NEW STUDENTS

Fees and funding

Student Funding Office

The Student Funding Office can help with funding queries whilst you are a student here at the University. Staff can help with:

  • Information on bursaries, scholarships and fee waivers
  • Advice on UK government support, including loans, grants and hardship funds
  • Assessment of applications to University hardship funds
  • Emergency short-term loans
  • Advice on budgeting
  • University signatory for Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDLs)
  • Financial advice regarding withdrawal, suspension or transfer.

The Student Funding Office is based on the ground floor of Senate House. The office is open on weekdays throughout the year from 9 am to 5 pm.

Advice for new undergraduate students

If you are a full-time UK student, you should have already applied for your student support for the coming academic year.

Students from England apply to Student Finance England.

Students from Wales apply to Student Finance Wales.

Students from Scotland apply to SAAS.

Students from Northern Ireland apply to Student Finance NI.

If you are a student from England you should have applied for all or some of the following:

  • Student Loan for tuition fees
    Non means-tested loan of up to £9,000, available to all Home UK and EU students, regardless of household income.
  • Student Loan for living costs
    Available to Home UK students only. The maximum available is £5,500. How much you get depends on your household income and how much maintenance grant you receive (if any). All eligible students should get around 65% (£3,575) of the loan for living costs.
  • Maintenance Grant
    Available to Home UK students only. This grant is non-repayable and is means-tested on your household income. The maximum you can receive is £3,354.
  • Special Support Grant
    Available to Home UK students only. This grant is non-repayable and is means-tested on your household income. The maximum you can receive is £3,354. You will be eligible for the Special Support Grant if you have an underlying eligibility for means-tested benefits (e.g. Housing Benefit, Income Support). The Special Support Grant does not affect the amount of student loan for living costs.

Please note: if eligible, you will receive either the Maintenance Grant or the Special Support Grant, not both.
Please note: students from Wales are eligible for a non-means-tested tuition fee grant of £5,535 from Student Finance Wales, which reduces their tuition fee liability to £3,465. A non-means-tested loan is available for the remaining £3,465.

  • Supplementary grants
    There are other supplementary grants available which you may be eligible to receive, such as help with childcare costs, or help with costs associated with a disability. Please see your funding provider's website for more information.

Funding for students from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales may be different and you will need to contact your funding provider for details.

If you did not apply for your student support by the deadline, you may find that you do not receive the help you are eligible for by the beginning of term.

If you did apply by the deadline, and have not yet received your student support notification, you should contact your funding provider to find out about any possible delays.

If you have not yet applied, you are not too late, but you are advised to do so immediately. If your student loan for living costs (for UK students) or funding is delayed, you may be eligible for a short-term loan, up to a maximum of £200. Please contact the Student Funding Office team once you are registered for further information.

University of Bristol funding support

Home UK students, particularly those in receipt of a full maintenance or special support grant, should visit our funding pages for more information of fee waivers and bursaries available from the University of Bristol.

EU Students

EU students will not be eligible to receive a maintenance grant from the Government, however they are eligible for fee waiver support from the University of Bristol, provided they have been financially assessed by the Student Loans Company's EU team and have a household income of £25k or less. Home EU students should visit our funding pages for more information.

Students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

Students normally resident in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man pay tuition fees at the rate negotiated between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Islands' governments.

Tuition fees for 2013/14

Please visit the tuition fees page on the Academic Registry website.

Warning: phishing (scam) email

There have been reports that some students and staff are receiving bogus phishing emails that claim to come from Student Finance England, asking for account or security details.

Do not follow the links in any email that claims to come from Student Finance England. Make sure you’re logging into the genuine site by using this web address, direct.gov.uk/studentfinance.

If you receive a suspicious email, don’t disclose your details. Report it to the Student Loans Company using security@slc.co.uk.

Further advice

For further advice on online security please visit direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. The University also publishes advice for keeping yourself safe online.