How to Get a Maintenance Loan
The United Kingdom offers maintenance loans to students to help pay for cost of living while they attend university. This loan is separate and in addition to tuition grants and loans. To qualify, you must have lived in the U.K. for the past three years. How much you may borrow depends on your situation, with the maximum loan being £6,928 for students studying away from home in London and up to £4,950 for students studying in other parts of the U.K. Students with fewer financial resources and those living away from home will get larger loans. Applications are submitted online through the Directgov Student Finance website.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Register for a student account on DirectGov Student Finance. Log-in for the first time and change your password and secret answer. Write down your customer reference number, password and secret answer because you will need this information to reapply for financial aid each year.
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2
Fill out your personal information, including your name, age and course of study. If you have not yet been accepted to a university, enter your first choice school and update later if this changes.
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3
Enter the amount of maintenance loan you would like to apply for or check the radio button for maximum. Enter the bank account you would like the money paid into and your national insurance number.
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4
Provide your parents' financial information. Your parents can do this online on the same form after you finish the application or through a separate paper application.
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5
Enter your personal income details and U.K. passport information.
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Provide additional evidence if required, such as a P-60, birth certificate or non-U.K. passport. Print the cover letter provided with the online application and mail it and your evidence with your customer number to Student Finance England.
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
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