Funding for EU nationals
Student funding may be available to EU nationals. The funding available will depend on your status, where you are ordinarily resident in the UK, how long you have lived in the UK and the course you choose to study.
If you meet the following criteria, you may qualify for student funding:
- you are an EU national who began a new undergraduate course in September 2021 and
- you were living in the UK prior to 31 December 2020 and
- you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and
- you have either settled or pre-settled status.
You can check your eligibility using the information on this page. Contact the Student Funding and Advice Team if you need further advice or information.
If you are an EU national but are a continuing student then please find specific information for you available on the student intranet.
Please see our funding and fees pages for more information if you will be beginning a new undergraduate course in September 2022 and you:
- have not been eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, or
- do not qualify as a relevant family member of someone who has an EU Settlement Scheme status, or
- have chosen not to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Student Funding for EU nationals starting new courses in September 2022
The funding available is affected by a number of factors. The first is the funding body you would apply to, which is determined by where in the UK you have been ordinarily resident prior to 1 September of the year that you begin your course.
In general, you can apply for student funding if you meet all of the following conditions:
- you are an EU national or a relevant family member of an EU national,
- you have Pre-Settled or Settled Status,
- you have been ordinarily resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland for the 3 years immediately before 1 September of the first year of your course,
- your main reason for being in the EEA and Switzerland was not to receive full-time education,
- your course qualifies.
The funding available to you will be determined by your funding body, how long you have lived in the UK and your EU Settlement Scheme status.
Some important points to note:
- If you are moving to Wales for university, you would apply to the funding body relevant to where you were living prior to 1 September of the year that you begin your course.
- Access to student funding is governed by rules regarding previous study. Therefore, if you have previously studied in higher education, please contact the Student Funding and Advice Team for further information.
- If you are an EU national in the UK as a migrant worker, or the dependent of a migrant worker, please contact the Student Funding and Advice Team for further information.
- Absences from the UK once you have received pre-settled or settled status could affect your status, or ability to upgrade to settled status. Please seek advice from the EU Settlement Scheme.
- Funding applications can take around 6 weeks to be processed by your funding body but may take longer at peak periods. If you will rely on student funding to pay your tuition fees, the University will expect you to apply for this as early as possible and your funding to be in place when you enrol. If you have any difficulties with this, please contact the Student Funding and Advice Team.
EU nationals ordinarily resident in Wales before the start of their course
If you live in Wales and have either pre-settled or settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme then you can apply to Student Finance Wales for funding.
If eligible, the funding available will be tuition fee funding in the form of a tuition fee loan. A tuition fee loan is repayable.
Depending on your circumstances, you may also qualify for maintenance funding, made up as part loan and grant. Any grant you receive is non-repayable, but all loans are a repayable source of funding.
Please find here an overview of the funding that could be available, dependent on your EU Settlement Scheme status and how long you have lived in the UK for.
| EU Settlement Scheme Status | Pre-settled status | Pre-settled status | Settled status |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of years ordinarily resident in the UK (in Wales) to qualify for funding before the first day of the first academic year of the course (1 September 2022)* | Less than 3 years in the UK but has been ordinarily resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and/or Switzerland in the 3 years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course*. | 3 years or more | 5 years or more |
| Tuition Fee Funding available | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance Funding available | No | Yes | Yes |
* the first day of the first academic year of the course is classed as 1 September 2022.
You can find further details about tuition fee funding and/or maintenance funding, and how to apply, from Student Finance Wales.
EU nationals ordinarily resident in England before the start of their course
If you live in England and have either pre-settled or settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme then you can apply to Student Finance England for funding.
If eligible, the funding available will be tuition fee funding in the form of a tuition fee loan. Depending on your circumstances, you may also qualify for maintenance funding in the form of a maintenance loan. A tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan are repayable sources of student funding.
| EU Settlement Scheme Status | Pre-settled status | Pre-settled status | Settled status |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of years ordinarily resident in the UK (in England) to qualify for funding before the first day of the first academic year of the course (1 September 2022)* | Less than 3 years | 3 years or more | 5 years or more |
| Tuition Fee Funding available | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance Funding available | No | No | Yes |
* the first day of the first academic year of the course is classed as 1 September 2022.
You can find further details about tuition fee funding and/or maintenance funding, and how to apply, from Student Finance England.
If you are ordinarily resident in England and have pre-settled status, once you reach five years continuous lawful residence you will then be able to apply for Settled Status. If this happens during your course, then you can update Student Finance England and be assessed for full student funding (tuition fee and maintenance funding). Once granted, this would be available from the next academic quarter, and you will continue to be eligible to be assessed for this funding for the rest of your course.
EU nationals ordinarily resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland before the start of their course
For more details about the funding that could be available to you dependent on your EU Settlement Scheme status please with your funding body:
Country of residence | Funding body |
Scotland | |
Northern Ireland |
Repaying a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan
If you are eligible for a tuition fee or maintenance loan it is intended that you will only start to repay this when you have finished your studies and are earning over a specific threshold. The threshold is determined by where you are ordinarily resident after your studies. More information about this can be found on the Student Loans Company repayment website.
Cost of living in Cardiff
Cardiff is considered to be one of the most affordable UK cities to live in while you study. See our living cost calculator for the average cost of living in Cardiff as a full time, undergraduate student.
Contact us
If you have any questions please get in touch:
Student Funding and Advice Team
We offer free, impartial and confidential advice on funding, scholarships, bursaries, managing your money and more.
