Student Finance
Student Finance
Tuition feesScottish students studying in Scotland full time for a first degree, or equivalent, are not required to pay tuition fees. This means that you will not need to take out a student loan to cover the cost of any of your tuition for your time at college or university. However, you still have to apply to SAAS (Student Awards Agency for Scotland) to have your tuition fees paid every year and you can find further information here.
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Living costs - SAAS loans, bursaries & grantsThough you won’t have tuition fees to pay, you might still need to think about how you will cover your living costs whilst you are a college or university student – accommodation, food, transportation, study materials etc! You could apply for a bursary and a loan though SAAS to help with these costs. The amount you can receive depends on your household income, find out more here. What is a SAAS student bursary? What is a SAAS student loan? What is a SAAS grant? Paramedic, nursing & midwifery students SAAS bursary and loan payment options When applying to SAAS for your funding, you can choose whether to receive your payments over term time (usually 9 months), or over the full year. More information here. Whichever payment method you choose, this will be the one for all your student funding from SAAS (such as loans, bursaries and grants). If you choose to have your payments over the full year, the total amount of funding you are entitled to will not change. However, your monthly payments will be lower as the payments will be spread over the year rather than term time. Having your payments spread over the full year may help you budget for the year without the gap in SAAS payments over the summer (which you would have with the term time payment option).
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Studying elsewhere in the UKIf you choose to study in England, Northern Ireland or Wales, you’ll have to pay the full tuition fees. The exact figure will vary depending on your chosen university. To help you pay this, you can apply for a non income-assessed loan via SAAS. The loan system to help with living costs works in exactly the same way as it would if you choose to go to university in Scotland. College and university scholarships and other sources of fundingIn certain cases, you may also be eligible for extra funding in the form of bursaries or scholarships – these are financial awards that do not have to be paid back. These are available from lots of different organisations, including universities and educational trusts. Often, applicants need to meet particular criteria to be eligible (for example, study a specific subject, have a connection to certain area or family name) but it is definitely worth looking into them – you never know what you might be able to apply for! We've put together some useful links below to help you begin your search. Support for care experienced students, estranged students or young and student carersIf you are a care experienced student, an estranged student or a young or student carer, there may be specific funding that you are eligible for. Find out more on our blog post for care experienced students here, our blog post for estranged students here, and our blog post for young and student carers here. Studying part-timeFinancial support is also available for Scottish students studying part-time in Scotland, find out more about that on the SAAS website here.
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Useful links
For tuition fees and student loans:
Student Awards Agency for Scotland www.saas.gov.uk SAAS is an agency of the Scottish Government giving financial support to eligible students doing a course of higher education in the UK. Student Loans Company www.slc.co.uk Student Loans Company is a non-profit making, government-owned, organisation set up to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. |
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Bursary advice from Scottish universities: |
Spend some time searching on university and college websites to see what financial support might be available.
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