This four-part blog series is intended to help MSPs and their staff with queries they receive on student support eligibility and entitlements. It covers support for college and university students at all course levels, signposting readers to further relevant information.
This blog looks at support available for Higher Education (HE) students.
Other blogs in the series cover:
- Eligibility and applying for funding
- Support for Further Education (FE) students
- Benefits and student loan repayment.
Students studying in Scotland may be eligible for financial support to help with tuition fees and living costs. The amount of support available to an eligible student studying in Scotland depends on their level of study.
Financial support available at undergraduate and postgraduate level for tuition fees and living support is set out in more detail under the headings below.
Undergraduate tuition fees
Eligible students living in Scotland studying Higher Education courses at college (HNC/HND) or university (degree level) at Scottish institutions apply to have their tuition fees paid for by SAAS.
The tuition fee rate for HN level courses is £1,285 and £1,820 for undergraduate and Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) courses. This is funded through SAAS for eligible students.
SAAS will pay fees for the duration of the course. A ‘+1’ year of funding for a course change or repeat year is also available if needed.
Students studying part-time can apply for the Part-time Fee Grant (PTFG) to cover tuition fees for eligible courses at HN level and above. To be eligible for this funding, students must earn less than £25,000 per year before tax and National Insurance.
SAAS can also provide a tuition fee loan of up to £9,790 a year for students from Scotland studying at publicly funding colleges or universities elsewhere in the UK.
Students from elsewhere in the UK studying at Scottish universities are responsible for paying their own tuition fees. For academic year 2026-27, the maximum fee level will be £9,790.
Some Irish and UK nationals living in the Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar or elsewhere in the EU may be eligible to apply to SAAS for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,790. More information about this is available on the SAAS website.
Undergraduate living support
Undergraduate living support is available to eligible full-time students in the form of a bursary and/or student loan. Living cost loans are not available for part-time study.
The Scottish Government introduced a ‘Special Support Loan’ of £2,400 from academic year 2024-25. Included as part of a student’s overall loan, the Special Support Loan does not impact on benefit entitlements.
Living support entitlements are worked out by SAAS based on assessment of factors including household income, age, dependents and marital status.
- For young students under age 25 who are not self-supporting, have no children and do not live with a partner, parental income is considered when determining funding. The maximum loan amount for young students is currently £9,400. A bursary of between £500 and £2,000 is available for those with household income of under £34,000 per year.
- Independent students are those who are married, in a civil partnership, over 25, have dependent children or have been self-supporting for at least three years. Parental income is not assessed for these students. The maximum loan amount available is £10,400. A bursary of £1,000 is available for those with income of £20,999 or less per year.
- Estranged students who no longer have contact with their parents or legal guardians may be eligible for an Estranged Students Bursary of £1,000 and the maximum student loan amount of up to £10,400.
- Care experienced students are eligible for a bursary of £9,000, along with the option to apply for the £2,400 Special Support Loan.
Disabled students and those with additional learning needs studying higher education courses may be eligible to receive Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Support a student receives through DSA depends on their individual needs and the course studied. DSA has three allowances:
- A basic allowance of up to £1,725 per year, which can be claimed for items including printing and Braille paper.
- An Equipment, Software and Accessories Allowance of up to £5,160 over the duration of a course to cover the hire or purchase of equipment such as laptops or voice recognition software.
- A non-medical personal help allowance of up to £20,520 per year, which can be used to employ support workers such as British Sign Language interpreters (BSL), proof-readers or note takers.
DSA can also cover costs for travel expenses.
Lead Scotland’s Disabled Students’ Helpline can provide further information about claiming benefits as a disabled student.
Dental students in Scotland can apply for the Dental Student Support Grant, a bursary of £4,000 per year.
Students studying to be a paramedic, nurse or midwife can apply for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB). This is a bursary of £10,000 per year for the first three years of a course and £7,500 for the final year of the course.
Further information about bursary and loan amounts is available in the SAAS guide on funding for undergraduates.
Postgraduate tuition fees
Fee levels for postgraduate courses are not regulated by the Scottish Government. Institutions set their own fee levels for courses, and in some instances these fees may be higher than the fee loan amount.
SAAS can provide a tuition fee loan of up to £7,000 for full-time and part-time courses at Postgraduate Diploma and Masters level.
If a course is longer than one academic year, the £7,000 tuition fee loan is split over the length of the course.
SAAS can also provide student loan support to eligible students studying full-time postgraduate at publicly funded institutions elsewhere in the UK.
More information about postgraduate support can be found in the SAAS guides for Part-time Postgraduates and Full-time Postgraduates.
Funding for postgraduate courses in Social Work is provided by The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). A limited number of postgraduate bursaries for students studying MSc Social Work are available each year. The bursary is intended to cover tuition fees, living costs and study expenses. The living costs element of the bursary is means tested.
SAAS does not provide funding for courses at Postgraduate Certificate, PhD or Doctorate level. More information about finding PhD funding is available on the Student Information Scotland website.
Some Irish and UK nationals living in the Republic of Ireland may be eligible to apply to SAAS for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £7,000. More information about this is available on the SAAS website.
Postgraduate living support
Full-time postgraduate students can apply for a living-costs loan of up to £6,900. This loan is split equally across each year of the course, and includes the £2,400 Special Support Loan.
There is no living cost support for those on part-time postgraduate courses.
Disabled students and those with additional learning needs studying postgraduate courses and PhDs may be eligible to receive DSA.
EU and international tuition fees
Prior to Brexit, EU students were eligible for free tuition. From the 2021-22 Academic Year, EU students are now charged the same rate as other international students.
EU students with protected rights under the EU Settlement Scheme remain eligible to apply for support if they meet residency conditions.
Further information on funding for EU students is available in the SAAS funding guide for EU, Irish, EEA, Swiss, Gibraltar and Turkish nationals following Brexit.
Tuition fee rates for international students are set by institutions and can range from £10,000 to £50,000 per year depending on course and institution.
Discretionary support
Students studying HE level courses at college and university can apply for discretionary funding via their institution. Funding is administered to institutions via SAAS. Contact details for college and university student support services can be found on the Student Information Scotland website.
Part 4 of this blog series explores student benefit eligibility and repaying student loans.
By Lynne Currie, Senior Researcher (Further and Higher Education), SPICe