Many will be moving out of the family home for the first time, or opting to stay where they are in order to keep the costs of third level education down — either way, it’s a new chapter. So, here’s a guide to finance, eating out and making that student loan stretch for as long as possible: Primarily, financial support for higher education tuition fees and living costs comes from government loans and grants/bursaries. To ensure they have applied for everything to which they may be entitled, students should consult the website of the respective student finance body for where they normally live; for students studying in Northern Ireland, it’s Student Finance NI (www.
studentfinanceni.co.uk).
Students must reapply for support each year of their course. And once they’ve graduated from their course, graduates begin to repay any loans when they start earning over a certain amount. It’s worth remembering that grants and bursaries don’t have to be repaid.
Undergraduate tuition fee levels differ across the UK, but support is available to eligible students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the form of a loan. Depending on their country of residence and course, students can apply for loans, grants, and bursaries to help cover day-to-day living costs, including accommodation, food, and transport. The amount and type of support to which a student is entitled may be based, in part, on their household income.
In most cases, this will include their parents’ income. If .