UK Government - Tuition fee loans

What the tuition fee loan gives you

A tuition fee loan covers your full tuition fees at the University of Hertfordshire, so you do not have to pay the money up front. The government pays the loan directly to the university, not to you. For undergraduate programmes, it covers fees of up to around 11,000 euros per year. As this is a loan and not a grant, you will need to repay it later. If you are studying for a Master’s degree or a PhD, there are higher loans available, which are paid directly to you: up to around 15,700 euros for a taught Master’s degree and around 37,000 euros for a PhD. You will only start repaying the loan once your annual earnings exceed 25,000 GBP. You will then pay 9% of your income above this amount, and any outstanding balance after 40 years will be written off. The loan is administered by ‘Student Finance England’, the UK government’s student finance agency.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the University of Hertfordshire.
• Nationality or residence: You are a UK ‘domestic student’. This means you are a British citizen or have settled status. Some EU citizens with settled status are also eligible.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Level: Bachelor’s students are eligible to take part. The same applies to students on the PGCE, the MArch in Architecture and certain Master’s programmes in the health professions (nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, nutritional science, radiology and paramedicine). Students on foundation programmes and dual study programmes are not eligible to take part.
• Financial need: Not required. This loan is not means-tested.

How to apply

You can apply online by creating an account with ‘Student Finance England’ on the UK Government’s student finance website. For 2026/27, new full-time students should apply by 15. May 2026, and continuing students by 19 June 2026. You can still apply up to nine months after the start of your course, but you should try not to leave it that long if possible.

How realistic are your chances?

This is not a competitive allocation process. If you are a UK home student enrolled on an eligible degree programme, you are entitled to the loan. There is neither a selection panel nor a fixed number of places. The most important thing is that you submit your application by the deadline so that the funds are available when you start your studies.