Application
Students need to apply for a Maintenance Loan each year. They should apply as soon as the application service opens to make sure their student finance is ready before the start of their course.
Online application
The quickest and easiest way is to apply for student finance online (opens in a new tab).
New Students
If a student has never applied for student finance before, they should create a new account (opens in a new tab). We’ll give them a unique customer reference number and they’ll be asked to create a password and secret answer to login.
The first time they apply they’ll be asked to confirm their identity. Most students can do this by giving us details from their valid identity document and they don’t need to send us their original one. They can give us details from one of the following:
- passport
- national identity card
- biometric residence card
- biometric residence permit
UK national without a valid UK passport
The student can upload a copy of their birth or adoption certificate to their online account or send it by post.
Irish citizen
The student can give us details from their valid UK passport, if they have one. If they don’t have a valid UK passport, they’ll need to send their original valid ROI or EU passport to us by post.
Continuing students
If a student has never applied for student finance before, they should create a new account (opens in a new tab). We’ll give them a unique customer reference number and they’ll be asked to create a password and secret answer to login.
Applying based on household income
Students can apply for student finance that’s based on their household income (opens in a new tab). We’ll ask their parents or partner for their National Insurance number and income.
We’ll check their parents or partner’s details with HMRC. We might contact their parents or partner to ask for evidence of their income if the details they give us don’t match HMRC’s records. We’ll also ask for their income details every year that the student applies for student finance.
Downloadable application form
If we need more information or evidence, we’ll contact the student to remind them to submit this as soon as they can. We won’t make any payments to the student until they give us the information and evidence we need.
If a student can’t apply online we've created downloadable application forms (opens in a new tab).
Missing information or evidence
If we need more information or evidence, we’ll contact the student to remind them to submit this as soon as they can. We won’t make any payments to the student until they give us the information and evidence we need.
Students can check for outstanding information or actions by logging into their student finance account (opens in a new tab).
