Undergraduate loans and funding
Find out about student loans, maintenance loans and other funding you could get for undergraduate study.
Student loans
You can normally apply for student loans (tuition fee loans and maintenance loans) to cover your tuition fees and help with your living costs if you:
- are from the UK
- have an eligible residency status.
If you're from England, you apply for loans through Student Finance England from February or March (you apply through other agencies if you're from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
You may also be able to apply for a social work bursary.
EU students
EU students who do not have residency status in the UK and who start their course after August 2021 will not be eligible for a student loan from the UK Government. This will include students who did receive a tuition fee loan for their Undergraduate studies and who are planning to study a standalone Masters degree in 2021/22.
Student loans payments
Your tuition fee loan is paid to Sussex after we confirm your attendance.
Your maintenance loan is paid into your bank account around the start of each term, and you can normally borrow up to £9,706 (2022/23) if you live away from home and study at Sussex.
Use the student finance calculator to see how much you could get in student loans, and check our living costs to find out how much you might need to budget for.
You have to pay back student loans after you graduate and you start repaying when you earn more than £27,295 a year. Repayment thresholds may be subject to change in future years.
More help
You can find further help on the Student Finance England YouTube channel, including videos on how and when to apply for funding.
Other funding and help
You may also be eligible for:
- a Sussex undergraduate scholarship
- American student loans and federal aid if you are a US citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Disabled Students' Allowances if you have a mental health problem, long-term illness or another disability. Email studentsupport@sussex.ac.uk for more information
- extra funding if you are on a low income, or you have children or dependant adults
- a travel expenses grant if you normally live in England but study away from home
- Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme
- other grants through external organisations.
You can also look for a part-time job to help you cover your living costs.
If you need help with any money-related matters, contact the Student Funding Team (details below). They can also help you apply for emergency hardship loans while you're here as a student.
If you have a visa:
If you need a visa to study in the UK, you may:
- have restrictions on how many hours you can work each week
- need to prove you have enough money to cover your fees and living costs.