Skip to content

Thank you for your interest in BSc Physiotherapy at St George’s, University of London. We hope that the following information will assist in your planning for the course by clarifying the financial support available.

A note for EU students commencing study after August 2021

EU, EEA and Swiss national students who are starting their studies in the UK after August 2021 should be aware that there are important changes to the national tuition fee regulations and student finance eligibility criteria. Many EU students will no longer be eligible for home fee status or student finance, although there will be some exceptions.

Please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/studying-in-the-uk-guidance-for-eu-students for further details.

All EU, EEA and Swiss national students who are considering starting a course in academic year 2023/24 are advised to check their eligibility with Student Finance England as soon as possible.

Most of the information in this guide relates to students from England studying in the UK. Different rules apply if you normally live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Please contact the relevant organisation:

Northern Ireland: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk, Scotland: www.saas.gov.uk, Wales: www.studentfinancewales.co.uk.

Funding guide

The information contained in this guide is based on the arrangements in place at the time of writing. Please check with the relevant funding organisation(s) for up to date details when making your application.

Following the NHS Bursary Reform new students undertaking affected Allied Health Professional (AHP) courses now apply to Student Finance England for tuition fee and maintenance loans.

For these AHP courses an exception to the usual Equivalent Level Qualification rule applies meaning that students undertaking BSc Physiotherapy as a second undergraduate degree will be able to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans.

Apply for student finance online at www.gov.uk/studentfinance.

Apply by the recommended date advertised online (usually in May) in order for Student Finance England to assess your application before the start of the autumn term.

You will need to complete one student finance application each academic year to be assessed for your tuition fee and maintenance support. For additional details about the funding available from Student Finance England, please also see www.gov.uk/student-finance.

When making your 2023/24 application for student finance, include your first choice of course and university on the application. If your course or university changes at a later date, you then just need to log into your student finance account as soon as possible (and before you start the course) to amend the details.

Tuition Fees

  • Home – £9,250 for academic year 2023/24
  • International – £17,250 for academic year 2023/24.

Home students

Eligible home students may apply to Student Finance England for a Tuition Fee Loan. This will be paid directly to the University. Students with previous study at Higher Education level are advised to contact Student Finance England to discuss their eligibility for the Tuition Fee Loan.

Self-paying students

Some students may not be eligible for the tuition fee loan, while others may choose not to apply for it. These students will need to make tuition fee payment themselves.

Tuition fee payment can be made online at https://epay.sgul.ac.uk/fees/ (students) or https://epay.sgul.ac.uk/open (parents or sponsors). If you have any questions about making a tuition fee payment to the University please contact our Accounts Receivable team at acco-rec@sgul.ac.uk.

Students with tuition fee sponsors

If your tuition fees are to be paid by an external sponsor, such as the Army, Enhanced Learning Credits or an overseas Government, please email evidence of this to studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk after you have attended the enrolment session. You will need to supply this evidence to St George’s at the beginning of every academic year.

All students

Students are expected to have their finances arranged in advance of joining their programme and should make themselves familiar with the St George’s Tuition Fee Policy. Those students paying their own tuition fees must ensure that they make payment in adherence to the St George’s Tuition Fee Policy.

Please note that tuition fees are liable to increase each academic year.

Home tuition fees will increase in line with Government thresholds.

International tuition fees are determined by various factors including any significant changes to the course and the rate of inflation at the time of consideration. Tuition fees will not normally increase by more than 5% each year, except when the underlying rate of inflation is significantly higher than that.

Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England

Maintenance Loans can help pay for the living costs associated with taking a Higher Education course. They are paid directly to the student in three termly instalments.

You need to make an application for student finance for every year you require the financial support. Even if you do not wish to apply for a Maintenance Loan for the first year of your course, you still have the option of applying for this for the second or later year(s).

A proportion of the Maintenance Loan is assessed based on the household income. Eligible students with a household income of £25,000 or less will receive the maximum Maintenance Loan. Those with a household income of £25,001 or more can use the Student Finance Calculator at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator to get an estimate of their entitlement.

Maximum Maintenance Loan rates for new students in 2023/24:

 

Living with parents

Living away from home

(in London)

Maximum Maintenance Loan

£8,400

£13,022

Non-income assessed proportion

£3,698

£6,485

Income assessed proportion

£4,702

£6,537

Please note that these figures are based on a standard length 2023/24 academic year and are for indicative purposes only. Student Finance England will confirm your exact entitlement in writing once they have completed your assessment.

When making your application to Student Finance England please indicate that you will be at University/College for all three terms (do not indicate ‘placement’). This will ensure that you are assessed for the correct rate of maintenance loan.

Additional Support from Student Finance England

Students who are eligible for benefits

Depending on the household income, students who are eligible for benefits (for example; some student parents and students with disabilities or long-term health conditions) may be entitled to a higher rate of Maintenance Loan.  The maximum rates for 2023/24 are up to £9,910 if living in the parental home, or up to £14,202 if living outside the parental home, in London.

Grants for dependants

If applicable, students can apply for a Parents’ Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant or Adult Dependants Grant. These supplementary grants are all income assessed, so the household income will affect eligibility and entitlement. More details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/extra-help.

Disabled Students’ Allowances

Students with a disability, long term health condition, mental health condition, or specific learning difference (for example; dyslexia) can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances. This additional support is non-income assessed, so the household income will not affect eligibility or entitlement. More details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas.

NHS Learning Support Fund

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) are providing additional non-repayable financial assistance to eligible students through their Learning Support Fund. Students need to make an application each academic year. Please note that previous study at Higher Education level may affect eligibility.

The NHS Learning Support Fund comprises four elements:

Training Grant

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund/training-grant

The Training Grant is a payment of £5,000 per academic year to help with maintenance and associated study costs. The Training Grant is non-means tested and does not affect student loan entitlement. Students who are in receipt of any social security benefits are advised check their position with the relevant agency.

Parental Support (formery Child Dependents Allowance)

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund/parental-support-formerly-child-dependants-allowance

Eligible students attending a full-time pre-registration healthcare course will be able to claim a set non-means tested Parental Support amount of £2,000 per academic year. This is available to students who have parental responsibility for a child who is under the age of 15 (or under the age of 17 if the child is registered with special educational needs).

Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/learning-support-fund/travel-and-dual-accommodation-expenses

The Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) is intended to assist with the additional travel and accommodation costs associated with attending a practice placement as part of the course. Following each placement, you should download a claim form which you will need to complete and submit to your placement coordinator in the course team along with a copy of your coversheet and receipts for all the costs you are claiming for.

Exceptional Support Fund

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/learning-support-fund/exceptional-support-fund

The Exceptional Support Fund (ESF) is available to eligible students experiencing unforeseen financial hardship during their studies, who have exhausted all other means of funding. A grant of up to £3,000 per academic year is available to help students who can show that there is a shortfall between their income and expenditure which they are unable to manage by their own actions.

Students applying to the ESF must have first applied to their university for any hardship or other available funding.

You can still apply to the ESF even if your application to university was unsuccessful, as long as you have approached them for help.

For further details about all of the above, including eligibility criteria and application arrangements, please visit https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/learning-support-fund.

Students can also contact the NHS Business Services Authority Student Services team for further advice about the Learning Support Fund: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund/contact-us.

St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant

The St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant is our bursary for students who are ordinarily resident in England. By offering this extra funding we aim to support students from lower income backgrounds to access and progress on their first Higher Education course. Eligible students will receive this support from St George’s in addition to their student finance. Please note that previous study at Higher Education level may affect entitlement. If you have any questions about the Opportunity Fund Grant please email opportunityfund@sgul.ac.uk.

Assessment Process

Students will be assessed for the St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant using the information given on their Student Finance England application. There is no separate application form to complete. Please ensure that you (and your parent(s)/partner/spouse, if applicable) give permission on the student finance application for the household income details to be shared with the University.

Student Finance England (SFE) make the bursary payments to eligible students on behalf of the University. A notification of entitlement letter will be sent via email and will appear on eligible students’ SFE online accounts later in the autumn term once all students are registered and enrolled.

St George’s appreciates that, for religious or cultural reasons, some students may not wish to take out a student loan on which interest is payable. In order to be considered for the St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant, all students will need to make an application to Student Finance England for a financial assessment. If you do not wish to take out the tuition fee or maintenance loan please specify zero on the Loan Request part of the application.

Year 1

Students who are ordinarily resident in England, have a household income of up to £30,000, and are eligible for funding from Student Finance England in 2023/24 can be considered for the following:

Household income

St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant

Up to £16,000

£1,700

£16,001 to £25,000

£1,250

£25,001 to £30,000

£750

Years 2 and 3

Students who are continuing on the course, are ordinarily resident in England, have a household income of up to £30,000, and remain eligible for funding from Student Finance England for the second and third year of their course (from 2024/25) can be considered for the following:

Household income

St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant

Up to £16,000

£1,000

£16,001 to £25,000

£500

£25,001 to £30,000

£500

Care Leavers

Care leaver students are those who have been looked after by a Local Authority before coming to University. Care leavers are a priority group for the St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant and, subject to meeting the usual eligibility criteria, will receive the maximum award for their year of study regardless of their household income.

If you are a care leaver please email us at studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk to make us aware of your circumstances and we will get in touch to discuss further support and advice available to you at St George’s.

Other sources of funding

All students

We encourage students to contact charities and other funding organisations to seek out potential alternative options for financial support. Examples of websites with details of such organisations include:

St George’s Access to Learning Fund

The St George’s Access to Learning Fund (ALF) provides discretionary financial assistance to Undergraduate and Postgraduate home (UK) students experiencing financial hardship.

Applications can be accepted from fully registered and enrolled home students (students cannot apply before commencing the course). Those students who need financial help to meet essential costs that cannot be met from other sources of support, and those who may be considering leaving Higher Education because of financial problems are particularly encouraged to apply. The ALF can also help to alleviate unexpected financial hardship.

Financial assistance from the ALF is usually non-repayable, however interest-free emergency short term loans may also be available. Please note that the ALF cannot help with paying for tuition fees. Students must be in receipt of all government funding available to them before applying to the ALF.

St George’s EU & International Hardship Fund

St George’s has funding available for full-time Undergraduate and Postgraduate EU and International students who experience financial hardship due to unexpected circumstances which are beyond their control.

Applications can be accepted from fully registered and enrolled students (students cannot apply before commencing the course).

Financial assistance from the EU & International Hardship Fund is usually non-repayable, however interest-free emergency short term loans may also be available. Please note that the Fund cannot help with paying for tuition fees. In order to apply, students need to be able to demonstrate that they had secured sufficient funding to study and live in the UK prior to commencing the course, and that the financial hardship experienced is due to unexpected events.

Budgeting and Advice

Whether you are living away from home for the first time, returning to study, or juggling university with family life, it can be easy to find yourself spending more than you have coming in. It is really important to plan your finances and budget carefully before and during the course in order to maximise the money available to you and ensure that you do not run out of funds mid-term. We have put together some tips below to help get you started.

Before starting your course…

  • Use the Student Finance Calculator at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator to work out how much student finance you will be entitled to.
  • Put together a budget plan at https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-budgeting.
  • Save as much as possible.
  • Look for part-time work. Whilst part-time work should not be given priority over your studies, it can provide a welcome break from studying as well as supplementing your income. If working and studying during term-time is not an option, you may wish to consider working during your holiday periods.

Once you have started your course…

  • Share the cooking - whether you live in halls or in a shared house, it is cheaper to cook together in a group, and bringing in a packed lunch will save you money. Supermarkets are often the cheapest place to go for your weekly shop. Tooting also has a large fruit and vegetable market which is well worth a visit.
  • If you are living in private rented accommodation, contact the Student Life Centre once you are fully registered and enrolled to request a Council Tax exemption letter to submit to the Local Authority.
  • Shop around for the best mobile phone deals.
  • Apply for the 18+ Student Oyster Card at https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/18-plus-student-oyster-photocard . You will need your 7 digit St George’s student number to apply. The online TfL application will need to be approved by the University after you are fully registered and enrolled on the course.
  • Apply for a 16-25 Railcardat http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/. Full time students aged over 25 can also apply for this.
  • Use www.saynoto0870.com to search for local rate numbers. You can avoid calling premium rate numbers for many national companies by using this website.
  • Visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/students for some useful tips on how to make your student funding stretch that bit further.

Student Finance Advice

We hope that this information is helpful and clarifies all the funding available. If you have any questions about funding for the course, or about any other financial matters, please do not hesitate to contact us at studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk.

The information contained in this page relates to 2023/24 entry and is correct at the time of writing.

St George’s, University of London makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all published information, however it cannot accept any responsibility for omissions, errors or subsequent changes that may occur.

This document is a general guide, and there may be changes following publication that affect its contents.

 

Find a profileSearch by A-Z