Government support
If you are a student undertaking your first undergraduate degree, you may be eligible to access support from the UK government towards the costs of studying at Oxford. What you can get will depend on whether you are a UK or EU student, when you started your course, and on your household income.
Are you eligible for government support?
If you are a Home (UK) or EU student (2020-entrant or earlier), you are eligible to access a loan from the UK government for the full amount of your course fees, regardless of the level of your household income, and do not need to pay anything upfront.
If you are a UK student, in addition to course fee support, you can also apply for funding towards your living costs, and the amount available to you will vary according to where you are from in the UK. You will be able to access a basic maintenance loan towards your living costs regardless of your household income level and if you are from a lower-income household you will also be eligible to receive additional means-tested maintenance support.
You should apply to your regional funding agency (see below) each year before the end of the Easter holidays to ensure that funding is in place for the following year of your course.
The loan and grant rates in this section applies to students who started their course in 2012 or later unless a later date is specified. If you started earlier than the date listed, then please contact your funding agency or the University's Student Fees and Funding team for advice.
What does it mean to be ‘means tested’ or ‘financially assessed’?
If you want to be considered for a higher level of maintenance loan (students from England) or a non-repayable maintenance grant (students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales), you will need to complete a financial assessment as part of your application to your funding agency in order to calculate your household income. Although much of this process is automated, you may need to provide financial information to support your assessment.
What is household income and how is it calculated?
Your household income is made up of your income plus that of the people who live with you, such as your parents / step-parent / partner. Household income is assessed based on gross taxable income for the last full tax year. If your household income is likely to drop by at least 15% you can request a Current Year Income (CYI) assessment form from your regional funding agency.
What if I suspend my studies?
If you decide to suspend your studies for any length of time you will need to inform your regional funding agency. If you repeat any years of study, you should be aware that this might affect your entitlement to financial support.
Funding available in 2023/24 by region
If you are from England
- Apply to Student Finance England
For students who started from 2016 onwards
- A tuition fee loan to cover your course fees in full
- Maintenance loan for living costs
Household income | Maintenance loan (repayable after graduation) |
| £0 - £25,000 | £9,978 |
| £25,000 - £42,875 | £9,978 - £7,429 |
| £42,875 - £62,343 | £7,429 - £4,651 |
| £62,343 + | £4,651 |
If you are from Northern Ireland
- Apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland
- A tuition fee loan to cover your course fees in full
- Maintenance loan and maintenance grant for living costs
Household income | Maintenance loan (repayable after graduation) | Maintenance grant (non-repayable) |
| £0 - £19,203 | £4,661 | £3,475 |
| £19,203 - £30,000 | £4,661 - £5,561 | £3,475 - £1,215 |
| £30,000 - £41,065 | £5,561 - £6,726 | £1,215 - £50 |
| £41,065 - £53,035 | £6,776 - £5,084 | £0 |
| £53,035 + | £5,084 | £0 |
If you are from Scotland
- Apply to Student Awards Agency for Scotland
- A tuition fee loan to cover your course fees in full
- Maintenance loan and maintenance grant for living costs
- Independent students receive a similar level of total maintenance support but with a smaller grant and a larger loan.
Household income | Maintenance loan (repayable after graduation) | Maintenance grant (non-repayable) |
| £0 - £20,999 | £7,000 | £2,000 |
| £21,000 - £23,999 | £7,000 | £1,125 |
| £24,000 - £33,999 | £7,000 | £500 |
| £34,000 + | £6,000 | £0 |
If you are from Wales
- Apply to Student Finance Wales
For students who started from 2018 onwards
- A tuition fee loan to cover your course fees in full
- Maintenance loan and maintenance grant for living costs
- All students are eligible to receive up to £11,720 total maintenance support
| Household income | Maintenance loan (repayable after graduation) | Maintenance grant (non repayable) |
| £0 - £18,370 | £3,620 | £8,100 |
| £18,370 - £30,000 | £3,620 - £5,642 | £8,100 - £6,078 |
| £30,000 - £50,000 | £5,642 - £9,120 | £6,078 - £2,600 |
| £50,000 - £59,200 | £9,120 - £10,720 | £2,600 - £1,000 |
| £59,200 + | £10,720 | £1,000 |
Additional support from the UK government
If you are a UK student and have additional costs because of a disability or dependants, you could be eligible to receive the following extra assistance from the UK government.
Fund | Eligibility | Assessment | Application |
| Disabled Students’ Allowances | UK students who require funding to meet course-related costs | Based upon need | Apply through regional funding agency |
| Parents’ Learning Allowance | UK students with dependants | Based upon household income | |
| Childcare Grant | |||
| Adult Dependants’ Grant | |||
| Tax credits | Apply through the Government website |
If you are from outside the UK
Students from the EU
EU students who started their course between 2012 and 2020 are eligible to apply for a tuition fee loan from the UK Government.
The UK government has confirmed that most EU students starting their course from 2021 onwards will not be able to apply for student finance for the duration of their course. For courses starting on or after 1 August 2021, the UK government has confirmed that EU, other EEA, and Swiss Nationals will be eligible for student finance from the UK government if they have UK citizens’ rights (i.e. if they have pre-settled or settled status, or if they are an Irish citizen covered by the Common Travel Area arrangement).
The support you can access from the government (fees/living costs) will depend on your residency status.
For further information please refer to the Student Finance eligibility criteria and the UK government’s Education Hub FAQs page.
Islands students
If you are from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, you will be entitled to different support to that of students from the rest of the UK. Find out more at:
US and Canadian Loans
If you are from the US or Canada, you can apply for loans to help with fees and living costs. Details can be found at:
The University is able to process applications for US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funding (also known as the GI Bill or Post 9/11 Bill) and can complete and submit certificates of enrolment to the VA. Please refer to our US Department of Veterans Affairs funding webpage for further information.
All other students
You should also check whether there is any funding available to you from your home government to support your studies at Oxford.
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