Household income assessment for bursary purposes only

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 2027, information from the 2025/26 tax year will be used.

Some students may elect not to take out a Student Finance loan due to religious or personal reasons, but you will still need to be means-tested by Student Finance in order to be eligible to be assessed for Oxford's bursary support.

In order to be means-tested for bursary purposes only, the following steps can be taken by students applying to Student Finance England:

1. Create an online Student Finance account and select that you would like to apply for a maintenance loan. Follow the steps of the application as if you were applying for the loan and provide all the necessary information.
2. When asked ‘Do you want to apply for the higher amount of Maintenance Loan? select ‘Yes, I want to apply for a higher amount of Maintenance Loan’. This lets Student Finance know to assess your household income.
3. Later, when asked ‘How much Maintenance Loan do you want to borrow?’ select ‘I want to borrow a specific amount’.
4. When you are asked to input the amount, type ‘0.00’. This lets Student Finance know that you are not taking out any loan.
5. When you have completed the application, your financial sponsors (e.g. parents or partner) will be asked to submit their household income information. This information is then shared with the University to assess you for Oxford's bursary support.

If you later decide you would like to take out a full or partial maintenance loan you should be able to request this through your online student finance account until the end of May each academic year.

Students from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are advised to speak to their regional funding agency to see if a similar process is available to them:

• Student Finance Northern Ireland
• Student Awards Agency Scotland
• Student Finance Wales

If you have already applied for a tuition fee loan or a non means-tested maintenance loan for the current academic year you can still request to be means-tested for bursary purposes without taking out any further loans. You and your financial sponsor(s) will need to send some forms to Student Finance.

1. Visit the Student Finance England website - 'Include household income in your student finance application'.
2. Download the 'Applying for student finance based on household income form' for the academic year you are applying for funding - this form needs to be completed by you.
3. If you do not want to take out the maintenance loan you will need to write on the form that you are requesting a full household income assessment for bursary purposes only.
4. Download the 'PFF2 Assessment of financial circumstances for parents and partners of students' form for the academic year you are applying for funding - this needs to be completed by your financial sponsors (e.g. parents or partner).
5. Return the completed forms together to the postal address on the form.
6. Once the assessment has been completed your household income information will then be shared with the University to assess you for Oxford's bursary support.

If you later decide you would like to take out a full or partial maintenance loan you should be able to request this through your online student finance account until the end of May each academic year.

Students from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are advised to speak to their regional funding agency to see if a similar process is available to them:

• Student Finance Northern Ireland
• Student Awards Agency Scotland
• Student Finance Wales