rate student loan that is not means-tested, and their tuition fees will be paid for them.

Students on some social work courses are also entitled to a basic grant, or bursary, of £4575 pa (£4975 in London; less if your tuition fees are less than £3290). This is not dependent on your family income.

For more information, look on www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students if your course is in England, www.nhs.uk in Wales, www.saas.gov.uk in Scotland or www.studentfinanceni.co.uk in Northern Ireland.

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