Studying in the UK can be costly for international students with tuition fees consistently topping the £20,000 a year mark, compared to home students at around £9,250.

When costs rise this much higher, without even taking into account additional costs such as living expenses, there are a few questions which arise:

- Can international students get student loans?

- Are scholarships available to international students?

- How do you apply for them?

With this complete guide you will find all you need to know to get additional funding and scholarships in the UK as an international student.

 

What's in this Guide?

→ Tuition fee costs for international students

→ Where can you find financial support in the UK?

→ How to get a scholarship in the UK

→ How to find international scholarships

→ Can international students work in the UK?

Tuition Fee Costs For International Students 

An international student studying in the UK (10 things international students should know) will be paying much more than a home student.

With no cap on the amount universities can charge international students, there have been cases where universities are charging as much as £30,000 per academic year.

One way to find degrees costing less to study is to choose a degree with lower operation costs. For example, degrees which do not require laboratory, clinical, or mechanical tools to run. Social science and humanitarian degrees therefore, will be the most cost effective route.

 

If you would like to more on tuition, why not check out our handy guide on tuition fees for international students where we go into much more detail.

 

It is also vital to remember that as an international student you will need an international student bank account with requirements on the funds available within it.

If you course lasts less than 9 months then you will need to have £1,023 per month (£1,334 in London) for each month of your course.

Although the costs are high, there is financial support out there, which we will go into now.

It is also worth noting that if you are an EU student who studied in the UK during or before 2020/21, your tuition fee will be the same as home students, £9,250.

Requirements are:

1. From an EU Country

2. A foreign worker from the European Economic Area (EEA) based in UK

3. The child of a Turkish worker living in the UK

If you would like to go into more detail on this, our guide on UK tuition fees for EU students will help you understand everything better.

 

 

Where Can you Find Financial Support in the UK? 

 

It is important to note here that there are no international student loans available, however, there are other funding options so it is vital you do your research to get what you need.

As a quick overview, here are a few options available to you:

 

- International Student Loans

Unless you are a home student (some EU students also) you will not be eligible for a loan from the UK government, there are however, other educational loans out there which can help you.

As an example, students from the USA studying for a short time, i.e., one semester, can apply for a Study Abroad Loan. Likewise, there is also a longer term loan available if you are looking to study abroad full-time called a Foreign Enrolled Loan.

It is important you look at what your country offers to get the correct and relevant information on funding options.

 

- Banks

Banks can provide loans if this is an option you are willing to explore. Make sure you country offers loans and understand what the requirements would be to get one.

Many times banks will want you to have a job and proof of earnings to loan money to you. Sometimes even requiring a guarantor or assets borrow against.

That being said, loans for students will generally be more flexible with the terms and offer lower interest rates.

 

- Scholarships

Scholarships are a huge factor for international students as a main source of funding for their studies.

With such a large amount of information on it and criteria we have made a separate section here for you to learn more.

 

- Study Abroad Programmes

An exchange or study abroad programme is a really good way to get the opportunity to study abroad.

The way this works is, you would enrol into a university at your home country and normally between your second and third year, you spend one year abroad studying.

Please note that you need to make sure your chosen home university is partnered with a UK university and if so, is a university and city you would be willing to spend a semester in.

 

- Family

This is of course not the best scenario for many students, but many international students do get funding from family or friends to study abroad. It is worth exploring this avenue if you think there is a chance you could get help from the people you know!

 

- Private Companies

So, there are companies which offer training and cover the costs of your degree. This normally involves you doing a 4-6 year apprenticeship to level 6(degree) or 7(masters).

There may also be a situation where they offer financial support during your studies under the condition you work for them after your graduation.

Accounting and Finance careers are a great place to look for these opportunities which engineering also being a great option too.

If you are already studying or looking to study a degree, see what the expected salary of your degree is to find out how much you could earn after graduation.

As a side note, the British army offers the the option to study certain degrees during your time of service. This does normally involve you serving longer, but it is all paid for. Normally the degrees are in defence studies or engineering, with the HR Officer offering HR Management or Business degrees with the opportunity to become part of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). There are very specific requirements for joining the army as an international citizen, so make sure you do your research if you consider this path. 

 

 

How to Get a Scholarship in the UK? 

 

There are plenty of scholarships available for you to get, however, they are very competitive and often have very particular criteria to even apply for them.

With a large majority of scholarships covering postgraduate degrees over undergraduate, your best option to find the right scholarships would be to see what your individual university offers.

As there is no guarantee you will get a scholarship, it is important you always think about what might happen if you don’t get accepted.

As there are so many scholarships out there, it is easy to get lost in all of them. We reccomend writing down a list with the criteria next to it and the provider so you can easily compare them all.

That being said, there are three main types of scholarships you will want to look more into:

1. Global Scholarships - Broader scholarships not related to a specific country or university.

2. Country-Specific Scholarships - For students from a specific country

3. University Scholarships - Every university offers some kind of scholarship or financial support. If you are part of an ethnic minority, there might also be additional available to you.

Below you can find some examples of these scholarships.

 

How to Find International Scholarships 

 

Covering all the scholarships out here would be pretty much impossible due to how many there are available. Luckily, there are some pretty handy databases which have done all that work for us!

Here are the best ones to use:

 

 

Can Internaitonal Students Work in the UK?

 

Dependant on the VISA you have, there may be the option to work in the UK alongside your studies.

Normally, if you have the right to work in the UK through your studies it will involve 20 hour work weeks and you’ll only be allowed to work full-time during the holidays, before, and after term starts.

It is important to note that part-time jobs will most likely not be able to fund your studies due to the large costs faced by international students. It is especially important to note that a part-time job might interfere with your studies which is the last thing any student needs!

Furthermore, as an international student you cannot:

- Take a gap year to work full-time whilst studying in the UK

- Claim Welfare Benefits or Tax Credits for extra financial support

And that is everything you need to get started on your scholarship and funding journey as an international student.

Have you got an international bank account? We’ve made a list of the best!