Financial support for Home and EU students

Students who are UK residents should apply as early as possible to their Local Authority or Student Finance Direct, who will determine eligibility for:

  • Student Loan for Tuition Fees
  • Student Loan for Maintenance
  • Maintenance Grant

If you are a non-UK national of the European Union you can apply to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) for a loan to pay your tuition fees.

The loan for tuition fees is not available to undergraduate students from outside the EU.

You can apply for a tuition fee loan to pay your tuition fees. You pay this back after completion of your degree, once you are earning more than £15,000 a year.

You should apply for your Tuition Fee Loan in the spring before you start your course.

Entitlement to a Tuition Fee Loan is subject to residence, immigration status and previous study criteria. Contact the Advice and Counselling Service at Queen Mary for advice about your eligibility.

If you already hold an honours degree, you will not be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and will need to sign a direct debit agreement at enrolment to pay your tuition fees yourself.

Home and EU students in their fifth year of study will have their tuition fees paid by the NHS, and home students will be eligible to apply for an NHS means-tested bursary.

Entitlement to NHS support is subject to residence, immigration status and previous study criteria. Contact the Advice and Counselling Service at Queen Mary for advice about your eligibility.

For further information about Government funding for students in higher education you may find it helpful to visit: www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance.

Advice on funding options

If you would like individual confidential advice about your eligibility for funding, planning your budget or any other financial or practical issue, please contact the Advice and Counselling Service at Queen Mary. You are welcome to use this service if you are considering applying to Queen Mary.

Maintenance loans

In 2010/11, the maximum loan a student could borrow was £6,928 a year for those living in London, but away from the parental home; outside London it is £4,950 a year; and those living at home can borrow up to £3,838.

Maintenance grants

In addition to the maintenance loan, you might be eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant, which is to help with general study costs.

The maximum grant available for 2010/11 is £2,906, available to full-time higher education students with a household income of £25,000 or under. You will get at least a partial grant if your household income is £50,020 or under. Exactly how much is available depends on your household income: see the direct.gov website for further guidance.

Access to Learning Fund (ALF)

Each year the government gives the College money to help students in financial hardship. To apply to the ALF you must have taken out your maximum maintenance loan entitlement. You can apply to the ALF for help towards the difference between your income and basic expenses. You can also apply for help if you have a sudden financial emergency or special circumstances or costs that other students might not have. You do not normally have to repay a payment from the ALF. The amounts available to students through the ALF are strictly limited, and the Fund can in no way be regarded as a substitute for other finance.

Hardship funds

The Barts and The London Alumni Association Benevolent Funds also offer grants and loans to medical and dental students in financial hardship, and bursaries to students undertaking final-year electives, on the recommendation of the appropriate committees of the School. Donations from generations of former students have made it possible to offer such assistance.

Part time jobs

East London will provide you with plenty of opportunities to work and earn extra money during your studies. However, the School would not recommend that you spend more than 15 hours a week in paid employment, so as not to have a detrimental impact on your studies. International students may also be eligible to work in the UK. If you are registered on a fulltime course of six months or longer, then you will be eligible to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time.

Queen Mary has a comprehensive Careers Service, which provides information, advice and guidance on searching for part-time jobs. Many part-time jobs are paid close to the minimum wage, which from October 2009 is £5.80 per hour, £4.83 if you are aged 18-21. If you work 15 hours per week and are aged 18, this would generate an income of £87.00 per week, which could cover food and/or social activities.

Do not forget, you also have a long summer break, a portion of which you could spend in full time employment and give your student loan a significant boost.

For details of the minimum wage, see: www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw

Further advice

The Advice and Counselling Service at Queen Mary offers detailed advice and guidance on all the aspects of student financial support mentioned, and more. It also offers advice to international students about all the financial, practical and immigration related aspects of studying at Queen Mary.

Contact the Advice and Counselling Service on: