Student Finance - UK Undergraduate Students

Grants are usually a non-repayable type of student finance to support you while you are studying. Grants don’t accrue interest and are non-repayable so long as an overpayment doesn’t exist and providing that you don’t leave your course early. There are different types of grants you may be eligible to apply for and this term is used to cover a range of products – including Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants’ Grant, Maintenance Grant and Welsh Government Learning Grant.

Loans are a repayable type of student finance which accrue interest and are provided to support you while studying.  They include the maintenance loan and tuition fee loan.

You can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the full amount of your fees.  This is repayable, but not until you have finished your course and are earning above the repayment threshold:

• English and Welsh Students: £27,295 per year
• Scottish students: £25,000 per year
• Northern Irish students: £19,895

The tuition fee loan is paid directly to the University by Student Finance.  You can choose to pay the tuition fees yourself if you would prefer not to take out the loan.

You can apply for a mixture of grants and maintenance loans to help with living costs e.g. accommodation, food, bills and travel. How much you get will depend on your household income and where you will be living and studying.  Grants do not usually need to be repaid but maintenance loans have to be paid back on the same terms as the tuition fee loan. This money will be paid to you in three termly instalments if you apply through Student Finance Wales, England or Northern Ireland and in monthly instalments if you apply through the Student Awards Agency Scotland.

Extra help

There are additional grants to help students from low income households who have children or who care for an adult dependant. These do not have to be repaid:

• Child Care Grant - to help with the cost of approved childcare whilst you are studying.
• Parents’ Learning Allowance - additional funding if you are financially responsible for any children during your studies.
• Adult Dependant’s Grant - additional funding if you’re financially responsible for another adult during your studies.

Before you receive any funding for your higher education course at university you’ll need to meet certain eligibility criteria. Whether you qualify will depend on your course, your age and your nationality or residency status.

There’s plenty of information and step-by-step guidance on the following websites to help you to understand what you can get, how and when to apply and how you repay:

• English Students
• Northern Irish Students
• Scottish Students
• Welsh Students

The quickest and simplest way to apply is online.  You should apply as early as possible once the application service opens to make sure you get your money in time for the start of your course.

When completing your Student Finance application, please ensure that you select:

University name: University of Wales Trinity Saint David (or Coleg Sir Gâr, if applicable).

For courses with multiple intake dates and course locations, please make sure that you apply for Finance in relation to the correct intake month and course location.

You don’t have to wait until you have a confirmed place at University to apply.  You can use your preferred choice of course and change the details later if you need to.

Make sure that you send all the correct documents to Student Finance once you have submitted your application e.g. passport/ birth certificate /marriage certificate /parent or partner's P60 for the previous tax year.

Once your application and evidence is submitted, it will normally take 4-6 weeks to process. Your online account will show you the status of your application so it is important to keep checking this.

When the application has been processed, you will receive a letter from Student Finance (a payment schedule) confirming the amount you will get and the dates on which it will be paid to you (three termly instalments if you apply through Student Finance Wales, England or Northern Ireland and monthly instalments if you apply through the Student Awards Agency Scotland).

Registry Services at the University will be notified once your assessment is complete and will be asked to confirm your attendance.  Providing that you have enrolled and the term has started, your attendance will be confirmed and you will receive your first instalment of maintenance loan (and grants if applicable) within 3-5 working days from this date.

Providing that you remain enrolled and in attendance, payments will continue to be made as per your payment schedule.

The tuition fee loan is paid directly to the University by Student Finance.

EU students starting courses on or after 1 August 2021 must have settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance. This does not apply to students who are Irish citizens.

The application deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme is 30 June 2021, but you must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020.

You should visit the EU Settlement Scheme information guide on GOV.UK for more information on how to apply.

Yes, there is a basic amount of loan that anyone can apply for. You can also choose how much you borrow if you don’t think you need the whole amount that is available to you.

No, your credit rating will not affect your application for a Student Loan. The only thing taken into account is the amount of household income when you apply.

No, student loans are not included on your credit file.

If you will be studying on a full-time basis, some benefits such as Employment Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Carer’s Allowance will be affected but Working Tax Credit. Child Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments will not. Housing Benefit will be affected if you live as a single adult and may be reduced even if you have children. Please contact your Benefits Office or the University’s Student Finance Officer if you need more information.

No, if you are studying on a full-time basis, the benefits agencies will still count the loan as available funding even if you choose not to take it. This could result in you being overpaid benefits.

No, if you are studying part-time, your benefit entitlement will not be affected.

Any problems or queries with your application or award should be referred to Student Finance in the first instance as this is where your financial assessment and any awards are decided.

Undergraduate Loan enquiries

• Student Finance England: 0300 100 0607
• Student Finance Northern Ireland: 0300 100 0077
• Student Awards Agency Scotland: 0300 555 0505
• Student Finance Wales: 0300 200 4050

The University also has Student Finance Officers who can talk to you about the funding you might be entitled to and can help with the application forms.

If you are concerned that your Student Finance application is not progressing as you would expect it to, and you would like one of our Student Finance Officers to contact Student Finance on your behalf, you will need to set up 'consent to share'.

To do this, you will need to ring Student Finance and request to set up `consent to share.’  Student Finance will want to know:

1. The relationship: HE provider.
2. The name of the University: University of Wales Trinity Saint David. 
3. A password that UWTSD staff can use – we recommend that you provide a random password, rather than your own. 

After you have set up 'consent to share', you will need to email the password and your customer reference number to the relevant Student Finance Officer who will contact Student Finance on your behalf to follow up on your application.

You should apply online as soon as possible. If you apply after the deadline set by Student Finance, you’re not guaranteed to have money paid into your bank account for the start of term.  You have up to 9 months after the start of your course in which to apply.

Any money borrowed from the Student Loans Company (i.e. tuition fee loan and/or maintenance loans) will be added together to make a single amount. Student loans accrue an interest rate linked to inflation, so what is paid will be approximately the same as what is borrowed. 

Repayments start in April after course completion. 

Students who applied through Student Finance Wales / England

You won’t need to repay anything until you are working and earning a minimum of £27,295 per year. Once you’re earning enough to start repaying, you will pay 9% of anything you earn over £27,295 per year. 

Students who applied through the Student Awards Agency Scotland

You won’t need to repay anything until you are working and earning a minimum of £25,000 per year. Once you’re earning enough to start repaying, you will pay 9% of anything you earn over £25,000 per year.

Students who applied through Student Finance Northern Ireland

You won’t need to repay anything until you are working and earning a minimum of £19,895 per year. Once you’re earning enough to start repaying, you will pay 9% of anything you earn over £19,895 per year.

• If you’re employed, your employer will take repayments directly from your salary along with tax and National Insurance. The student loan repayment amount taken will show on your payslip.
• If you’re self-employed, you’ll make repayments at the same time as you pay tax through self-assessment.
• If you stop working or your income drops, repayments will automatically stop until you’re earning over the threshold again.
• If you move overseas you must let the Student Loans Company (SLC) know. You’ll repay directly to the SLC.

You can find out more about repaying your loans at Student Loans

Are you sure that your circumstances are exactly the same and have you provided all of the evidence requested by Student Finance?  If you think the amount you have been awarded is wrong or have any questions about your funding, please contact one of the University’s Student Finance Officers

Student Finance is not paid until 3-5 working days after the first day of the term. (This is noted in the small print on your Student Finance letters).

You must be fully enrolled before your funding can be released. You will need to enrol online via your MyTSD account once prompted to do so and attend classes for your record to show that you are fully enrolled.

If you have not received a payment schedule letter, this would suggest that your assessment has not yet been completed by Student Finance. This could be because of the date you applied or because the assessment team are still waiting for further evidence from you.  In this case, you should contact Student Finance:

Undergraduate Loan enquiries

• Student Finance England: 0300 100 0607 
• Student Finance Northern Ireland: 0300 100 0077 
• Student Awards Agency Scotland: 0300 555 0505 
• Student Finance Wales: 0300 200 4050 

You should inform the Finance Department (fees@uwtsd.ac.uk) and the Accommodation Officer (accommodation@uwtsd.ac.uk) at the University if term has started and your funding is delayed.

If you have enrolled, attended classes and received your payment schedule letter from Student Finance but not received payment after 5 working days, please contact Registry at registry@uwtsd.ac.uk and we will be happy to look into this for you.