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Eligibility for financial help

Before you apply for student finance, you need to check if you and your course are eligible. The rules on eligibility can be complicated, and the information on this page doesn’t cover all circumstances.

But it offers a general guide on whether you’ll be eligible for student finance if you:

• are doing a higher education course - like a first or ‘undergraduate’ degree - or a postgraduate course of Initial Teacher Training
• normally live in England, and
• are studying anywhere in the UK

If this doesn’t apply to you, there are different rules on eligibility - see ‘What if these rules on eligibility don’t apply to you?’ below.

Checking if you’re eligible

To qualify for the government’s standard student finance package, you must meet certain conditions – based on where you live, the type of course you’re doing and several other factors.

There are two steps to confirming your eligibility for student finance. You’ll need to check that:

• you are personally eligible
• your course and place of study are eligible

Step one: check that you are personally eligible

• Student finance: personal eligibility

Step two: check that your course and place of study are eligible

• Student finance: course and institution eligibility

If you need further help or advice on detailed questions about eligibility, call the Student Support Helpline on 0845 602 0583.

What if these rules on eligibility don’t apply to you?

Different rules apply if any of the following is true:

• you normally live outside England
• you are doing your course outside the UK
• you are doing a postgraduate course (apart from a course of Initial Teacher Training)

If you fall into one of these groups, follow the link below that's relevant to you.

• Student finance: not from England?
• Studying at an overseas university (Britons living abroad section)
• Financing your postgraduate course