Funding, Costs, Fees, and Support

We understand that going to University is a significant investment in your future. Here are a range of financial options available if you are considering studying with us.

Started your course and haven’t applied for funding yet?

Don't worry, you still have time; but it’s vital that you apply early as possible. It’s important your funding is in place so you can start your academic career without any financial worries. 

For full time undergraduate students there are a range of financial options available if you’re considering studying with us – including tuition fee and maintenance loans, scholarships and bursaries. The Student Loan Company’s student finance calculator is a useful tool to see how much you could receive.

Applications for part time and postgraduate funding open in late Spring. Visit student finance on the gov.uk website to find out more about the application process and eligibility criteria. 

You or your parents/guardian/partner may be asked to provide evidence to support your funding application, so it’s important to check your emails and ensure this is provided promptly. 

There are no age limits on eligibility for tuition fee loans and means-tested maintenance loans for undergraduate study, so mature students can apply – provided you're studying for your first degree. If you have any questions contact our Gateway team at: gateway@wlv.ac.uk. 

More information on funding and budgeting for students can be found at Finances - University of Wolverhampton (wlv.ac.uk)

Costs and Fees

Get a clear picture of how much coming to University might cost and what help is available

How much you pay is determined by what course you are studying, the level (undergraduate, postgraduate) your mode of attendance (full-time or part-time) and your fee status (UK/Home, International, EU).  

It is important to carefully consider the financial implications of studying at university.  In additional to paying tuition fees, you will need to cover your living expenses, including accommodation, food, heating, travel, books and stationery. More information can be found at Understanding Student Living Costs.

No matter how you are being funded, whether through Student Finance (UK/Home students) or paying for it yourself, working out how much you will need to cover basic costs is a good place to start.

More information on standard student finance plus bursaries, scholarships and the WLV Wallet can be found on the Financial Support pages
Have a look at our Funding and Budgeting page for more useful tips and advice.

Discover the support you may be eligible for from Student Finance England or from the University depending on your mode of study and meeting the eligibility criteria.

For information on funding for Wales go to Student Finance Wales, for Scotland go to Student Awards Agency Scotland and for Northern Ireland go to Student Finance NI.

Types of support available to UK 'Home' students includes the following:

For full information on all we have to offer have a look at our Financial Support pages.

Frequently asked questions

After you've applied for your funding

Click on any links for more detailed information

Your maintenance loan will not be paid to you until the first day of term and only once you have fully enrolled. More information can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/funding-costs-fees-and-support/financial-support/ive-not-received-my-funding-yet-what-do-i-do

All students have to pay their tuition fees, but eligible undergraduate UK students can apply for a loan to cover the cost of the fees. If you have applied for the tuition fee loan and received your notification letter from SFE saying that you are getting the tuition fee loan then you don’t need to do anything further, the fee will be paid directly to the University. The loan is repayable once you have left University and are earning more than £27,295 per year. More information on student loans can be found at www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan. 

If you are a postgraduate student and have applied for the Masters Loan then this is paid directly to you and you will need to set up a direct debit to pay the fees to the University in 3 instalments. You can do this at www.wlv.ac.uk/howtopay.

You can set up a direct debit to pay in 3 instalments: November, January and April, or you pay the full amount online or by credit/debit card in person. More information on how to pay can be found www.wlv.ac.uk/howtopay.  

More information on what you need to do can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/funding-costs-fees-and-support/how-to-pay/trouble-paying

You need to complete a Change of Circumstance form which can be found by logging in to your SFE account. You need to do this as soon as you change your University or course. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/change-an-application?step-by-step. Once you have enrolled then you can no longer make the change yourself and so will need to contact the University to send a Change of Circumstance Form to SFE. You can request this by logging an e:vision helpdesk query.  

You don’t. We will automatically receive this information from Student Finance England electronically so don’t need a paper copy.  

You can apply for the hardship fund once you have enrolled and are attending. It normally opens in October. This is designed to help students who find themselves in genuine financial hardship. Applications are means tested so we cannot guarantee awards. However, if you are successful you will not have to repay any of it. For further details visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/fund.   

More information on the Disabled Student Allowance and the form you need to complete can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help. More information on help available to students with disabilities at the University can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/ssw.   

If you are a full time undergraduate student and have dependent children you can apply for a Parent Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant to help with childcare costs but these are very tightly means-tested against income. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help. 

The childcare grant will cover up to a maximum of 85% of your childcare fees but you will still need to pay the additional 15% yourself.  You can, however, apply for additional means-tested support towards your childcare costs via an application to the Dennis Turner Hardship Fund (www.wlv.ac.uk/fund). 

There is no guarantee of an award however all applications will be considered.

If you are a full time student you can request a Council Tax Exemption letter through e:vision once you have enrolled on the course.  https://smsweb.wlv.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn  

There should be a series of buttons that look something like the below where you will see the Official Letters button:

image showing the Official letters button on e:Vision homepage

You will see various choices, just choose the appropriate one and follow the instructions.

If you are a current student, ASK@WLV is now the first point of contact for all student queries.  

To contact them either log a helpcall via the ASK@WLV tab on your e:Vision, pop into one of the ASK@WLV hubs, if on campus, or ring them on 01902 518518.

Learn more: www.wlv.ac.uk/ask.

You can also contact the Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre www.wolvesunion.org/advice/.

More details on useful contacts can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/funding-costs-fees-and-support/contacts

If you are an applicant or enquirer from the UK then you can contact the Gateway team on 01902 32 1032, or email gateway@wlv.ac.uk.

We would encourage all students who are facing additional financial hardship to seek further support from such resources as the Students’ Union’s Advice and Representation Centre (ARC) to speak with a Student Money Advisor (please complete their enquiry form at https://www.wolvesunion.org/advice/enquiry/) or especially the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) who can offer additional financial advice. 

You can also contact the Student Financial Support Team by emailing money@wlv.ac.uk (www.wlv.ac.uk/fund)  

More useful information can also be found at Funding and budgeting page (https://www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/funding-costs-fees-and-support/financial-support/dennis-turner-hardship-fund/funding-and-budgeting-for-university/).

Useful tips can also be found at:  

moneysavingexpert.com/students

which.co.uk/money/university-and-student-finance

ucas.com/money

Before you have applied for your funding

Click on any links for more detailed information

You can apply on-line or by completing a paper application form. Both are available at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. Online is recommended where possible as it is much quicker.  

Students who are UK residents and have not been to University before are usually eligible for financial support. More information on regulations and eligibility criteria can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies. If you are unsure whether you qualify or not then you can contact the Gateway to discuss your circumstances. Contact details can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/gateway.

For undergraduate students there are means-tested loans to help pay for living costs plus additional grants for students with dependents or a disability. A finance calculator which enables you to enter your details and receive an estimate of your entitlement can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator.  

For postgraduate students there is a single loan to use towards fees and living costs. More information on the loan for Masters courses can be found at www.gov.uk/masters-loan; for PhD and Professional Doctorate courses go to www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan. 

No, you do not have to have a place at University in order to apply for funding. You can put down the University and course you are hoping to do and then notify Student Finance England at a later date if you go to a different University or undertake a different course. If you haven’t already applied for funding then you should do so as early as possible. The application process normally opens in March for the next academic year. Go to www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance for more details.

You can still apply for your funding and should complete the online application as soon as possible at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. Your funding may be delayed at the start of the course but it won’t affect your eligibility.  

For undergraduate students financial support is means-tested depending on your family’s financial circumstances. A finance calculator which enables you to enter your details and receive an estimate of your entitlement can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator.  

 

Funding for your second and third years can be obtained by completing the online application at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. It is much quicker in subsequent years as you do not have to complete all the sections each year.  

 

  

If you are over 25, have supported yourself (i.e. worked full time) for at least 3 years, are responsible for a child of your own, or are married then you should be classed as independent of your parents. Full details on eligibility can be found at www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies. If you are a care leaver or estranged from your parents then more information on support available can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/care.   

   

Undergraduate part time students can apply for a tuition fee loan and (for those on a degree course) a means tested maintenance loan. For more information and to apply go to www.gov.uk/student-finance/parttime-students. The application process normally opens in May.

Part time students on a Masters course can apply for the same Masters Loan as full time but the payments are spread out over the 2 years of the course. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/master-loan. 

To apply for the tuition fee loan and maintenance loan you need to complete the standard undergraduate application form that can be found at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. To apply for the new NHS Training Grant go to www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund/training-grant. You need to have your standard student finance in place before you can apply for the NHS funding.   

  

Student Finance England aim to complete the processing of forms in 4 - 6 weeks but it may take longer in some circumstances.  

If you have lived in the UK for at least 3 years then you can apply for full support from the UK Government (Tuition Fee loan and Maintenance Loan). 

If you have not lived in the UK for 3 years prior to enrolling on the course then you can apply for the Tuition Fee loan only.  

If you have settled status and have lived in the UK for more than 3 years then you can apply for a loan to cover the cost of fees (Tuition Fee loan) from the UK Government and help with living costs (Maintenance Loan).  

If you have pre-settled status and have lived in the UK for more than 3 years then you can apply for the Tuition Fee loan but not the Maintenance Loan.  

If you do not have settled or pre-settled status then you are not eligible for support from the UK Government and will be classed as an International Student. 

More information can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/studying-in-the-uk-guidance-for-eu-students.    

International students cannot apply for standard funding from the UK Government. More information for International students can be found at www.ukcisa.org.uk. More information on support from the University can be found at www.wlv.ac.uk/international/international-scholarships. International queries should be referred to internationaladmissions@wlv.ac.uk.   

  

You normally are classed as being 'in repayment' from the April after you have left University. However repayments only start once you are earning above the threshold. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/which-repayment-plan-you-are-on

Pre-entry Advice and Guidance: The Gateway

Contact Us Keep up to date

Our Education Guidance Advisors offer friendly and professional advice to prospective students. They have a huge amount of experience answering enquiries on all aspects of coming to University including fees and finances, previous study rules and eligibility criteria. Call us on Tel: 01902 321032