The majority of UcWA students are entitled to student finance to help cover the cost of their course and living.
If you've chosen us as your firm choice and planning to use student finance, you should apply as soon as possible. We know that applying for student finance can be daunting but we promise it isn't as complicated as it sounds!
If you need any further assistance, please contact our admissions team on 01553 815449 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
How to apply for student finance
The Student Loans Company (SLC) have put together a step-by-step guide to completing your student finance application here. We've had feedback from our current students who said that they found this guide really useful when starting their application. Important information about your course and UcWA (which you'll need to apply) can be found under the 'Start your application' section below.
You'll need to:
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Check what you may be eligible for
When applying for student finance, it is important that you have a full understanding of what you may be entitled to and we recommend that you complete the student finance calculator.
Student finance is generally split into two categories:
- Tuition loan (which covers your tuition fee
- Maintenance loan (which contributes towards general living costs)
Depending on your circumstances, you may be interested in a maintenance loan to help support costs of living and study - you could be entitled to up to £8,171 per year.
New full-time undergraduates from the UK or EU (with settled or pre-settled status) who qualify for a student loan (tuition and / or maintenance) do not have anything to pay until they finish their studies and are earning at least £25,000 a year. You can find more information around repayment here.
Following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the Student Loans Company (SLC) have confirmed that those who have been granted settled status (under the EU Settlement Scheme) and have been living in the UK for three years' will be eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support. Those with pre-settled status will be able to access tuition fee support only after three years residence in the UK, Gibraltar, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
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Prepare for your application
If you have never applied for student finance before, you will be asked to provide details from an active UK passport. If you do not have one, you will be asked to send your original (or certified copy) birth / adoption certificate. You can find more information about what evidence you may require here. If you would like a maintenance loan, you will also have to provide income evidence. Your household income is your taxable income plus the income of:
- your parents (or one parent and their cohabiting partner) - if you're under 25 and live with them or depend on them financially
- your partner (if you're over 25 and live with them)
- any income you get from your own savings, investments or property (e.g. dividends or rent)
You can find more information on providing household income here.
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Start your application
Degrees validated / accredited by Anglia Ruskin University
You can start your application for student finance online.
START YOUR STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATION
When choosing your course and provider, you should choose our partner university - Anglia Ruskin University (you will not be able to find UcWA). You will also need your UCAS code:
Course Title UCAS Code BA (Hons) Early Childhood Professional Studies - Top-Up XL35 BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies X3C0 BA (Hons) History & English QV31 BSc (Hons) Bioscience C700 BSc (Hons) Bioveterinary Science TBC BSc (Hons) Business Management N201 BSc (Hons) Computer Science G401 FdA Early Years, Playwork and Education LX5H You should then see your course and will then be asked for your course fee. The course fee for the 2024 / 2025 academic year for full-time courses is £9,000. We set our course fees annually. As students are charged for each year of their course, the fees set for future academic years may be higher that those set in the 2024 / 2025 academic year. Please refer to your offer email / contract for more information.
It can take up to 6 weeks to process your application and you might have to provide extra evidence. We offer a UcWA Study Plus bursary to help support extra costs during your study, so don't forget to choose the option to share information with the university/provider so we can determine your eligibility.
Diploma of Higher Education with The Open University
Our collaborative provision courses, delivered by The Open University and the College of West Anglia have been classed as an ‘in attendance’ course, meaning that you may be eligible for the full student support package, including a maintenance loan.
You can start your application for student finance online.
START YOUR STUDENT FINANCE APPLICATION
When choosing your course and provider, you should choose The Open University (you will not be able to find UcWA) and search for your course:
Course Title SLC Course Code Diploma of Higher Education in Computing & IT W36 112382 Diploma of Higher Education in Health Sciences W44 112386 You will need to apply for a Full-Time Loan of £7,272 per year, rather than the Part Time Tuition Fee Loan that Open University students usually use to fund their study.
Following your provisional offer for the course, our admissions team will contact you with an OU Registration Pack which you will need to complete and return. If you intend to use Student Finance from The Student Loans Company, then you will need to provide the college with a copy of your loan entitlement letter to be included with your registration agreement. The Open University will not process registration forms without an accompanying letter.
For further details on apply for student finance, please see our Fees & Funding guidance sheet and our Admissions Policy for Collaborative Provision Programmes with the Open University.
It can take Student Finance England up to eight weeks to finalise applications, so you are advised to apply as early as possible to ensure that your finances are in place in time to start your course.
Extra Support
Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to apply for extra support through:
Disabled Students’ Allowance
Childcare Grants
Parent’s Learning Allowance
Adult Dependants’ Grants
UcWA Study Plus
