Please note that the information on this page relates to new students only. Fees and financial support arrangements for continuing students will remain the same.
No upfront fees
The good news is that students may borrow the entire cost of tuition fees and do not have to pay anything upfront provided you are:
- Studying for 30 or more credits per year.
- Taking a programme which is at a higher level than any qualification that you already hold.
- Previous study at Higher Education (HE) may also affect your eligibility.
Good repayment terms
Repayment of the sum borrowed for tuition fees is more like a tax than a standard commercial loan. Unlike commercial loans, repayments are calculated on your income rather than the amount borrowed. This means that your repayments won’t be any higher if you borrow the full amount of £9,000 a year. Repayments can change or may even be suspended depending on changes to your income and it is anticipated that some people may never repay the full amount they borrow.
- You will not have to repay anything unless you are earning over £21,000 a year.
- Payments are calculated only on income above £21,000 and are very affordable. For example, if you are earning £25,000 your repayments will be around £7 per week.
- If you stop earning or your salary falls below £21,000 repayments will cease.
- Repayments do not begin until the April four years after the commencement of your course (i.e. April 2017 for those beginning in 2013).
- If you have not repaid your loan after 30 years it is written off. If you die before then, the loan is written off and does not pass to anyone else.
More information about government funding can be found at www.gov.uk/studentfinance
Additional financial support available
Generous additional financial support for University of Leeds students is available through the Leeds Financial Support scheme. Depending on your circumstances up to £3,000 a year is available for students from low income families, and this money does not have to be repaid. Eligible students on BA Contemporary and Professional Studies can get £6,000 for year 1 and £3,000 for subsequent years. What’s more you can choose to receive it in the form of a fee discount (i.e. borrow less) or as a cash payment to help you with costs associated with study such as travel, childcare and books.
If you fulfill our eligibility criteria, fees for the full-time foundation year and PHE will reduced.
Full-time students may be eligible for additional government help with their maintenance and living costs, and all students (full-time and part-time) who have a disability may be eligible for Disabled Students Allowances (DSA).
For more information about how this will affect specific programmes:
Discuss your options
Lifelong Learning Centre staff are happy to talk through the financial implications of part-time study and discuss options that may be open to you to make this affordable. Please email lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk to make an appointment.
