Government support
Research students studying engineering.
(Image credit: John Cairns Photography / Oxford University Images).

Government support for 2024-entry

If you are a UK student undertaking your first undergraduate degree, you will be eligible to access support from the UK government towards the costs of studying at Oxford. What you can get will depend on where you are from in the UK and on your household-income.

If you are a UK student, you will be 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.

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 access additional maintenance support.

You should apply to your regional funding agency (see below) before the end of the Easter holidays to ensure that funding is in place for the start of your course, and should remember to apply to be means tested, if appropriate.

What does it mean to be ‘means tested’ or ‘financially assessed’?

If you want to be considered for additional maintenance support, 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 you are starting your course in 2024, information from the 2022/23 tax year will be used.

The regional funding agency figures below may be subject to inflationary changes in future years.  Any UK government loans that you take out will need to be repaid after you leave your course.

If you are from England

Household income2024 Maintenance loan
(repayable after graduation)
£0 - £25,000£10,227
£25,000 - £42,875£10,227 - £7,614
£42,875 - £62,347£7,614 - £4,767
£62,347 +£4,767

If you are from Northern Ireland

Household income2024 Maintenance loan
(repayable after graduation)
2024 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 Scotland
  • A tuition fee loan to cover your course fees in full
  • Independent students receive a similar level of total maintenance support but with a smaller grant and a larger loan
  • Maintenance loan and maintenance grant for living costs:
Household income2024 Maintenance loan
(repayable after graduation)
2024 Maintenance grant
(non repayable)
£0 - £20,999£9,400£2,000
£21,000 - £23,999£9,400£1,125
£24,000 - £33,999£9,400£500
£34,000 +£8,400£0

If you are from Wales

Household income2024 Maintenance loan
(repayable after graduation)
2024 Maintenance grant
(non repayable)
£0 - £18,370£4,050£8,100
£18,370 - £30,000£4,050 - £6,072£8,100 - £6,078
£30,000 - £50,000£6,072 - £9,550£6,078 - £2,600
£50,000 - £59,200£9,550 - £11,150£2,600 - £1,000
£59,200 +£11,150£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.

FundEligibilityAssessmentApplication
Disabled Students’ AllowancesUK students who require funding to meet course-related costsBased upon needApply through regional funding agency
Parents’ Learning AllowanceUK students with dependantsBased upon household income
Childcare Grant
Adult Dependants’ Grant
Tax creditsApply through the Government Website

If you are from outside the UK

EU students

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 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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