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Source: www.glos.ac.uk. All Rights Reserved. 2025 University of Gloucestershire
Last updated: 28 February 2025
Information on funding for full-time undergraduate & PGCE courses starting in 2025/26
The following information is based on the proposed finance package for 2025/26 for full-time students who will start an undergraduate course (including courses with an integral foundation year*) or a PGCE course in September 2025 or January 2026 and who ordinarily (lawfully) live in England.
* The UK government has set a tuition fee cap of £5,760 for some integral foundation courses, the tuition fees for years of study after the integral foundation year will be charged at a higher level of £9,535. Contact us for more information.
Student Loans are available for each academic year to help towards living costs and to cover the cost of the Tuition Fees. The Maintenance Loan (also known as the Loan for Living Costs) is split into 3 equal instalments and is paid directly in to the student’s bank account – one instalment at the beginning of each term in each academic year. The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the University.
The Tuition Fee Loan is not based on household income. The Maintenance Loan is partially based on taxable household income received in the 2023/24 tax year. For most students aged under 25 at the start of the course it will be their parents’ income that is considered for the means-test. This could be both parents if they live in the same household; or, one parent if they live alone; or, parent and partner. Exceptions apply, see section on Independent/Dependent status below. If the student is aged 25 and over, only the partner’s income (if relevant) would be considered for the means-test if both live in the same household.
Please note that all eligible students would qualify for the non-means tested element of the Maintenance Loan regardless of income. This is £3,907 if living in the parental home while studying and £4,915 if living away from the parental home while studying (or aged 25 and over, or if assessed as Independent).
Please note that if a student is employed while they study their income is not considered for the means-tested element of the Maintenance Loan. However, unearned income will be – this includes rental income from property, investments, interest on savings, dividends, etc.
Table 1: Maintenance Loan if living at the parental home while you study:
| Taxable household income for tax year 2023/24 | Maintenance Loan available (based on household income) | Tuition Fee Loan available (not based on household income) |
| £25,000 | £8,877 | £9,535 |
| £30,000 | £8,132 | £9,535 |
| £35,000 | £7,387 | £9,535 |
| £40,000 | £6,642 | £9,535 |
| £42,875 | £6,214 | £9,535 |
| £45,000 | £5,897 | £9,535 |
| £50,000 | £5,152 | £9,535 |
| £55,000 | £4,407 | £9,535 |
| £58,349 | £3,907 | £9,535 |
| £60,000 | £3,907 | £9,535 |
Table 2: Maintenance Loan if living away from the parental home (or aged 25 and over, or if assessed as Independent) while you study:
| Taxable household income for tax year 2023/24 | Maintenance Loan available (based on household income) | Tuition Fee Loan available (not based on household income) |
| £25,000 | £10,544 | £9,535 |
| £30,000 | £9,791 | £9,535 |
| £35,000 | £9,038 | £9,535 |
| £40,000 | £8,285 | £9,535 |
| £42,875 | £7,852 | £9,535 |
| £45,000 | £7,532 | £9,535 |
| £50,000 | £6,779 | £9,535 |
| £55,000 | £6,026 | £9,535 |
| £60,000 | £5,273 | £9,535 |
| £62,377 | £4,915 | £9,535 |
| £65,000 | £4,915 | £9,535 |
If you have previously studied at level 4 and above this may affect your eligibility to receive funding for a new course.
Student Finance use the calculation below to determine whether you are still entitled to receive funding – in particular the Tuition Fee Loan:
Length in years of the new course, plus one gift year, minus number of years of previous study. This will include partial years of study. For example, if you have previously studied (at UoG or elsewhere for part of or for a full academic year the calculation will be as follows: if the new course is 3 years in length add the gift year = 4 years, minus 1 year of previous study = 3 years of full funding available for the new course.
Full funding includes the Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan and Dependents’ Grants (if relevant).
There are exceptions to this rule and if you have previously studied at level 4 or above for more than 1 year, but had to leave the course due to medical or other personal reasons, you can apply for Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR) with Student Finance. A covering letter detailing the medical or personal reasons along with relevant evidence will need to be sent to Student Finance. We can help you with this process.
To be classed as Independent, you must meet one of the following criteria at the start of the academic year. If the course starts in September 2025, you must meet the eligibility before 1 September 2025; or before 1 January 2026 if the course starts in January 2026.
If Student Finance consider you to be an Independent student, your parents’ income will not be considered. Instead, the means-test for the Maintenance Loan will be based on your details and the income of your partner, if relevant.
If you are under 25 years of age and you have the care of a child, you will be classed as Independent. If you live with a partner, Student Finance will ask for an estimate of your partner’s income as part of your application for funding.
Students who are aged 60 or over on 1 September 2025 (if the course starts in September 2025) or on 1 January 2026 (if course starts in January 2026) will be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan of £9,535. This loan is not based on household income and will be paid directly to the University.
A means-tested Special Support Loan is also available if your household income is £43,835 or below. The maximum loan available is £4,461. This loan is paid directly in to your bank account in 3 equal instalments per academic year – once at the beginning of each term. This loan is disregarded as student income by DWP when calculating benefits.
| Household Income | Maintenance Loan Amounts |
| £25,000 or less | £4,461 |
| £30,000 | £3,291 |
| £35,000 | £2,120 |
| £40,000 | £949 |
| £43,835 | £50 |
The Special Support Loan can increase the level of Maintenance Loan available for certain circumstances. This element of the Maintenance Loan will not be counted as income by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) when calculating entitlement to benefits.
Circumstances include where the student:
The Special Support Loan element is up to a maximum of £4,461 and is part of the Maintenance Loan and is not a separate payment. The maximum Maintenance Loan available for students with any of the circumstances above will be £10,473 for students living in the parental home while they study, and £12,019 for students living away from the parental home while they study, or aged 25 and over, or if assessed as Independent by Student Finance.
Please note that if your course has a placement year the Tuition Fee will be £1,905. You will be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance for a placement year but please note that the Maintenance Loan entitlement is at a reduced rate and will not be based on household income. This will be £2,396 if living at parental home and £3,194 if living away from the parental home, or aged 25 and over, or if assessed as Independent.
Exceptions apply, such as university-based research placements. Please do contact us for more information if this may apply to you in the future.
If your academic year is longer than the standard 30 weeks and 3 days, and you are entitled to the means-tested element of the Maintenance Loan, you will be considered for the Long Courses Loan. This means you may be entitled to an additional £75 per additional week of the course if you are living in the parental home, and £113 per additional week if you are living away from the parental home, or aged 25 and over, or assessed as Independent by Student Finance.
If your household income reduces by at least 15% in 2025/26 tax year from household income in 2023/24 tax year your finance application can be reassessed by Student Finance based on estimated household income for the 2025/26 tax year. This may entitle you to a higher rate of Maintenance Loan and even Dependants’ Grants if relevant. The reduction in household income could be for a number of reasons: Redundancy, parents have separated, Estranged from parents etc.
Household income for 2023/24 must be submitted to Student Finance in the first instance. Following this a Current Year Income Form must be completed providing the estimated household income for the 2025/26 tax year. We offer a Check and Send service. We can send the form out to you, check it and post it to Student Finance on your behalf.
From April/May 2025 current year income details can also uploaded via the students’ online account with Student Finance. We can email the form to you.
Before you can apply for the Grants for Dependants, which are non-repayable, you have to submit the main student loan application to Student Finance England, even if you don’t want to apply for student loans. They will use the information in this application to check your identity, residency and household income. Student Finance may also send you a separate application form to apply for the grants.
The Adult Dependants’ Grantis available up to a maximum of £3,545 for an adult who is wholly or mainly financially dependent upon you and whose income is less than £3,796. To qualify for this grant your household income must be below £15,835.98. This grant will be paid to you in 3 equal instalments in each academic year. Please note that you can only apply for this grant once in each academic year, even if you have more than one adult who depends on you financially. Please note: this grant will be considered for benefits purposes.
A Childcare Grant is also available and can pay up to 85% of your weekly costs (for nursery/after school clubs) up to a maximum of £199.62 for one child or £342.24 per week for two or more children. To qualify for this grant your household income must be below £20,107.23 if you have one child and below £28,914.47 if you have more than one child.
This grant will be paid directly to the childcare provider by a third party – the Childcare Grant Payment Service (CCGPS). You will need to register with this service when Student Finance has assessed your application. Please note: this grant is not considered for benefits purposes.
You will not be eligible for the Childcare Grant if you are expecting to receive the Childcare Element of Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit, or tax-free Childcare from HMRC.
Check with your local council for information on childcare outside of school hours, including breakfast clubs, homework clubs and after-school clubs.
Find out more information about childcare out of school hours on the GOV.UK website.
If you have children, you can be considered for the Parents’ Learning Allowance which is up to a maximum of £2,024. The minimum is £50. To qualify for this grant your household income must be below £18,957.98. This grant will be paid to you in 3 equal instalments in each academic year. Please note: this grant is not considered for benefits purposes.
You can apply for DSA if you have a disability or specific learning difficulty that affects your ability to study. DSA is non-repayable and non-means tested.
You are not eligible for DSA if you are:
| Condition | Proof |
| Disabilities or long-term health condition | Report or letter from your doctor or consultant – you can also fill in the disability evidence form. |
| Mental-health condition | Report or letter from your doctor or consultant – you can also fill in the disability evidence form. |
| Specific learning difficulty like dyslexia | A ‘diagnostic assessment’ from a psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher – you will need to be reassessed if you had this done when you were under 16. |
For all students in 2025/26 the DSA allowance is simplified into one allowance. An exception will be the Travel Allowance that will in effect be uncapped. The Travel Allowance helps with any extra travel costs students may have to pay to get to University because of their disability.
| Allowance | Maximum Amount |
| Single DSA | £27,783 |
| Travel allowance | As required |
Important information: please note that Student Finance are currently changing the process required for needs assessments. This may cause delays for students, so please submit your DSA application as soon as possible.
Please contact the University’s Disability Team and/or the Mental Health & Wellbeing Team before starting your course so they can identity and set up the necessary support for you. They can also help with the DSA application.
To contact the Disability Team, email [email protected] or phone 01242 714541.
To contact the Mental Health & Wellbeing Team, email [email protected] or phone 01242 714542.
You need to apply every year from March on the GOV.UK student finance webpage (no need to wait for confirmation of a place on a course). If you would prefer to apply on the paper application, we can help. We offer a Check and Send service. We can send you the application forms to complete and then return to us for checking and posting on to Student Finance.
Loans will be repayable in the April following graduation but only if you are earning a gross salary above £25,000 per year. Your monthly loan repayment will be calculated on 9% of earnings above the gross income threshold of £25,000 which is £2,083 per month. For example, a graduate with an annual gross salary of £26,000 earns £2,166 per month which is £83 above the repayment threshold. So, 9% of £83 = £7.47. This will be your monthly repayment regardless of the size of your student loan debt.
If you are employed, a deduction will automatically be taken from your monthly salary, via your National Insurance Contributions.
If you are self-employed, repayment will be arranged when you complete your self-assessment.
Please note that interest begins to accrue as soon as you receive the first instalment of the Maintenance Loan, or when the first instalment of the Tuition Fee Loan is paid to the university.
Interest will continue to accrue until the loan is repaid in full or has been written off. The interest rate is in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). RPI is a measure of inflation. The interest is calculated daily and then applied to your balance of loan each month.
Balance of loans that remain outstanding after 40 years will be written off.
Once enrolled each year you can apply to the university’s Financial Assistance Fund for help towards paying for field trips; accommodation, general living costs etc. Applications are means-tested on your personal circumstances so awards cannot be guaranteed from this source, but it is worth applying as awards do not have to be repaid. Apply online via your Student Record on the MyGlos app from the start of your course.
This will depend upon the type of Halls you will be staying in. For more information about halls and other housing options, please visit the halls of residence rent for 2025/26 webpage.
This will depend on the individuals’ circumstances so an exact figure cannot be given. Learning how to budget is crucial and we can help you to stay on top of your finances during your studies by helping you to create and stick to a budget. Please contact us for more information.
For more information on budgeting and for lots of other useful information for students, visit the Save the Student website.
Students on full-time courses are exempt from paying Council Tax. Once enrolled you will be able to access a Council Tax Exemption Certificate from your Student Record online. You will need to send this to the relevant Council. If you live with one adult who is not a student on a full-time course, they will qualify for the 25% Single Occupancy Discount. No exemption will apply if you live with more than one adult who is not a student on a full-time course.
Most students will not be able to access Universal Credit. However, there are exceptions. For more information please contact us.
Please note that if you are in receipt of benefits and you are entitled to a Maintenance Loan this will be considered when calculating your entitlement to regardless of whether you take this loan or not.
If you open a Student Bank Account you may be eligible for an interest free overdraft. Please check comparison websites for the best offers.
Working part time while studying is a must for many students. The Maintenance Loan helps pay for your accommodation. Earnings from work and a student overdraft can help pay towards everyday living costs.
The University’s Student Futures Team runs a recruitment service called Unitemps. Register by getting in touch via [email protected] to gain support accessing live jobs available with a range of businesses within Gloucestershire.
Unitemps works with organisations across a range of sectors to provide students with a variety of different roles. In combination with the newly launched Career Studio, you can access support including:
Students being targeted by cyber criminals is on the increase.
Be careful of emails/texts asking for sensitive information to be provided – these forms of contact are known as phishing and smishing. Always check them out before replying and note that official organisations, such as the University, Student Finance, banks and HMRC, never ask for personal information (eg bank account details) to be provided either by email, text or phone. If in doubt, contact us before providing any information.
If you are approached by someone offering you a payment if you let them use your bank account to transfer money in and out again – do not accept. This is known as money muling. They want to use your account to launder money – this is a criminal offence and you could be prosecuted.
If you need further advice and guidance on funding please contact the Money Advice Team.
Email us: [email protected]
Call us: 01242 714535 | 07423 795248
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