- The Guardian, Tuesday 2 May 2006
These are the requirements for fees, loans and grants set nationally; individual institutions also provide bursaries and other support; see A-Z of universities for details.
Students from England studying in England
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees; repayments start once graduates earn over £15,000, depending on income. Non-repayable maintenance grants of up to £2,700 a year, means-tested. Institutions charging £3,000 must provide a non-repayable bursary of at least £300 to students on full grant. Maintenance loans at three rates: at home, away from home, or away from home in London. All students eligible for 75% of maximum; the rest depends on household income and amount of grant received.
Students from England studying in Wales
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as in England. National bursary scheme. Institutions charging the full £3,000 fee will provide a non-repayable bursary of at least £300 to students on full grant.
Students from England studying in Scotland
Fixed-rate fee, likely to be £1,700 a year, regardless of income. At least £2,700 a year for medical students. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as in England.
Students from England studying in Northern Ireland
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as in England. Institutions charging the full £3,000 fee must provide a non-repayable bursary of at least £300 to students on full maintenance grant.
Students from Wales studying in Wales
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees; repayments start once graduates earn over £15,000, depending on income. Non-repayable, non-means-tested £1,800 tuition fee grant. Assembly Learning Grant of up to £2,700 for some students. Maintenance loans, varying according to place of study. All students eligible for 75% of maximum, the rest depends on income and maintenance grant received. National bursary scheme. Institutions charging the full £3,000 fee will provide a non-repayable bursary of at least £300 to students on full grant.
Students from Wales studying in England
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students entitled to same level of support as in Wales - loans for fees and maintenance, and Assembly Learning Grant - but no tuition fee grant.
Students from Wales studying in Scotland
Same fee arrangements as for English students studying in Scotland. Students entitled to same level of support as in Wales - loans for fees and maintenance, and Assembly Learning Grant - but no tuition fee grant.
Students from Wales studying in Northern Ireland
Same fee arrangements as for English students. Students entitled to same level of support as in Wales - loans for fees and maintenance, and Assembly Learning Grant - but no tuition fee grant.
Students from Scotland studying in Scotland
Not liable for fees. Students apply to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland to cover this cost. Graduates pay an endowment following graduation (around £2,216). Means-tested maintenance loans available. Those on low incomes qualify for a non-repayable young students' bursary, currently £2,455.
Students from Scotland studying in England
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees; repayments start once graduates earn over £15,000, on a sliding scale in line with income. Means-tested maintenance loans. Students from low-income backgrounds may be eligible for the Students Outside Scotland Bursary (Sosb), which replaces up to £2,000 of the maintenance loan.
Students from Scotland studying in Wales
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees. Means-tested maintenance loans. Students from low-income backgrounds may be eligible for the Sosb (see above).
Students from Scotland studying in Northern Ireland
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees. Means-tested maintenance loans. Students from low-income backgrounds may be eligible for the Sosb (see above).
Students from Northern Ireland studying in Northern Ireland
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Non-means-tested loans for fees; repayments start when graduates earn over £15,000, depending on income. Maintenance loans and grants available as for English students in England - but the amount of non-repayable, means-tested grant for Northern Irish students will be up to £3,200 a year. Institutions charging £3,000 must provide a non-repayable bursary of at least £300 to students on full grant.
Students from Northern Ireland studying in England
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as if they studied in Northern Ireland.
Students from Northern Ireland studying in Wales
Variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as if they studied in Northern Ireland.
Students from Northern Ireland studying in Scotland
Same fee arrangements as for English students studying in Scotland. Students entitled to same level of support - loans for fees and maintenance, and maintenance grants - as if they studied in Northern Ireland.
Other European Union students studying in the UK
In Scotland:
students can apply to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland to cover the cost of tuition fees. Liable for a one-off graduate endowment at the end of the course (£2,216 in 2005-06).
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
variable fee, up to £3,000 a year. Students can apply for fee support - loans for fees, with repayment deferred until after graduation.
EU students are not typically entitled to other maintenance. However, following a successful appeal to the European Court of Justice by an EU student, EU nationals and their children who have lived in the UK for three years before the start of their course can qualify for a loan and grants in England and Wales, as well as fee support. Scholarships and bursaries are sometimes open to non-UK EU students. Other assistance may be available from home education authorities; trusts and charities make individual awards to students. Some exceptions
Teacher training courses
Variable tuition fees of up to £3,000 apply to all students starting teacher training courses from 2006 in England and Northern Ireland, and from 2007 in Wales (plus inflation). Welsh-domiciled students studying in Wales will be entitled to a non-means-tested, non-repayable fee grant of £1,800, leaving the fee at £1,200 in real terms. For PGCE students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the first £1,200 of the new maintenance grant will not be means-tested; for undergraduate ITT students, the full grant will be means-tested. Scottish-domiciled teacher training students will be treated in the same way as other full-time undergraduates from Scotland. The £1,200 Assembly-sponsored Welsh medium incentive supplement will continue. Teaching incentives and bursaries are available in England and Wales (but not in Northern Ireland), with the highest awards for priority subjects. For more detailed information visit: www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/becomingateacher.aspx
NHS-funded courses
Students on nursing and midwifery/ allied health professions courses, in receipt of an NHS bursary, will normally be exempt from fees. More information from the appropriate funding bodies.
Bursaries and benefits
The Department for Work and Pensions will disregard in full in their calculations for income-related benefits the new institutional bursary, subject to it being for course-related costs. This will affect lone parents, disabled students and others in receipt of income-related benefits.
