Applying for Student Finance

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:

• 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.

• 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.

• Start your application

  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; the part-time course fee is £4,500. 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 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.

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