Undergraduate loans
For students undertaking their first undergraduate course, read on for student finance and how to apply.
If you are studying towards your first undergraduate degree, Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education, you can apply for a part-time tuition fee loan except for BSc Computer Science, BA History, BSc Marketing, BSc Business Administration Online Taught, BSc Psychology and EMFSS Online Taught programmes where you can also apply for a full-time tuition fee loan. This will cover registration fees, examination entry fees, and London exam centre fees.
You won't be able to use these loans towards postgraduate courses, local teaching centre fees, study support sessions, or for exam centres other than London.
Funding your study with the Student Loans Company
Loans for course fees (UK only)
Student Finance Scotland – Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) do not fund any undergraduate full or part-time distance learning courses outside of Scotland.
Submit your application via one of the following Student Finance bodies. Arrangements differ depending on where you live.
Eligible courses are recorded on the Student Loans Company database, so you can find your course when applying online for a student loan.
Please note the following:
- Generally, you apply directly to the appropriate body. We cannot apply on your behalf.
- If you are studying at a Further Education college, apply for a loan through your college.
- You cannot apply for the maintenance grant / loan. (Except in ).
- You cannot use your tuition fee loan to pay for the exam centre fees if you choose to sit exams outside of London.
- Even if you are studying full-time, you can only apply for a part-time loan, with the exception of BSc Computer Science, BA History, BSc Marketing, BSc Business Administration Online Taught, BSc Psychology and EMFSS Online Taught programmes.
- The £6,000 full-time and £4,500 part-time loans are granted on a per academic year basis and must be applied for again each academic year.
- You can apply for a maximum of £4,500 if studying part-time.
- You can apply for a maximum of £6,000 if studying full-time on BSc Computer Science, BA History, BSc Marketing, BSc Business Administration Online Taught, BSc Psychology and EMFSS Online Taught programmes.
- You should ensure that you enter the 91app Worldwide when selecting the University/College on the application. If you enter a federation member (e.g. King's, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway), your application will be delayed.
- Please ensure you have applied for the correct tuition fee loan to fund your studies (full-time/part-time). If it is deemed that you applied for the incorrect tuition fee loan to fund your studies, we will notify Student Finance and you will now become responsible for paying your fees for the academic session. This can take place at any point during your studies. We will allow you 30 days to make a new application to Student Finance and obtain the correct agreed tuition fee loan (full-time/part-time) to fund your studies before you become liable for your fees.
Eligibility
Your eligibility will depend on:
- Is this your first HE course? Generally, you will only receive a student loan if this is your first higher education qualification (even if your previous course was self-funded).
- Your nationality and residency status. You must be a UK national or have 'settled status' (no restrictions on how long you can stay). You must normally live in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales, and have lived in the UK for three years before starting your course.
- Your study rate must be at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course in each academic year.
For full details on eligibility criteria:
Arranging payment
If your application for a student loan is accepted, your Student Finance body will send you a 'financial notification' showing the loan instalments and payment dates.
Please send a copy of this to the Fees Office, via the or by post, so we can confirm your registration/attendance status with the Student Loans Company.
Once we have provided confirmation of your loan, we will send your study materials and provide you with access to your Virtual Learning Environment.
If your decision regarding the outcome of your application is delayed and not available at the point of registration, please provide proof of your application during your registration task which is a copy of a letter or email from Student Finance. This should include your:
- full name
- customer reference number
- academic year and course.
As your loan has not yet been agreed, please select payment by sponsor. You will be asked to enter the sponsor details. To complete this, please enter Student Loans Company in any of the fields where the details are unknown.
The University will provide access to services based on confirmation of your application. We will allow up to 8 weeks to receive an approved tuition fee loan to cover your fees. If we have not been notified of your agreed tuition fee loan within this period, the University will contact you for an update.
You will be required to provide an update within 7 days from the date of contact. If this is not received, the tuition fees will be transferred to your student account, and you will be responsible for paying your fees which will affect your access to services.
If we do not receive confirmation of your application or you are not eligible for a student loan you will be required to pay your fees.
Programme related
- You can make a full-time or part-time tuition fee loan application
- If you study the BSc Business Administration Online Taught on a full-time basis you can register for maximum of 120 credits or a minimum of 105 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- If you study the BSc on a part-time basis you can register up to a maximum of 90 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- *Depending on your start date consecutive sessions are:
- October start: October and April of the following calendar year
- April Start: April and October of the same calendar year.
If you initially started the programme in April, you should always calculate your fees for the April and October session and if you started the programme in October, calculate your fees for the October and April session.
Performance Based Entry Route
- If you are registered on a Performance Based Entry Route, you can only apply for a part-time loan application in your first year. This is because you will not be able to register for 105 - 120 credits over both sessions to be considered as full-time.
- Please note, once you have completed your registration on the Performance Based Entry Route, this means you have started the BSc Business Administration Online Taught, and this is counted as your first year. Please ensure that you select the correct course name BSc Business Administration Online Taught October Start (October and April) or BSc Business Administration Online Taught April Start (April and October) when completing your loan application.
- You can make a full-time or part-time tuition fee loan application
- If you study the BSc Computer Science on a full-time basis you can register for maximum of 120 credits or a minimum of 105 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- If you study the BSc on a part-time basis you can register up to a maximum of 90 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- *Depending on your start date consecutive sessions are:
- October start: October and April of the following calendar year
- April Start: April and October of the same calendar year.
If you initially started the programme in April, you should always calculate your fees for the April and October session and if you started the programme in October, calculate your fees for the October and April session.
Performance Based Entry Route
- If you are registered on a Performance Based Entry Route, you can only apply for a part-time loan application in your first year. This is because you will not be able to register for 105 - 120 credits over both sessions to be considered as full-time.
- Please note, once you have completed your registration on the Performance Based Entry Route, this means you have started the Computer Science programme, and this is counted as your first year. Please ensure that you select the correct course name BSc Computer Science October Start (October and April) or BSc Computer Science April Start (April and October) when completing your loan application.
New students from 2022-23 Academic year onwards
- You can make a full-time or part-time tuition fee loan application.
- For a full-time tuition fee loan application, you need to be studying on a full time basis and register for 120 credits worth of new courses over four consecutive sessions. (August, November, February and May) The maximum tuition fee loan available is £6000.
- For a part-time tuition fee loan application, you need to be studying on a part-time basis and register for a maximum of 90 credits worth of new courses over four consecutive sessions. The maximum tuition fee loan available is £4500.
- Each session is made up of four teaching blocks (August and November or February and May). Depending on your effective date of registration, consecutive sessions are as follows:
1: If your effective date of registration is in August, your first session will be:
- First Session – August
- Second Session – November
- Third Session – February of the following calendar year
- Fourth Session – May of the following calendar year.
2: If your effective date of registration is in November, your sessions will be:
- First Session – November
- Second Session – February of the following calendar year
- Third Session – May of the following calendar year
- Fourth Session – August of the following calendar year.
3: If your effective date of registration is in February, your sessions will be:
- First Session – February
- Second Session – May
- Third Session – August
- Fourth Session – November
4: If your effective date of registration is in May, your sessions will be:
- First Session – May
- Second Session – August
- Third Session – November
- Fourth Session – February of the following calendar year.
If you initially started the programme in August, you should always calculate your fees for the August, November, February and May session.
If you initially started the programme in November, you should always calculate your fees for the November, February, May and August session.
If you initially started the programme in February, you should always calculate your fees for the February, May, August and November session.
If you initially started the programme in May, you should always calculate your fees for the May, August, November and February session.
Students registered before Academic Year 2022-23
Your course name on the Student Finance Course Management System has been changed for 2022 -23. We now are registering students on all four of the teaching block dates.
When applying for your 2022-23 Student Finance funding to cover your fees, you must ensure you only select the course name with a
- August Date - If you initially began studying your course in August
- November Date - If you initially began studying your course in November
- February Date - If you initially began studying your course in February
- May Date - If you initially began studying your course in May.
If you select a course with an incorrect Effective Date of Registration in 2022-23, we will be unable to confirm your attendance until we have completed a Change of Circumstance with Student Finance to put you on the right course. Please note that this may take some time and will effectively delay your fundings.
- You can make a full-time or part-time tuition fee loan application
- If you study the BSc Marketing on a full-time basis you can register for maximum of 120 credits or a minimum of 105 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- If you study the BSc on a part-time basis you can register up to a maximum of 90 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- *Depending on your start date consecutive sessions are:
- October start: October and April of the following calendar year
- April Start: April and October of the same calendar year.
If you initially started the programme in April, you should always calculate your fees for the April and October session and if you started the programme in October, calculate your fees for the October and April session.
Performance Based Entry Route
- If you are registered on a Performance Based Entry Route, you can only apply for a part-time loan application in your first year. This is because you will not be able to register for 105 - 120 credits over both sessions to be considered as full-time.
- Please note, once you have completed your registration on the Performance Based Entry Route, this means you have started the BSc Marketing programme, and this is counted as your first year. Please ensure that you select the correct course name BSc Marketing October Start (October and April) or BSc Marketing April Start (April and October) when completing your loan application.
- You can make a full-time or part-time tuition fee loan application
- If you study the BSc Psychology on a full-time basis you can register for maximum of 120 credits or a minimum of 105 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- If you study the BSc Psychology on a part-time basis you can register up to a maximum of 90 credits over two consecutive sessions*
- *Depending on your start date consecutive sessions are:
- October start: October and April of the following calendar year
- April Start: April and October of the same calendar year.
If you initially started the programme in April, you should always calculate your fees for the April and October session and if you started the programme in October, calculate your fees for the October and April session.
Performance Based Entry Route
- If you are registered on a Performance Based Entry Route, you can only apply for a part-time loan application in your first year. This is because you will not be able to register for 105 - 120 credits over both sessions to be considered as full-time.
- Please note, once you have completed your registration on the Performance Based Entry Route, this means you have started the BSc Psychology programme, and this is counted as your first year. Please ensure that you select the correct course name BSc Psychology October Start (October and April) or BSc Psychology April Start (April and October) when completing your loan
For further assistance
If you require further assistance please contact us via:
- The Enquiry Hub
- Telephone: +44 20 7862 8360 (option 3)
I am unable to find my course on the Student Finance application
Please ensure you have applied to the 91app Worldwide and that you have selected part-time study. If you are still unable to find your course, please contact us directly via your .
How much funding should I apply for?
You should apply for the total fees for the current academic year: Registration Fee (Initial or Continuing) plus Examination Entry Fees plus London Exam Centre fees (if applicable).
If you are not sure, please contact us directly via your . Incorrect information will delay your funding.
How do I complete registration if fees are paid direct to the University?
Complete sections one and two of your registration and forward your University Payment Advice to us to confirm your funding. Upon confirmation of your funding, you will be provided with instructions to complete your registration.
I've decided to transfer programmes. Do I need to inform Student Finance?
No. But you will need to notify us. We will submit a Change of Circumstances form to Student Finance.
What happens if I don’t receive my funding in time for the registration deadline?
In this case, you must pay your fees upfront to meet the deadline. Once your funding has been agreed, we will refund any fees paid in excess of your agreed loan.
What happens if I withdraw from the course?
You must notify us as soon as you decide to withdraw. Your fees are still payable except if you withdraw within the 14-day cooling-off period. Student Finance will be notified of your withdrawal and the total loan amount we require for the academic session.