Source: www.glos.ac.uk. All Rights Reserved. 2026 University of Gloucestershire
Last updated: 24 February 2026
Funding for full-time undergraduate courses starting in 2026/27
The following information is based on the proposed finance package for 2025/26 for full-time students who will start an undergraduate course (including courses with an integral foundation year*) in September 2026 or January 2027 and who ordinarily (lawfully) live in Wales.
*The UK government has set a tuition fee cap for some integral foundation courses, the tuition fees for years of study after the integral foundation year will be charged at a higher level of £9,790. Contact us for more information.
Student Loans and a non-repayable grant is available for each academic year to help towards living costs and to cover the cost of the tuition fees. The Maintenance Loan and the Welsh Maintenance Grant is split into 3 equal instalments and is paid directly into the student’s bank account – 1 instalment at the beginning of each term in each academic year. The Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the University.
Table 1: Maintenance Support if living at the parental home whilst studying:
| Taxable household income for tax year 2024/25 | Maintenance Grant available | Maintenance Loan available | Total to be paid to the student | Tuition Fee Loan available (not based on household income) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £18,370 or less | £7,020 | £3,665 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £20,000 | £6,781 | £3,904 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £25,000 | £6,046 | £4,639 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £30,000 | £5,311 | £5,374 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £35,000 | £4,577 | £6,108 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £40,000 | £3,842 | £6,843 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £45,000 | £3,107 | £7,578 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £50,000 | £2,372 | £8,313 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
| £55,000 | £1,638 | £9,047 | £10,585 | £9,790 |
| £59,200 | £1,020 | £9,665 | £10,685 | £9,790 |
Table 2: Maintenance Support if living away from the parental home (or aged 25 and over, or if assessed as Independent) whilst studying:
| Taxable household income for tax year 2024/25 | Maintenance Grant available | Maintenance Loan available | Total to be paid to the student | Tuition Fee Loan available (not based on household income) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £18,370 or less | £8,260 | £4,330 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £20,000 | £7,971 | £4,619 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £25,000 | £7,085 | £5,505 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £30,000 | £6,198 | £6,392 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £35,000 | £5,311 | £7,279 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £40,000 | £4,425 | £8,165 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £45,000 | £3,538 | £9,052 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £50,000 | £2,651 | £9,939 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £55,000 | £1,765 | £10,825 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
| £59,200 | £1,020 | £11,570 | £12,590 | £9,790 |
To be classed as independent, you must meet one of the following criteria at the start of the academic year. If the course starts in September 2026, you must meet the eligibility before 1 September 2026; or before 1 January 2027 if the course starts in January 2027.
If Student Finance consider you to be an independent student, your parents’ income will not be considered. Instead, the means-test for the Maintenance Loan will be based on your details and the income of your partner, if relevant.
If your academic year is longer than the standard 30 weeks and 3 days, and you are entitled to the means-tested element of the Maintenance Loan, you will be considered for the Long Courses Loan.
This means you may be entitled to an additional £98 per additional week of the course if you are living in the parental home, and £147 per additional week if you are living away from the parental home, or aged 25 and over, or assessed as Independent by Student Finance.
Before you can apply for the Grants for Dependants, which are non-repayable, you must submit the main student loan application to Student Finance Wales, even if you don’t want to apply for student loans.
They will use the information in this application to check your identity, residency and household income. Student Finance may also send you a separate application form to apply for the grants.
If you have a partner or other adult who is financially dependent on you, you may be entitled to a grant that is up to a maximum of £3,474.
If the dependant adult is not a partner but their income is less than £3,923 in the academic year, you may also qualify for this grant.
This grant will be paid directly into your bank account in 3 equal instalments during the academic year – one instalment per term.
You can only apply for this grant once in each academic year, even if you have more than one adult who financially depends on you.
This grant will be considered for benefits purposes.
The amount of Childcare Grant payable will be based on your household income.
It will cover 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £196* per week for one child only or £335* per week for two or more children.
You will not be eligible for this grant if you are expecting to receive the Childcare Element of Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit; or Tax-free Childcare from HMRC; or the Parental Support grant from the NHS.
This grant is not considered for benefits purposes.
*Please note: Where a childcare provider has not been identified, the amount of childcare grant payable in academic year 2026 to 2027 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £150 per week. This lower rate payment will be made until details of the childcare provider have been submitted and may only be paid for one academic quarter (usually a term).
The maximum amount payable will be £1,983 and the minimum £54
This grant will be paid directly into your bank account in 3 equal instalments during the academic year – one instalment per term.
This grant is not considered for benefits purposes.
An amount of income is disregarded when calculating entitlement to Grants for Dependants.
• £6,561 is disregarded where the eligible student has no dependent children and just applying for the Adult Dependants’ Grant
• £9,026 is disregarded where the eligible student is not a lone parent and has one dependent child • £10,261 is disregarded where the eligible student is not a lone parent and has more than one dependent child; or is a lone parent and has one dependent child
• £11,502 is disregarded where the eligible student is a lone parent and has more than one dependent child.
You can apply for the DSA if you have a disability that affects your ability to study. DSA is non-repayable and non-means tested. Support comes in the form of practical help, not additional funding.
You are not eligible if you are:
Evidence requirements
| Condition | Proof |
|---|---|
| Disabilities or long-term health condition | Report or letter from your doctor or consultant – you can also fill in the disability evidence form |
| Mental-health condition | Report or letter from your doctor or consultant – you can also fill in the disability evidence form |
| Specific learning difficulty like dyslexia | A ‘diagnostic assessment’ from a psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher – you will need to be reassessed if you had this done when you were under 16 |
For all students in 2026/27 the DSA allowance is simplified into one allowance. An exception will be the Travel Allowance that will in effect be uncapped. The Travel Allowance helps with any extra travel costs students may have to pay to get to university because of their disability.
| Allowance | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Single DSA | £34,671 |
| Travel allowance | As required |
Application process:
Important information: please note that Student Finance has changed the process required for needs assessments. This may cause delays for students, so please submit your DSA application as soon as possible.
If you need further advice, please contact the University’s Disability Team and/or the Mental Health & Wellbeing Team before starting your course.
Counselling is also available at the university. Enrolled students can either use the check-in service or book an appointment. For more information, please email [email protected]
You need to apply for student finance every year from late March (no need to wait for confirmation of a place on a course).
If you are starting a course in January, please do not apply for Student Finance until August/September as the course details may not be available on the Student Finance course database.
In some circumstances Student Finance prefer paper application forms. We can email forms to you.
Loans are repayable in the April following graduation if you are earning a gross salary above the current threshold of £28,470 per year. Your monthly loan repayment will be calculated on 9% of earnings above the gross income threshold of £28,470 which is £2,372 per month, or £547 per week in the UK. This is known as Plan 2. View more information on Plan 2 and how the interest in applied.
If you are employed, a deduction will automatically be taken from your monthly salary, via your National Insurance Contributions.
If you are self-employed, repayment will be arranged when you complete your self-assessment.
Please note that interest begins to accrue as soon as you receive the first instalment of the Maintenance Loan, or when the first instalment of the Tuition Fee Loan is paid to the University.
Interest will continue to accrue until the loan is repaid in full or has been written off. The interest rate for students starting an undergraduate course in 2026/27 and whilst studying is currently 6.2% (February 2026). The interest is calculated daily and then applied to your balance of loan each month.
Once enrolled, you can apply to the university’s Financial Assistance Fund for possible help towards paying for such things as field trips or accommodation etc. Money can’t be guaranteed from this source, but it is worth applying as awards do not have to be repaid.
Enrolled students can apply online via their Student Record on the MyGlos app from the start of the course. Please note that if you are entitled to a Maintenance Loan/Grant you must have applied for the maximum entitlement that is available to you prior to applying to this fund. Please remove this line.
How much will it cost to stay in Halls?
This will depend upon the type of Halls you will be staying in.
How much do I need to live on?
This will depend on the individuals’ circumstances so an exact figure cannot be given. Learning how to take control of your money is crucial and we can help you to stay on top of your finances during your studies by helping you to create and stick to a budget. Please contact us for more information.
For more information on budgeting and for lots of other useful information for students, visit the Save the Student website and UoG’s Budgeting at uni webpage.
Full time students are exempt from paying Council Tax. Once enrolled you will be able to access a Council Tax Exemption Certificate from Student Records Online.
You will need to send this to the relevant Council. If you live with one adult who is not a full-time student they will qualify for the 25% Single Occupancy Discount. No exemption will apply if you live with more than one adult who is not a full-time student.
If you open a Student Bank Account you may be eligible for an interest free overdraft. Please check comparison websites for the best deals.
Most students will not be able to access benefits from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP). However, there are exceptions. For more information please contact us and/or the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
Please note that Maintenance Loans will be considered when calculating benefits regardless of whether you take the loan or not.
The Student Futures Team at the university runs a recruitment service called Unitemps. Register by getting in touch at [email protected] to gain support accessing live jobs available with a range of businesses within Gloucestershire.
Unitemps works with organisations across a range of sectors to provide students with a variety of different roles. In combination with the newly launched Career Studio, you can access support including:
Students being targeted by cyber criminals is on the increase. Be careful of emails or texts asking for sensitive information to be provided urgently – these are phishing emails and smishing texts. Always check them out before replying and note that official organisations, such as the University, Student Finance, Student Loans Company, Banks and HMRC, never ask for personal information (e.g. bank account details) to be provided by email, text or phone. If in doubt, contact us before providing any information.
If you are approached by someone offering you a payment if you let them use your bank account to transfer money in and out again – do not accept. This is known as money muling. They want to use your account to launder money – this is a criminal offence and you could be prosecuted.
If you need further advice and guidance on funding please contact the Money Advice Team.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01242 714535 or 07423 795248
If you would like to book an appointment to discuss financial options available, please email us to organise. Appointments can be in-person, on Teams or phone.
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