Home Students

What is student support funding?

Student support funding is UK government funding which available to all full time “home students” to help cover the costs of their studies whilst at University.

What is a home student?

The rules about who qualifies as a “home” student and can get this type of funding are very complicated and depend on your nationality, the immigration status of you and your family members and where have been living. If you are a British national or hold full 'settled' status and have lived in the UK for at least three years before that start of your course then it is likely you will qualify. If you have any questions about “home” funding status and whether you will qualify then please feel free to contact one of our advisers in the Advice Team at The Hub on 0121 204 4007.

When should I apply?

Key Dates for applications

In order for your student funding to be in place in time for the start of term in September 2023 you must complete your application by:

  • Returning students: 24 June 2023
  • New students: 27 May 2023

The absolute deadline for existing students to apply for 2023/24 funding is 9 months after the start of the academic year which would be the end of May 2024.

How do I apply for Student Finance?

Student support funding for “home” full time students is assessed and paid through Student Finance England.  You can make an application online at the Student Finance England website or you can apply using a form.  If you have not applied to Student Finance England before then you will need to use form PN1 for 2023/24. You can download this form online at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms.

You should have the following documents prepared for completing your application:

- Passport details
- National Insurance number
- Bank details

For more information, including video instructions and advice on what further funding Student Finance offers, there are a number of resources provided by Student Finance England such as Get undergraduate student finance: step by step - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Student Finance England – ‘How to’ guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

How much are the tuition fees for 2023/24 onwards?

The normal tuition fee at Aston University for new students in 2023/24 will be £9,250. Most of our undergraduate courses are sandwich degrees which include a placement year and the fees will be different whilst you are on placement. Students who are undertaking placements will be normally be charged £1,250 for their placement year but some students will qualify for a placement scholarship. To find out if you qualify please visit the scholarships web page here.

What help will there be available to pay for my tuition fees?

You should be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance England. This means that you will not have to pay your tuition fees to the University up front but you will need to repay the loan after you have finished your studies. The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the University.

What help will be available to pay for my living costs?

You will normally be able to apply to Student Finance England for loans to help cover your living costs whilst you are at University. There will be some grants available for students with disabilities, students with children and students who have adult dependants.

Maintenance Loan

This is a loan which is available to help you pay your living costs. Part of the loan is assessed based on your family’s income there are different amounts according to where you study and if you live at home whilst you study. The Maintenance Loan will be paid into your bank account at the start of each term. You have to repay this type of funding after you have finished your studies. The maximum rates for 2023/24 will be:

  • up to £9,978 if you live away from home and study at Aston University
  • up to £8,400 if you live at home during your studies
How will my Household Income Information (HII) be assessed for a Student Loan/Scholarship?

Eligibility – Certain scholarships, including the alumni and Mercedes scholarships, are only awarded to those with a household income of less than £25,000, and you will need to prove your household income. This can be done by:

Applying for a Student Finance loan
If you have applied for a means tested maintenance loan then we are able to access your household income information very quickly. However, you need to ensure your ‘sponsor’ has consented for Aston University to see your household information. 

To change your consent so Aston can see your household information, please ask your ‘sponsor’ to call up Student Finance and to change the consent.

Proving your household income without taking a loan
You do not need to take out a Student Finance loan to have your household income assessed for Scholarship purposes. You may not want to take out Student Finance loans to fund your study for religious or personal reasons. 
 
However, if you have been awarded a scholarship with the eligibility criteria of a household income of below £25,000, you will need to provide information to prove this. To do this, you will need to have your household income (HHI) assessed by Student Finance. You will also be expected to provide this information if you choose to take out a Maintenance Loan. 
 
You will need to submit a loan application to Student Finance and pass their eligibility checks. However, you will be able to specify you want a loan for £0 so you won’t borrow any money.

Student Finance can then carry out the HHI assessment and the outcome will be shared with Aston. 
 
To do this (UK students only): 

  • Create an online Student Finance account and select that you would like to apply for a maintenance loan. Follow the steps of the application as if you were applying for the loan and provide all the necessary information. 
  • When asked ‘Do you want to apply for the higher amount of Maintenance Loan? select ‘Yes, I want to apply for a higher amount of Maintenance Loan’. This lets Student Finance know to assess your household income. 
  • Later, when asked ‘How much Maintenance Loan do you want to borrow?’ select ‘I want to borrow a specific amount’. 
  • When you are asked to input the amount, type ‘NIL’. This lets Student Finance know that you are not taking out any loan. 

When you have completed the application, your parents / sponsor will be asked to submit their household income information. 

What bursaries and scholarships will be available?

There will be a number of different Scholarship schemes available to students in 2023/24 and you do not have to repay this type of funding. You can find more information about Aston Scholarships on our scholarships page and information about bursaries here.

Is there any additional funding for nursing students?

Aston University students that commenced study after September 2023 and are studying the below courses may be eligible for additional funding from the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF):

  • BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing

The NHS LSF is non repayable supplementary funding for eligible students and is offered alongside the mainstream student loans system. The NHS LSF is offered to support students whilst they work towards professional registration. 

Provisions provided by the NHS LSF include:

  • Training Grant of £5000 per student per academic year - each academic year, each student will receive a non-means-tested grant
  • Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses - reimbursement for excess travel and accommodation expenses incurred whilst undertaking placement
  • Exceptional Support Fund up to £3000 per student per academic year - a grant available to students in unexpected financial hardship
  • Parental Support up to £2000 per student per academic year - available to students with parental responsibility for a child (age restrictions apply) 

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the NHS LSF, enrolled adult nursing students will need to be ordinarily resident in the UK. Students will also need to be eligible for funding (tuition fee loan and maintenance loan) from the Student Loans Company.

How to apply

All applications must be made via the the NHS LSF application system. 

For students applying for the NHS LSF for the first time, an NHS LSF Account will need to be created. Register for an account here.

Students must apply for the NHS LSF annually. For existing students that are already in receipt of the NHS LSF, invites to reapply will be received via email. 

The above is for guidance only. For further information including the full eligibility criteria, please visit NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) NHSBSA.

FAQ Video

What amount of tuition fees will I have to pay in 2023/24 as a continuing student?

 If you started your course after 2017/18 your fees will be £9,250.

What is student support funding?

Student support funding is UK government funding which available to all full time “home students” to help cover the costs of their studies whilst at University. 

What is a home student?

The rules about who qualifies as a “home” student and can get this type of funding are very complicated and depend on your nationality, the immigration status of you and your family members and where have been living. If you are a British national or hold full 'settled' status and have lived in the UK for at least three years before that start of your course then it is likely you will qualify.  If you have any questions about “home” funding status and whether you will qualify then please feel free to contact one of our advisers in the Advice Team at The Hub on 0121 204 4007.

How do I apply for this funding?

Student support funding for “home” full time students is assessed and paid through Student Finance England. You can make an application online at the Student Finance England website or you can apply using a form.  If you have not applied to Student Finance England before then you will need to use form PN1 for 2023/24 (even though you are not a new student!)  If you had funding through Student Finance England last year and will be returning to your studies this year then you will need to use form PR1 for 2023/24. You can download these forms from the gov.uk website. 

When should I apply?

Key Dates for applications
In order for your student funding to be in place in time for the start of term in September 2023 you must complete your application by:

  • Returning students: 24 June 2023
  • New students: 27 May 2023

There absolute deadline for existing students to apply for 2023/24 funding is 9 months after the start of the academic year which would be the end of May 2024. 

What funding is available from Student Finance England?

You can use the online finance calculator on the Student Finance England website to get an idea of how much funding you may be able to receive.

Tuition Fee Loan 

You can borrow tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 in 2023/24. This type of funding is not based on your household income and is available to all eligible students. It is paid directly to the University and you have to repay this type of funding after you have finished your studies.

Maintenance Loan 

This is a loan which is available to help you pay your living costs. Part of the loan is assessed based on your family’s income there are different amounts according to where you study and if you live at home whilst you study. The Maintenance Loan will be paid into your bank account at the start of each term. You have to repay this type of funding after you have finished your studies.

Special Support Grant

This grant is to help pay for living costs and is available to students who have an underlying benefit entitlement. Most full time student students do not qualify to apply for social security benefits but there are some special groups who can apply (for example students who are single parents or those in receipt of DSA). The Special Support Grant is assessed according to your household income. The Special Support Grant will be paid into your bank account at the start of each term. This type of funding does not have to be repaid. 

What funding is available while I am on placement?

Students may be eligible for a means-tested travel grant from Student Finance England. For more information, please visit the gov. website for eligibility criteria and further information on applying for this grant.

Please see the 'How will my Household Income Information (HII) be assessed for a Student Loan/Scholarship?' information on this page for further details on being means-tested.

Are there any additional scholarships available from Aston University?

To find out if you qualify for scholarships please visit the scholarship webpage.

I have children - is there any additional funding available through Student Finance England?

There are additional grants available to students who have children financial dependent upon them. This type of funding is assessed on the income.  If you are living with a partner then their income will also be taken into account.

Childcare Grant

You can apply for a grant to help you with up to 85% of your childcare costs. You will need to complete a separate application form called the CCG1 for 2021/22 to apply for this grant. You can download the form at the Student Finance England website The Childcare Grant will be paid directly to your childcare provider at the start of each term.  This type of funding does not have to be repaid.

Parents’ Living Allowance

You can receive a grant of up to a maximum of £1,821 depending on your income. You do not to complete a separate application form for this grant and it can be assessed as part of your main funding application. The Parents’ Living Allowance will be paid into your bank account at the start of each term. This type of funding does not have to be repaid.

Is there any additional funding for medical students? 

From year 5 onwards, students on the MBChB course can apply for funding from the NHS Bursary. To help eligible students meet the cost of study, the NHS Bursary may contribute towards tuition fees and maintenance costs. The NHS Bursary may also provide additional allowances for students that meet certain conditions.

Provisions provided by the NHS Bursary include:

  • A means-tested bursary (based on household income)
  • A non-means tested grant of £1000 (not based on household income)
  • A tuition fee contribution up to £9250 per academic year
  • Additional allowances dependant on circumstances e.g. Childcare Allowance, Disabled Student Allowance, Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses and the NHS Bursary Hardship Grant.

Students can also apply to Student Finance for a reduced rate maintenance loan for living costs.

Please note, NHS funding is subject to change. New and prospective students should not rely on the current funding information when planning finances.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the NHS Bursary, enrolled MBChB students will need to be ordinarily resident in England. Students will also need to be eligible for funding (tuition fee loan and maintenance loan) from Student Finance England. 

How to apply

For students applying for the NHS Bursary for the first time, an NHS Bursary Account will need to be created. A step by step guide to applying via the NHS Bursary Application System (NHSBSA) can be found here.

During eligible funding years, students must apply for the NHS Bursary annually. For existing students that are already in receipt of the NHS Bursary, invites to reapply will be received via email.

The above is for guidance only. For further information including guidance about intercalating students and the full eligibility criteria, please visit Student Services NHSBSA.

FAQ Video

Contact Us

If the above hasn't answered your query or you need additional assistance, you can speak to Aston’s Student Advisor.

If you would like student funding advice, please contact our student advisor team or 0121 204 4007 (Hub reception number). You can also book a telephone appointment via WASS by searching for 'student advice team'.