Funding for EU Students

The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. The UK then entered a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020. Brexit has had/continues to have an effect on some areas of life in Scotland, including Higher Education.

You will find lots of helpful information on the SAAS website.

Eligible EU students with settled or pre-settled status will be eligible to apply for tuition fee support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for their full period of study.

You cannot claim any support through the Scottish Government for living costs, so it is vitally important you consider how you will support yourself during your studies.

Please visit our Money & Debt Advice pages for information on how you can make your money go further.

*If you are an EU National with settled status, and have been living in Scotland or the UK for more than 3 years, you may be eligible to be treated as a Scottish student in respect of funding and apply to SAAS for a full package of support. If you think this applies to you, contact SAAS for further advice.

Student Awards Agency Scotland

If you meet the criteria noted above and wish to apply to SAAS for tuition fee support, it is important to ensure you meet all eligibility criteria. 

SAAS will not fund your studies if you are studying in Scotland for one year as part of your course at your home institution, to which you will transfer credits, return to and graduate from.

SAAS may also consider whether you have already achieved a degree for which you received support from your home country, another EU member state or the European Social Fund.

Further information on eligibility and the application process can be found on the SAAS website.

PGDE students are funded through the undergraduate funding system, so be sure to check the Undergraduate section of the SAAS website if looking for funding information for this course.

Remember that your support will be in the form of a loan, which needs to be paid back. You do not have to take out the student loan, or can elect to take out only a proportion of what you are offered. The student loan is repayable and does accrue interest but it is much cheaper than other types of finance such as bank loans, overdrafts or credit cards.

Find out more about how the student loan works here.

From 01 January 2021 the new Student immigration route has taken the place of the previous Tier 4 route. All prospective international higher education students, including EU, EEA and Swiss nationals coming to the UK on or after 01 January 2021, now need to apply to the Student route.

As an International Student you will be unable to apply to the Scottish or UK Government for financial support, and will be subject to the International tuition fee rate.

As you cannot claim any support for tuition or living costs, it is vitally important you consider how you will support yourself during your studies.

Please visit our Money & Debt Advice pages for information on how you can make your money go further.

The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. The UK then entered a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020. Brexit has had/continues to have an effect on some areas of life in Scotland, including Higher Education.

You will find lots of helpful information on the SAAS website.

The UK's departure from the European Union has impacted students from the Republic of Ireland differently that other students from elsewhere in the EU. You should be sure to read the Tuition Fee Status information carefully to ensure you best understand how your circumstances impact your Tuition Fee Status.

Students who normally live in the Republic of Ireland will have a fee status of Republic of Ireland and may apply to Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for a tuition fee loan of up to £7,000.

Find out more here.

You cannot claim any support through the Scottish Government for living costs, so it is vitally important you consider how you will support yourself during your studies.

Please visit our Money & Debt Advice pages for information on how you can make your money go further.

Student Awards Agency Scotland

If you meet the criteria noted above and wish to apply to SAAS for tuition fee support, it is important to ensure you meet all eligibility criteria. 

Further information on eligibility and the application process can be found on the SAAS website.

Remember that your support will be in the form of a loan, which needs to be paid back. You do not have to take out the student loan, or can elect to take out only a proportion of what you are offered. The student loan is repayable and does accrue interest but it is much cheaper than other types of finance such as bank loans, overdrafts or credit cards.

Find out more about how the student loan works here.

It's important to remember that you are responsible for meeting the cost of tuition throughout your studies, so if you do not apply for support, or are not eligible to receive this, you will be classed as a self-funded student and will be expected to meet this cost yourself.

It's important to plan ahead if you are going to be funding your studies yourself. In most cases, you will be able to spread the cost over the academic year, but that is still an additional monthly expense that you should plan for. You will also be required to pay a deposit at the point you enrol, and enrolment will not be completed until this is done, meaning any student funding you are due to receive will be delayed.

Check out our FAQs.

Remember, your student funding (normally in the form of a student loan) is awarded as a contribution towards your living costs, and is not designed to cover the cost of tuition. If you are self-funding, we encourage you think of the tuition fees as another expense you are committing to, and think carefully about how affordable this is for you.

Plan ahead by visiting our Budgeting and Planning web pages.

When you come to study at UWS it is really important to understand that you may not be able to apply for any financial support to help meet your cost of living.

You should plan ahead for these costs before arriving in Scotland and we have a lot of tools to help you do this.

Visit our Money & Debt Advice for more information on managing your money effectively, and specifically our Budgeting and Planning to help you prepare a budget for your time at University.