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How you apply depends on:

• what type of student finance you’re eligible for
• whether you’re a new or continuing student

Before you apply, you should check your eligibility for:

• a Tuition Fee Loan to pay your course tuition fees
• a Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs
• extra funding such as a grant or allowance, for example, if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children

If you’re eligible for both a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan (also known as ‘full support’), you can apply online.

If you’re only eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and not a Maintenance Loan (also known as ‘tuition fee only funding’), you must apply by post.

You’re a continuing student if you are:

• moving on to the next year of your course
• transferring onto a new course from your old course

If you apply in the wrong way, it could delay your application.

There’s a different process if you’re from or normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Check:

Apply for student finance online

You can apply online if you’re eligible for both a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan (full support).

New students

Follow these steps to apply online if you’re a new student:

1. Set up a student finance online account. 

2. Sign in and complete the online application.

3. Include your household income if needed. Your parent or partner will be asked to confirm these details.

4. Send in proof of identity, if needed.

Continuing students

Sign in to your student finance account and apply online.

If you need help or cannot apply online

If you’re having trouble applying online, use the form finder to get the forms you need.

You can call Student Finance England if you’re eligible to apply online but you cannot use a computer without help.

Apply for student finance by post

If you’re only eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and not a Maintenance Loan (tuition fee only funding), you must apply by post.

New students

You can use the form finder to find and download your form.

Your student finance account will be updated in 4 weeks to show how much you’ll get. You’ll get an email when this is ready to view.

Continuing students

You’ll be sent application forms to fill in and return by post. Sign in to your student finance account to check your address is up to date.

If you’re returning to study after taking time out for personal reasons

You’ll need to reapply if you previously studied for more than a year but stopped your course because of personal reasons. This could be for things like if you were ill, pregnant, caring for someone or someone close to you died.

If you’re eligible for both a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan (full support), you can apply online by signing in to your student finance account.

If you’re only eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and not a Maintenance Loan (tuition fee only funding), you must apply by post.

What to include with your application

Include a letter explaining why you suspended your studies with supporting evidence.

Supporting evidence can include:

• a letter from your doctor or social services on headed paper
• a letter from your university or college on headed paper
• copies of birth or death certificates

You might need to send more than one piece of evidence if it helps you to show why you stopped your course.

If you forgot to include the letter and evidence when you applied, sign in to your student finance account to upload it. Or, send it by post. Make sure you include your customer reference number (CRN).

Your student finance account will be updated in 4 weeks to show how much you’ll get. You’ll get an email when this is ready to view.

You can apply online for student finance for 2025 to 2026.

You can still apply for funding up to 9 months after the first day of the academic year for your course.

Course start date	Apply by
Between 1 August and 31 December	31 May after your course started
Between 1 January and 31 March	30 September after your course started
Between 1 April and 30 June	31 December after your course started
Between 1 July and 31 July	31 March after your course started

You do not need a confirmed place to apply.

If you’re late applying

You might get less money than you expected if you apply close to the start of your course or after it has started.

This is because you’ll be given the minimum amount of funding, to make sure you have at least some money close to the start of your course.

You’ll be paid anything else you’re owed later, once Student Finance England have checked your household income.

When you apply online, you’ll be asked to give valid passport details.

If you’re from the UK and you cannot apply online

Fill in the UK passport details form.

Do not send your physical passport.

Academic year	Form
2025 to 2026	UK passport details form 2025 to 2026
2024 to 2025	UK passport details form 2024 to 2025

If you do not have a UK passport or it has expired

How you prove your identity depends on your nationality.

If you’re a UK national

You can either:

• upload a copy of your birth or adoption certificate to your student finance account
• send a copy of your birth or adoption certificate to Student Finance England by post

You do not need to send your original birth or adoption certificate.

If you’re an Irish national 

Send your physical Irish passport by post.

If you’re not a UK or Irish national

Provide details from one of the following when you apply:

• passport
• national identity card
• biometric residence card 
• expired biometric residence permit

Where to send forms or documents

If you send original documents, include your 11-digit customer reference number (CRN) and return address. You’ll get your documents back within 4 weeks.

You do not need to include a prepaid or self-addressed envelope.

You must provide your household income if you apply for any of the following:

• a full Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs
• a Childcare Grant
• an Adult Dependants’ Grant
• a Parents’ Learning Allowance
• a Maintenance Grant if your course started before 1 August 2016
• a Special Support Grant if your course started before 1 August 2016

You’ll need to provide your household income for tax year:

• 2023 to 2024 if you’re applying for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
• 2022 to 2023 if you’re applying for the 2024 to 2025 academic year

After you apply, Student Finance England will ask the people in your household to confirm their income. They might need to provide evidence.

What counts as household income

Household income always includes income you get from your own savings, investments or property (for example dividends or rent).

It may also include your parents’ or partner’s income. This depends on your individual circumstances.

If you’re under 25 and financially depend on at least one parent

Your household income includes:

• your parents’ income, if you live with them or depend on them financially
• the combined income of one of your parents and their partner, if you live with them or depend on them financially

If you’re under 25 and do not financially depend on your parents

Your household income does not include your parents’ income if:

• you have supported yourself financially for at least 3 years
• you have been married or in a civil partnership at any time before the start of your course
• you spent at least 13 weeks in the care of your local authority before you turned 16 - in this case, you might be able to apply as a
• you’ve had no contact with your parents for over a year - in this case, you might be able to apply as an

If you’re over 25

Your household income will not include your parents’ income if you are over 25, as you will be classed as an .

Your household income will include your partner’s income, if you live with them (even if they spend most of their time abroad).

You must say if any details in your application change. You’ll need to report some changes yourself. Your parents, partner or sponsor will need to report others.

Changes you must report

You must tell Student Finance England if:

• you’ve changed your course, university or college
• you’re repeating a year
• you’ve changed your name or marital status
• your Tuition Fee Loan amount has changed
• you’re living somewhere new

If the year you applied for has started

Ask your university or college to tell Student Finance England if you change or repeat your course or change your Tuition Fee Loan.

You’ll still need to contact Student Finance England yourself if you’ve changed your name or marital status or you’re living somewhere new.

How to report changes to Student Finance England

How you report changes depends on whether you study full or part time and the type of funding you get.

There’s a different process if you’ve changed your name or marital status.

If you’re a full-time student

Use your student finance account to tell Student Finance England about changes.

If you’re a part-time student

You’ll need to fill in form CO2 to tell Student Finance England about changes.

Use your student finance account to send the form to Student Finance England, or send it by post. The address is on the form.

If you’re only eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan

If you’re only eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and not a Maintenance Loan (tuition fee only funding), you’ll need to fill in form EUCO1 to tell Student Finance England about changes.

Send the form to Student Finance England by post. The address is on the form.

If you’ve changed your name or marital status

You must write and tell Student Finance England if you’ve changed your name or marital status. The letter must include:

• your customer reference number (CRN)
• the date
• your signature
• evidence that you’ve changed your name or marital status

If you’ve changed your name, you must include a copy of one of the following with your letter:

• marriage certificate
• final or conditional order
• decree absolute
• change of name deed poll

If you’ve changed your marital status, you must include a copy of one of the following with your letter:

• marriage certificate
• final or conditional order
• decree absolute
• civil partnership final order

Use your student finance account to send the letter and evidence to Student Finance England, or send it by post

If you cannot provide the right document, contact Student Finance England.

Changes your parents, partner or sponsor must report

If your household income changes

Your parents or partner must:

• correct any mistakes relating to their household income - they can use form PFF2
• tell Student Finance England if they think their household income will be at least 15% lower than the tax year they submitted details for

If your parents or sponsor have another child

Your parents or sponsor must tell Student Finance England if they have any more children. They can use form PFF2.