UK Government Funded · Student Finance England
If you're British, an EU national with 3+ years in the UK, or a Ukrainian refugee — the government will fund your entire university degree. Zero upfront. We handle the paperwork. You collect the funding.
Three groups of people have the same right to a fully government-funded UK degree.
UK citizens and those with Indefinite Leave to Remain are fully entitled to Student Finance England for any undergraduate or postgraduate course.
Fully eligiblePre-Settled or Settled Status and 3+ continuous years in the UK? You qualify for identical funding to any UK student — regardless of nationality.
3 years requiredUnder Homes for Ukraine and the Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukrainian nationals with permission to stay may access full government student funding.
Ukraine schemesMoments from student journeys and advisory sessions.
We support your application from first check to final submission. We are not a university — we are your guide through the system.
Know in 60 seconds whether you qualify for government funding. No guesswork, no wasted time.
We walk you through every form. One wrong box on SFE paperwork can delay your funding — we make sure that doesn't happen.
Clear checkpoints from pre-assessment through to enrolment confirmation. You always know where you stand.
We speak your language. English, Italian, Ukrainian, Spanish, French, Romanian, German and more.
No jargon. No confusion. Clear guidance from your first question to your first lecture.
Refer them. They must enrol and attend — your £300 is paid in line with their SFE payment schedule. No cap on referrals.
Two pathways. Both free. Both handled by our team.
You don't need us. But you should know what you're walking into. Here is the complete process for applying to Student Finance England yourself — every step, every document, every thing that can go wrong.
Before you open an account, you need to verify you actually qualify. SFE eligibility is determined by three factors: your nationality or immigration status, your residency history, and whether you have previous higher education study. All three must be checked separately.
Go to gov.uk/student-finance and use the eligibility checker. The checker gives broad guidance only — it will not flag edge cases. If you are an EU national, the checker often incorrectly indicates eligibility without accounting for the continuous residence test. Do not rely on it as final confirmation.
Go to studentfinance.slc.co.uk. Create an account using your email address. You will need to provide your date of birth, National Insurance number, and UK passport or national identity card number at registration.
If you do not have a National Insurance number, you must apply for one through HMRC before you can proceed. This alone can take 4–8 weeks. Do not start this process in September if your course begins in September.
Store your login credentials somewhere permanent. You will use this account every academic year for the duration of your studies. If you lose access, account recovery through SFE can take 10–15 working days.
Not all courses qualify. SFE funds designated courses at designated providers. Your course must be a full first degree (BA, BSc, LLB), Foundation Degree, or HND/HNC at a registered provider, with a minimum of 25% intensity if studying part-time, and must not be an equivalent or lower qualification (ELQ) to a degree you already hold.
Distance learning and online-first courses have additional rules. Check with your specific university's student finance office — not just the SFE website.
This is the most time-consuming part of the process. All applicants need: valid passport or national identity card (EU/EEA nationals with settled or pre-settled status may use their home country national ID card instead of a passport), National Insurance number, UK bank account in your name, university offer letter, and full history of any prior higher education.
EU nationals additionally need: your UKVI share code plus evidence of 3 years continuous UK residence — bank statements (no gaps), payslips, council tax bills, NHS registration letters, tenancy agreements. SFE requires at least two independent sources per year.
Ukrainian refugees additionally need: Permission to Stay letter, Biometric Residence Permit (if issued), and proof of UK address dated within 3 months.
The application covers 8+ sections: personal details, course details, residence and nationality, previous study, financial information, evidence uploads, bank details, and a legal declaration. Each file must be under 5MB (JPG, PNG, PDF).
Your maintenance loan amount depends on household income. You must provide your P60, HMRC self-assessment return, or accountant's accounts for the previous tax year.
If you are under 25 and financially dependent, your parents must complete a separate declaration online with their own income evidence — an invitation is emailed to them, which they frequently ignore, causing delays. Your partner's income is also assessed if you are married or in a civil partnership.
You must declare every higher education course you have ever enrolled on: dropped degrees, degrees from abroad, foundation years, HNCs, distance learning, courses funded by another government. All of it. SFE subtracts prior study years from your entitlement.
Straightforward applications take 6–8 weeks. EU national applications that trigger a residence questionnaire typically take 10–14 weeks. 16 weeks is not unheard of. You cannot speed this up.
When your Entitlement Letter arrives, check it carefully: tuition fee amount, course duration, maintenance loan amount, and payment dates. Errors are common — and correcting them via formal enquiry takes another 3–6 weeks.
SFE approval does not release your money. Your university must separately confirm your enrollment in SFE's system. Students frequently enroll with the university but do not appear as enrolled on SFE's records because the university's reporting is delayed. Follow up directly with your university's student finance office.
Tuition fee loan goes directly to your university in three instalments per year — you never handle it. Maintenance loan is paid into your UK bank account on the same schedule. The first payment arrives 3–5 working days after enrollment is confirmed.
Loans from August 2023 are Plan 5: you repay 9% of income above £25,000 per year, collected automatically through PAYE. Interest accrues at RPI. The loan is written off after 40 years. If you leave the UK, you are still liable — SFE requires annual income declarations and will pursue repayment internationally. Repayments begin automatically the April after you finish your course once you pass the earnings threshold.
These are not edge cases. These are the most common reasons applications are delayed, suspended, or underpaid:
Each of these adds weeks. Sometimes months. SFE phone lines average 45–90 minute wait times.
Our team has navigated every one of the scenarios above. We submit correctly the first time. Apply below and we'll take it from here.
Ready to check your eligibility and start your degree? Begin here.
Per successful referral
Know someone who qualifies? Submit their details and earn £300 — paid in line with their SFE funding schedule once they attend.
Everything you should know before you start.
Is this actually free? How do you make money?
Yes — completely free for students. We earn a placement fee from the universities when you enrol. This means our incentive is fully aligned with yours: we only succeed when you successfully start your funded degree. You never pay us anything, at any stage.
What if I don't qualify?
We tell you straight away. We run a full eligibility check before any paperwork begins. If you don't qualify — due to residency gaps, prior study, or visa status — we explain exactly why and what (if anything) you can do to qualify in the future. No wasted time.
How is this different from applying myself?
The DIY guide on this page lists 11 steps and 8 common failure points. Self-submitters regularly face rejected evidence, suspended applications, and processing delays of 10–14 weeks. We submit correctly the first time, liaise with SFE directly, and handle anything that goes wrong — so you don't have to spend hours on hold.
What documents do I need to get started?
At minimum: a valid passport or national ID card, your National Insurance number, and a university offer letter. EU nationals also need a UKVI share code and bank statements covering your UK residence. Ukrainian refugees need their Permission to Stay letter. We'll send you a personalised checklist once you apply.
How long does the whole process take?
A correctly submitted application takes 6–8 weeks for British nationals and 10–14 weeks for EU citizens (SFE runs a residence check). We submit early to avoid delays. Your first tuition payment goes directly to the university; your first maintenance payment arrives within days of enrolment confirmation.
Is my data safe? Who sees my documents?
Your documents are handled only by your assigned advisor and submitted directly to Student Finance England via the official SFE portal. We do not store copies beyond what SFE requires. See our Privacy Policy for full details. Paesani Consulting Ltd is registered in England & Wales (no. 17195580).
