Undergraduate loans and grants
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Help and advice
If you’re studying on a full-time BA, BSc or LLB, HNC and paying the Home fee rate, you may be eligible for UK student loans to pay your tuition fees and contribute to your living costs.
The information on this page is about loans available from Student Finance England in the academic year 24/25. Visit the website of the relevant funding body for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Help and advice
Contact the Student Advice Service if you need help understanding what loans you can get or if you’re having issues with your Student Finance application and need support. They can also advise on managing your money, accessing the SOAS Hardship Fund and eligibility for state welfare benefits such as Universal Credit.
Eligibility
Your eligibility for the loan depends on your residency, immigration status, age and previous study. Refer to GOV.UK for the list of eligibility criteria.
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals (plus family members)
To be eligible for a student loan, EEA & Swiss nationals usually must have pre-settled or settled status via the EU Settlement Scheme as well as meeting certain residency requirements.
If you’re eligible for Student Finance, it may be only for a Tuition Fee Loan, or it may also be for a Maintenance Loan. Read GOV.UK for more details.
Loans and grants available in 24/25
Tuition Fee Loan
This is paid directly to SOAS from Student Finance England to cover your tuition fees. You can only receive a limited number of Tuition Fee Loans. If you studied at university before, this could affect your entitlement to the Tuition Fee Loan even if you didn’t get a qualification or studied outside the UK.
If you left your previous course or had to repeat a year of study due to personal difficulties, you may be able to request an additional Tuition Fee Loan.
Maintenance Loan
If you’re eligible for full support, you can get a loan to help towards your living costs. This is paid directly to you by Student Finance at the beginning of each term if you are fully enrolled. The amount you get depends on whether you live with your parent(s) or not and part of the loan depends on your household income in the 22/23 tax year. You can use the calculator to estimate what you can receive.
If your household income has dropped since 2022/23
Your parent(s) or partner can apply for a current year income assessment if they think their taxable income in 2024/25 tax year will be at least 15% lower than the 2022/23 tax year.
Care leavers and estranged students
If you’re under 25 and a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you can ask to be assessed as an independent student and your parent(s) won’t need to provide their income details for your application to be means-tested.
Contact the Student Advice Service if you need help with your application.
Special Support Element
If you have children or are in receipt of certain disability benefits, you may be eligible for a higher maintenance loan which includes a Special Support Element. You will need to provide a recent benefit award letter and your child’s birth certificate (if relevant).
Supplementary grants
If you have children or dependent adult(s), you may be able to apply for supplementary grants to help with things like childcare costs.
Disabled Students’ Allowance helps to pay for any extra costs or expenses that you incur while attending your course, that arise from your disability. Contact the Disability and Neurodiversity team if you need help in making your application.
Submitting your application
Visit GOV.UK to check if you can apply online or must complete a paper form and return by post.
Selecting the correct course name
SOAS programmes will not be listed individually in the Student Finance course database, but under generic headings based on course length. You must select the generic course title that relates to your specific programme to avoid delays in your application.
Applying online
When completing your loan application do not enter the UCAS code. Type ‘degree’ in the course title box which will bring up 6 options. Select the relevant generic course title - please refer to the examples to help with making your selection.
Paper application
Do not enter the UCAS code on the course details page. Instead, you should put the relevant generic course title in the course name box - please refer to the examples to help with making your selection.
| Degree type (BA, BSc, LLB) | Degree length (total years) | Degree title on the Student Finance system | SLC course code |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA or BSc or LLB | 3 | Three year Humanities and Social Science Degree | 663269 |
| BA, BSc or LLB with a year abroad in Year 3* | 4 | Four year Humanities and Social Science Degree including year abroad in Year 3 | 663288 |
| BA or BSc with a year abroad in Year 2 | 4 | Four year Humanities and Social Science Degree including year abroad in Year 2 | 663729 |
| Degree type (BA/BSc with Foundation Year) | Degree length (total years) | Degree title on the Student Finance system | SLC course code |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA/BSc with Foundation Year | 4 | Humanities and Social Science Degree with Foundation Year | 654521 |
| BA/BSc with Foundation Year with a year abroad in Year 3* | 5 | Humanities and Social Science Degree with Foundation year (including year abroad in Year 3) | 874908 |
| Degree type (Direct entrants) | Degree length (total years) | Degree title on the Student Finance system | SLC course code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct entry to Year 2 of a BA, BSc or LLB | 3 | Three year Humanities and Social Science Degree Direct Entry to Year 2 | 663300 |
| Direct entry to Year 2 of a BA, BSc or LLB with year abroad* | 4 | Four year Humanities and Social Science Degree Direct Entry to Year 2 with language year abroad | 663299 |
Examples
- BA Politics and History > '3 year Humanities and Social Science Degree'
- BA Arabic with a year abroad in Year 3 > '4 year Humanities and Social Science Degree including year abroad in Year 3'
- BA Chinese (Modern and Classical) and Tibetan > '4 year Humanities and Social Science Degree including year abroad in Year 2' as the language year abroad will be in Year 2
- Direct entry from another university to SOAS Year 2 BSc Economics > 3 year Humanities and Social Science Degree Direct Entry to Year 2'
- Four year BA/BSc with Foundation Year > 'Humanities and Social Science Degree with Foundation Year'
Certificate programmes
When entering course details in your funding application please enter 'certificate' in the course title box and select the certificate you are going to study at SOAS.
Repayments and interest
Visit GOV.UK for full details on the interest applied to your loans and when you will start repaying your loan.
