Financial support for undergraduate home (UK) students: 2021-22

You don't pay for tuition up front. The government will provide a loan to cover your full tuition charges. You or your parents don't have to contribute anything now – you start to pay them back yourself once you graduate and are earning at least £25,000 a year.

Eligible part-time students also have access to loans for tuition fees. They won't have to pay upfront as long as it's their first degree.

To apply for a tuition fee loan please contact Student Finance England.

Repaying your loan

With effect from 1 April 2019, repayments will be 9% of any income above £25,725, so the amount you repay each month will depend on your earnings. Examples of monthly repayments for loans covering tuition and living costs:

Salary	Monthly Repayments
£25,725	£0
£26,000	£2
£30,000	£32
£35,000	£70
£40,000	£107

Repayments will be deducted automatically from your pay packet. All outstanding repayments will be written off after 30 years.

Maintenance loans are available from the government to help with living costs. Please see the Student Finance England website for more details.

SLC Maintenance loan for students with household income over £35,000

Household income	Maintenance loan Not living with parents	Maintenance loan Living with parents
£35,000	£7,661	£6,260
£40,000	£7,019	£5,626
£45,000	£6,377	£4,991
£50,000	£7,735	£4,357
£55,000	£5,093	£3,722
£60,000	£4,452	£3,314
£65,000+	£4,168	£3,314

You may be worried about the cost of coming to university, but there is financial support available.  A government loan to cover your tuition fees is available to all UK students and you may also be eligible for a bursary to help towards your living costs.   

The Oxford Brookes Bursaries Scheme is available to qualifying students for each year of their studies and does not need to be paid back. It is available to all eligible UK full-time on-campus undergraduate degree students on £9,250 undergraduate courses whose commencing year of study is 2021/22, as follows: 

• If your household income is under £25,000 you will receive an annual Oxford Brookes Bursary of £750.
• If your income is under £25,000 and you are 21 or over on 1 September 2021, you will be eligible for the Mature Bursary of £1,500
• If your income is under £25,000 and you are living in a recognised postcode area you will be eligible for the Enhanced Bursary of £3,000.

 You are only eligible for one of the above bursaries.

Eligibility for enhanced bursary

You are eligible for the Enhanced bursary if your permanent home postcode indicates that you live in an area of low participation in higher education or a low socioeconomic area. This must be your home address when you enrol at University and we must hold this address on our Student Record System. You can check if you would be eligible by using the following look-up sites:

(a)  Visit the  Office for Students site to see if you live in an area of low participation. Check the first column titled ‘Polar 4 young participation quintile’. If the number listed in the row beneath is a 1 or a 2, you are eligible for an enhanced bursary.

(b)   Visit  here to see if you live in a low socioeconomic area. Check the column titled ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation Decile’. If the number listed against your postcode is 1 to 4, you are eligible for an enhanced bursary.

Summary of funding available

Household  Income	Maintenance  Loan (2020-21 figures)	Additional  Bursary  Criteria	Bursary  Amount	Annual Total  Funding
under £25,000	£9,203	Brookes Bursary (none)	£750	£9,953
under £25,000	£9,203	Mature Bursary (age over 21)	£1,500	£10,703
under £25,000	£9,203	Enhanced Bursary (recognised postcode)	£3,000	£12,203
£25,000 - £34,999	At least £7,884	Brookes Bursary (none)	£500	At least £8,384

 

The bursary will be paid during the academic year in three instalments: 

• 25% on 5 November 2021
• 25% on 11 February 2022
• 50% on 8 April 2022

You must be in full time attendance at the University on the payment date to be eligible for each bursary instalment.

Applying

You don't need to apply - we will know if you are eligible from your household income figure provided to the Student Loans Company. All eligible students who have not opted out of the "consent to share" part of their SLC student support application will automatically be assessed for a bursary.

Please note you must be means tested by the end of the academic year (31 August 2022) to be entitled to claim your bursary for the current academic year. Students who consent to share their information, or who are means tested after the end of an academic year are no longer eligible to receive the previous year's bursary.

Terms and conditions

The following applies (2021 entrants only):

1. The Oxford Brookes Bursary Scheme will only be awarded to students applying to begin their degree in September 2021, who meet the eligibility criteria.
2. Students are eligible for the Mature Bursary if they are aged 21 or over on 1 September 2021.
3. Students are eligible for the Enhanced bursary if their permanent home postcode indicates they live in an area of low participation in higher education or a low socioeconomic area. This must be their home address when they enrol at University and we must hold this address on our Student Record System before they enrol
4. The student must be a Home fee paying student, entitled to both tuition and maintenance support from Student Finance England
5. Household income is calculated and confirmed by Student Finance England and will be assessed annually
6. Students must be studying on a full time undergraduate degree, paying fees of £9,250
7. The Bursary will be awarded in three instalments, 25% in November, 25% in February and 50% in April
8. Bursaries will be terminated in cases when students are found to be in breach of the Student Conduct Regulations and have been subject to, and found guilty by, a disciplinary process, which in the judgement of the University would warrant withdrawal of the Scholarship.
9. If the student withdraws from their course on a temporary or permanent basis, payment of the Bursary will cease from the date the student leaves or is withdrawn from their Brookes course. 
10. In circumstances when a student changes programme or mode of study to one which falls outside the eligibility criteria, the student will no longer be eligible for the Bursary.
11. Students must be in attendance on their Brookes course on the instalment dates in order to receive any instalments due.
12. Students must be means tested by the end of the academic year (31 August 2022) to be entitled to claim their bursary for the current academic year. Students who consent to share their information, or who are means/eligibility tested after the end of an academic year, are no longer eligible to receive the previous year's bursary.

Source:   SFE Student Finance Calculator

This scheme is open to full-time on-campus undergraduate degree students on £9,250 undergraduate courses whose commencing year of study is between 1 September 2017 and the Academic Year 2019-20.

If your household income is below £35,000 then a bursary can help towards your living costs. Our bursaries scheme is available to qualifying students for each year of their studies and does not need to be paid back. It is available to all eligible UK students.

How much will the bursary be?

The Brookes Bursary is determined using the same household income calculation that is used by the Student Loans Company to work out the amount of financial support you receive from them. The amount of the Brookes Bursary will vary according to the year in which you join your course at the University.

Household income	Continuing Student Bursary
Under £10,000	£2,000
£10,000 - £24,999	£1,500
£25,000 - £34,999	£1,000

The bursary will be paid in three instalments during the academic year as follows:

• 25% on 5 November 2021
• 25% on 11 February 2021
• 50% on 8 April 2022

You must be in full time attendance at the University on the payment date to be eligible for each bursary instalment.

Applying

You don't need to apply - we will know if you are eligible from your household income figure provided to the Student Loans Company. All eligible students who have not opted out of the "consent to share" part of their SLC student support application will automatically be assessed for a bursary.

Please note you must be means tested by the end of the academic year (31 August 2020) to be entitled to claim your bursary for the current academic year. Students who consent to share their information, or who are means tested after the end of an academic year are no longer eligible to receive the previous year's bursary.

Maintenance loan for part-time students

New part time students from the academic year 2018-19 will be able to apply for a means tested part time maintenance loan from Student Finance England. You can apply to SFE for a maintenance Loan towards your living and course costs. This loan is means tested, so the amount you receive is partially based on your household income and whether you choose to live in your own home or in your parental home.

As a part-time student the amount of maintenance Loan available to you will also be based on your intensity of study which is worked out from how many modules you take. As a part time student you can study between 2 to 5 modules per academic year.  Using 2019-20 figures, the table below shows how much you may be entitled to.

Household income	2 modules	3 modules	4 or 5 modules
up to £25,000	£2,236	£2,978	£4,472
£30,000	£2,078	£2,765	£4,152
£35,000	£1,915	£2,551	£3,831
£40,000	£1,755	£2,337	£3,510
£45,000	£1,584	£2,124	£3,189
£50,000	£1,434	£1,910	£2,868
£55,000	£1,273	£1,686	£2,457
£60,000	£1,113	£1,483	£2,226
£65,000 +	£1,042	£1,388	£2,084

Source:  SFE Student Finance Calculator

When you apply to SFE for your maintenance loan and fees, you will be asked how many modules you are intending to study (between 2 and 5). You will also be asked how many modules you would study if your course was full time. There are 8 modules for full time study. This information is important to SFE, so they can calculate your intensity of study for your maintenance loan.

Part-time tuition fees

A non means test tuition fee loan is also available from Student Finance England. 

Applying

Applications for part-time Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans can be made online on the Student Finance England website.

Healthcare students who start their course after 1st September 2017 are eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, which provides extra funding for healthcare students in respect of:

• Parental Allowance
• Travel and Dual Accommodation expenses
• Exceptional Support Fund

£5,000 Training Grant

All nursing students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. Information on the grant including how to apply and a list of eligible courses can be found on the NHS website, here.

If you are a full-time student who has spent a period of time in local authority care and are considering undergraduate study at Oxford Brookes, there is a lot of additional support that the University can offer you.

This Bursary is open to students who are under 25 years of age or under at the time they commence full-time undergraduate study at Oxford Brookes.

If you have been in care since the age of fourteen, are eligible for support from the Student Loans Company or NHS Business Services Authority you may be eligible for the Transition from Care Bursary of £2,000 a year.

Payment dates in 2021-22

This bursary is paid out in two equal installments on 4 November 2021 and 10 February 2022.

How to apply

When filling in your UCAS application form, you will need to indicate that you are a care leaver. From there, we can take the steps to help you with the support you need. If you have already applied and not declared that you are a care leave please contact Diane Harrison on +44 (0) 1865 484650 to establish your eligibility for a bursary and guaranteed accommodation.

Please see the Support for Care Leavers page for details about support available including guaranteed accommodation.

If you are irreconcilably estranged from both your parents, you are a UK student who is under 25 and you are considering full-time undergraduate study at Oxford Brookes, there is a lot of additional support that the University can offer you.

The Stand Alone definition states that: an estranged student is someone that has not had verbal or written contact with both of their biological, adoptive parents or their only living parent for a significant period of time and this will not change. A significant period of time is usually considered twelve months or longer prior to the start of their course, but this can also depend on their circumstances.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be enrolled on a full-time undergraduate or foundation degree and registered as a student at Oxford Brookes University
• start your course here in the 2019/20 academic year or later
• be aged 25 years or under at the start of the course
• be entitled to support from Student Finance England
• be formally estranged from your parents and recognised as being independent by Student Finance England or be irreconcilably estranged from both parents. This should be verified by an objective third party, which for the purposes of these regulations, refers to any relevant person acting in a professional capacity, providing evidence for which they are professionally accountable (e.g. teacher from school/college or GP). This person should normally have known about their situation for a substantial amount of time, and can verify that they do not have contact with their biological, adoptive or only living parents.

Bursary details

1. The Bursary is worth £2,000 per academic year of study.
2. You cannot be considered for an award if you have not responded to our requests for and provided appropriate proof of your estrangement.
3. Awards cannot be claimed retrospectively for previous academic years.
4. Awards will be paid for each year you are entitled to full student support funding from SFE
5. The University reserves the right to terminate an award and demand repayment of funds already paid in the case of disciplinary action against an award-holder.
6. The University reserves the right to withdraw a Bursary from anyone who is found to have misled the University about any aspect of their eligibility and to seek repayment of any monies already paid by appropriate means.
7. The Bursary is paid in two instalments each academic year: normally November and February.

Guaranteed accommodation

All estranged students are entitled to guaranteed accommodation in our halls of residence for 52 weeks as long as the following criteria are met:

• Oxford Brookes must be selected as your firm choice on your UCAS form
• All university course entry requirements are met and you have received an unconditional offer.

To find out more about halls of residence and other accommodation available, please visit our accommodation pages.

Student support

There is an excellent support system available to students who are estranged from their parents, and we have a dedicated contact in our Student Welfare Team who can offer support and advice during your time at Brookes. More information on support can be found at:

• Teaching and learning
• Personal wellbeing
• Careers support
• Brookes Union Advice Service

How to apply

Students are requested to complete an application for the Estranged Student Bursary and evidence must be in the form of an original letter by an independent person such as a teacher from school/college, GP or social worker. This person should normally have known about your situation for a substantial amount of time, and can verify that you do not have contact with your biological, adoptive or only living parents.

Please email studentwelfare@brookes.ac.uk to request an application form or support with applying for estranged student status.

If you are a young adult carer offering support to someone and you are considering full-time undergraduate study at Oxford Brookes, there is a lot of additional support that the University can offer you.

The NHS definition states that: A carer is anyone, including children and adults who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be enrolled on a full-time undergraduate or foundation degree and registered as a student at Oxford Brookes University

• start your course here in the 2021/22 academic year

• be aged 25 years or under at the start of the course

• have a completed Oxford Brookes student carer record form, in collaboration with the named contact for student carer support, in the Student Welfare Team

• be formally recognised as a carer for someone as outlined by the NHS definition. This should be verified by one of the following:

Bursary details

1. The Bursary is worth £500 per academic year of study.

2. You cannot be considered for an award if you have not responded to our requests for and provided appropriate proof of your carer role.

3. Awards cannot be claimed retrospectively for previous academic years.

4. The University reserves the right to terminate an award and demand repayment of funds already paid in the case of disciplinary action against an award-holder.

5. The University reserves the right to withdraw a Bursary from anyone who is found to have misled the University about any aspect of their eligibility and to seek repayment of any monies already paid by appropriate means.

6. The Bursary is paid in two instalments each academic year: normally November and February.

 

Student support

There is an excellent support system available to students who are young adult carers, and we have a dedicated contact in our Student Welfare Team who can offer support and advice during your time at Brookes. More information on support can be found at:

• Teaching and learning

• Personal wellbeing

• Careers support

• Brookes Union Advice Service

How to apply

Students are requested to complete an application for the Student Carer Bursary and evidence must be in the form of a carers assessment, medical evidence of the person you are caring for, with their permission, or evidence of your role provided by a medical professional.

Please email studentwelfare@brookes.ac.uk to request an application form or support with applying for the student carer bursary.

The Tessa Evans scholarship provides 5 scholarships of £2,000 per year, to support the recruitment and progression of mature students from the local region, studying on any BSc (Hons) Nursing course in Oxford or Swindon.

In addition, Tessa Evans Scholars will receive:

• mentorship from a member of staff within one of our NHS Trust partners
• a guaranteed leadership placement opportunity within their course

Applications for 2021-2022 are now closed

The University has a long and successful history of supporting students who find themselves in unexpected hardship during their studies. Please visit our Financial Aid page for details of support available.

BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are:

• on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more

or

• living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence.

The BrookesKey pass is also subsidised for international students (new and continuing) who are on courses with fees of £9,250 or more.

There is an £8 administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey.

The cost of a mandatory field trip is included in your course fee

Optional field trip costs are not included and a separate fee will apply. Please contact the relevant Faculty for more information about these charges.

The Oxford Brookes University Community Scholarship rewards students from eligible schools and colleges who have taken part in community engagement, either within their school or college or local community and students who have shown potential to succeed, despite having overcome personal or social difficulties.

Please see the Community Scholarships page for more details.

The  Oxford Brookes Sanctuary Scholarship scheme provides a full fee waiver and living cost bursary to individuals seeking asylum and those who have a form of protection from an asylum claim who are not able to access government student finance.

Santander scholarships offer 27 grants of £1,250 and are available to current students in their first year of study. The scholarship is designed to support students to actively participate in their studies and the wider opportunities available while at the University. 

Eligibility

To be eligible you must meet all the following criteria: 

• be studying in the first year of a full-time 3 or 4-year undergraduate degree or integrated foundation year
• be a Home fee paying student, paying the maximum fee of £9,250
• have made an online application to Student Finance England (SFE) and be eligible for an offer of funding (the offer does not need to be accepted but you must have consented to share your information with Oxford Brookes when applying to SFE and you must provide SFE with your bank account details)
• be in receipt of an Oxford Brookes bursary.

You must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• be a mature student
• have previously lived in local authority care
• have a disability or specific learning difficulty
• be of black or minority ethnic origin
• have a permanent home address (not term-time) in a postcode area with low HE progression
• have a permanent home address (not term-time) in an area of higher socio-economic disadvantage.

Applicants who have already studied at another university are not eligible to apply.

How to apply

You must apply for the scholarship directly via the Santander Becas portal by 1 April 2022. Only applications made via the Santander Becas portal will be accepted.

Successful applicants will be notified via their Brookes email account.

If you have any questions, please email scholarships@brookes.ac.uk