Student finance: how and when to apply

For full-time students, the quickest and easiest way to apply is to do it online. Don’t wait until you’ve got a place on a course: apply well before the start of the academic year, no later than the date given below. If you apply after this, your first payment may not be ready when term starts.

Full-time students: apply for student finance
Apply for finance online

Apply now for 2010/11

Apply online Apply online for student finance You’ll need to apply separately for each year of your course.

There’s a single application that lets you apply for student loans, grants and bursaries.

You can also use it to indicate whether you want to apply for some forms of extra help - for example, because you’re disabled, or because you have children or an adult dependant.


You can currently apply online for the 2010/11 academic year. You can apply on paper for either the 2010/11 or 2009/10 academic years. Make sure you apply for the right academic year: if you get it wrong, it may delay your application.