• Polski
  • English
  • Română

Financing

Universities in the UK charge tuition fees. Fees may vary depending on the university and the course. All universities publish the fees for each course on their websites. Before making a choice, it is worth checking which universities and fields of studies you are interested in and making sure what the tuition fees are.

Costs of studying in England

The average annual tuition fee at an English public university is around £9,250, which translates to around £27,000 for a three-year bachelor’s degree.
You won’t pay this money back if you earn less than £27,725 in a given tax year. Only everything above this amount will be taken away by the state as part of the 9% tax to pay off your studies.

Loan application

Students starting their studies in the autumn of a given year should apply for a loan as early as possible so that the university does not demand outstanding payments from Student Finance. Even if you submit your application late, this is not a problem as the university will wait up to six months for your government funding.

You can apply for a Maintenance Loan throughout the academic year. However, applying soon will ensure you receive your loan from the beginning of your studies.
Our agency assists you with the entire funding process. If you wish to, you can apply for the loan alone online at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance.
European Union citizens must apply by letter. Applications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance or at our office.

What financial support is available?

There are two types of loans in the UK provided by Student Finance England (SFE). This organisation, through the UK government, provides loans to UK students as well as EU nationals.

Types of loans:

– Tuition Fee Loan – is paid directly to the university of your choice,
– Maintenance Loan – is paid to cover living costs. This loan depends on your household income. If you are under 25 years of age, your parents’ income counts. The minimum amount you can get is £9,944.

⦁ Tuition Fee Loan

The Tuition Fee Loan, also known as a student loan, is what many students apply for to cover the cost of a university course. It is rated as non-profit and designed to help students in the UK, whether they are studying full-time or part-time, who would otherwise struggle with tuition fees.

⦁ Maintenance Loan

A Maintenance Loan is a loan to cover living costs. Different loan amounts are available and depend on household income and place of residence. Only those with a low household income (around £26,000 per household per year) are eligible for full support. Please note that a minimum of pre-settle status is required to receive a maintenance loan.

Paying your tuition fees

The Student Finance organisation will transfer the tuition fee money directly to the university of your choice. The fee for the academic year is spread over three instalments. SFE will inform you about the details of your loan payments by letter.

 

 

Loan amount

The loan amount depends on the income in your household and the place of your residence. For the 2023/2024 academic year, the maximum loan amounts for full-time students are as follows:
Living away from home, outside London – approx. £9,978
Living away from home, in London – approx. £13,022
Living with parents – approx. £8,400

Other benefits include grants if you are a student parent (£1,915) or caring for an adult (£3,000), and bursaries from the university each year (around £500).

The total amount you get can be as much as £17,000 a year!

Loan disbursement

The loan is granted for the academic year and paid into your UK bank account at the beginning of each term. You will receive an email and a letter stating the amount of funding and the dates you will receive the money. They are paid in 3 instalments throughout the academic year.

Loan repayment

You will only start repaying the loan after you have completed your studies and only if your income exceeds a certain threshold. If you work in England, then the threshold for the 2023-2024 academic year is £27,295 and increases each year. The threshold varies depending on the country you earn in and changes on 6 April each year. In 2023-2024, the financial threshold for Poland was £10,920 per year (around PLN 54,000) – this is how much you had to earn to start repaying your loan after returning to Poland.
The earliest you can start repaying the loan is in the month of April after graduation (provided the threshold is exceeded). The loan is remitted after 30 years, regardless of whether you have successfully repaid it or not.

Repayment of the Maintenance Loan follows the same rules as the Tuition Fee Loan and depends on your income. For example, if you earn £31,000 in a given tax year, the government will calculate the 9%, which is over £27,295, and spread it over 12 months. Refer to the table (Repayment plan 2) for more examples of monthly charges.

FactCheck: how much more will new students pay on loan repayments and will it be 'fairer'? – Channel 4 News