This article is for EU/EEA or Swiss students who are starting a course from September 2023 onwards. If you're continuing a course that started before September 2021, please read our article I am an EU/EAA/Swiss student/applicant who enrolled in 2020/21 or before; What is my fee status?
Some EU/EEA and Swiss students are entitled to the home rate of tuition fees and may be eligible for Student Finance funding to help with their fees and living costs. Others may be assessed for the international rate of fees.
The type of support you’ll receive will be dependent on how long you have lived in the UK or EEA, and/or whether you or a family member have been working in the UK.
What is UK Student Funding & do I qualify for it?
There are two types of funding available from UK Student Finance: tuition fee loans and maintenance loans/grants. EU nationals and some EEA and Swiss nationals may be eligible for one or both sources of funding, depending on their circumstances.
The rules are complex, so we recommend you check with Student Finance England to see what you’re eligible for.
Student Finance will take several factors into account when assessing your eligibility. These will include:
- Whether you’ve studied at degree level before, including in another country
- Whether you have relevant family members
If you’d like more guidance about funding criteria, get in touch with our Money & Housing Advice team.
Important to know: There is a separate funding application process for students who are currently living in Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland.
Tuition fee loans
What is the tuition fee loan?
The EU tuition fee loan for undergraduate study (for full-time or part-time courses) covers all or some of your course fee. It’s paid directly to the university. You have to start paying the loan back once you’ve finished studying and are earning over a certain threshold.
The Postgraduate Master's loan is available for postgraduate degree courses (full-time or part-time). It’s paid directly to you so you can choose to use it towards your fees or for your living costs.
Am I eligible for the tuition fee loan?
If you’re an EU national, you’re eligible provided the following two conditions are met:
- You hold EU Pre-Settled or Settled Status; and
- You have lived in the UK, Gibraltar, EEA or Switzerland for the three consecutive years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course (1 September or 1 January). This doesn’t include temporary absences such as holidays
If you’re an Irish national, you can qualify for the Tuition Fee Loan as long as you've been living in the UK and/or Ireland, or the EU/EEA, or the British Overseas or Overseas Territories, for the past 3 years.
Maintenance loans
What are maintenance loans?
Maintenance loans are designed to help you cover your living costs while you’re studying, including essentials like rent and food. They’re paid directly into your bank account. You have to start paying the loan back once you’ve finished studying and are earning over a certain threshold.
The amount of maintenance loan you’re entitled to will depend on a range of factors, including your financial and family circumstances.
If you're a full-time student who has a child or an adult dependent who depends on you, you may be eligible for extra financial help. Please read Student finance for undergraduates: Extra help for more information.
Am I eligible for a maintenance loan?
If you’re from the EU/EEA or Switzerland and are applying for an undergraduate degree, you may be eligible for the maintenance loan (and grants, where applicable) as well as the tuition fee loan.
In order to qualify, you must:
- Have EU Settled Status
- Have not lived outside the UK for three years before (and including) the start of your course, normally 1 September or 1 January
- Have no significant gaps in your UK and Islands residency
- Provide evidence of all the above
You may also qualify for the maintenance loan (and grants) if Student Finance consider you to be living in the UK as a Migrant Worker.
Important to know: If you acquire EU Settled Status whilst you're studying with us, your eligibility change.
Once you have EU Settled Status, you can apply for full Student Finance funding (a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan) for the next academic year. You will also need to meet all the other eligibility criteria.
Does my nationality and/or Settled Status qualify me for the 'home' rate of fees?
Home fees are charged at a lower rate than international ones. We follow UK government regulations and guidelines about which students are permitted to pay home fees.
We’ll assess your fee status after we receive your course application. We’ll ask you several questions when you apply to help us assess whether you're eligible for home or international fees. You might also need to complete a Fee Status Questionnaire.
For more information about how your fee status is decided, please read:
EU/EEA & Swiss citizens
One of the ways EU/EEA/Swiss nationals can qualify is by holding EU Pre-Settled or Settled status and by being resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the EU/EEA or Switzerland.
You’ll need to have been resident in one of these countries for three consecutive years prior to the first day of the first academic year of your course: usually 1 September or 1 January.
EU Settled Status
If you have EU Settled Status and are resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the EU/EAA or Switzerland, you are eligible for both tuition fee and maintenance loans.
You’ll need to have been resident in one of these countries for three consecutive years prior to the first day of the first academic year of your course: usually 1 September or 1 January.
Please read UK Government: Apply for the EU Settlement Scheme for more information.
EU Pre-Settled Status
If you only hold EU Pre-Settled Status then you would normally qualify for the tuition fee loan, but not the maintenance loan and grants.
However, you may be eligible for all types of student funding if you or a family member are a Migrant Worker. You will need to evidence your current and previous work in the UK and continue working in the UK throughout the course to retain your eligibility.
Contact the Money & Housing Advice team for advice if you’re unsure of your eligibility, have difficulties with your application or are refused Student Finance funding.
Irish citizens
Irish citizens do not need to have EU Pre-Settled or Settled status. You’ll need to have been resident in the UK, EU/EEA or Ireland for three years before the start of the course to qualify for home fees.
How can I apply for Student Finance funding?
New undergraduate students can choose to apply online or use the paper application (PN1 form). Find this by using the Student Finance England form finder.
If you already receive the Tuition Fee Loan only as an EU student (or relevant family member), you should apply using the paper application form for home students called the PN1 form.
There are additional forms to complete if you are applying for the Childcare Grant and/or the Disabled Student’s Allowance.
What are the funding options for EU/EEA/Swiss Migrant Workers?
If you work in the UK, you may qualify for tuition fee and maintenance loans (and relevant grants) with Student Finance under the Migrant Worker rules.
How do I qualify as having Migrant Worker status?
To be eligible, you must fulfil all the following criteria:
- Be an EU, EEA national or Swiss national who holds EU Pre Settled or Settled Status (or have a relevant family member who does)
- Be resident in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course
- Have been ordinarily resident in either the UK, Gibraltar, EEA and Switzerland for at least three consecutive years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
- Be working in the UK (or have a relevant family member who is working) and continue to work in the UK throughout your degree
In addition, Student Finance will base their decision on your earnings and your employment. If they believe your earnings are too low, (“marginal”) they will not accept that you are a genuine migrant worker and will refuse your application.
What kinds of work can qualify me for Migrant Worker status?
The following types of work can qualify you as a Migrant Worker:
- Employed
- Self-employed (freelance)
- Zero hours contract
Important to know: Working at King’s would not make you eligible for Migrant Worker status. This type of work is considered ‘ancillary’ to your course.
You can read more about this at UCAS: Student Finance for Migrant Workers.
What evidence will I need to give to prove my Migrant Worker status?
Student Finance will ask for evidence of your employment in September each year and will request evidence of continued work at the start of each term.
They may ask to see documents such as:
- Payslips
- Invoices
- Receipts
- P45s and P60s
What happens to my funding if I’m made redundant or I have to give up my job to study?
There are special rules for Migrant Workers who’ve been made redundant. Similarly, there are guidelines in place for those who’ve been working in an area related to their course but have had to give this up so they can study.
Please discuss this with a Money & Housing Advsior if these circumstances apply to you.
Can I apply for Migrant Worker status if I start working during my studies?
You can apply for qualification as a Migrant Worker during your course, even if you weren’t working at the start of your degree. You must still have been resident in the UK before the first day of the first academic year of your course.
Important to know: You may not be eligible for the full amount of loan and/or grants if you achieve Migrant Worker status once your course has started.
Contact Student Finance for more information or book an appointment with one of our Money & Housing Advisors for help.
What are the funding rules if I’m studying for a medical, dental or other healthcare-related degree?
Medics and dentists
From years one to four of medical and dental degrees, student funding rules are the same as for other degree courses.
From the fifth year of study, medics and dentists in England switch to a funding package from the NHS Bursary Service. This includes:
- Non-repayable grants for tuition fees
- Non-repayable bursaries for living costs
- Additional allowances if you are a student parent who has childcare responsibilities
- Some EU/EEA students may be able to receive this NHS funding for the later years of their degree course
You can read more about the eligibility criteria at NHS Bursary Funding for Students (2023-24).
Nurses, midwives and other non-medical healthcare students
If you’re studying for a healthcare-related degree, you may be eligible for the Learning Support Fund. Read more about the eligibility criteria at NHS Learning Support Fund.
Important to know: the rules around this funding are similar to the Student Finance eligibility rules.
Do I qualify for welfare benefits from the UK government?
EU/EEA and Swiss students who are studying in the UK on a Student Visa or as a Visitor will not be eligible to claim any welfare benefits.
Most full-time students are not able to claim most welfare benefits, regardless of their visa status. However, there are exceptions for student parents and carers and some students who have a disability or long-term health condition.
Welfare eligibility rules can be complex for EU/EEA and Swiss nationals. You will need:
- A legal ‘right to reside in the UK’
- To pass the ‘habitual residence test’
It may only be possible to claim some welfare benefits if you hold Settled Status.
You can read more about this on the Citizens Advice Bureau website.
What other financial support can I access at King’s?
The Student Funding team at King’s offers confidential advice to both prospective and current students.
Check out our webpages for more support:
There may be other routes that you can qualify for Student Finance funding in additional to those listed above. You can read detailed guidance and information on the UKCISA website to check your eligibility.
Please contact the Fees & Funding team for more information about issues such as bursaries and hardship fund grants.