Financial Services > Student Loans > Student Finance Northern Ireland > Student Loans for Tuition Fees
Eligible full-time undergraduate students starting from September 2006 onwards will not have to pay fees before they start their course or while they are studying. Instead, they will be able to apply for a Student Loan for fees to cover these costs. Students will repay these loans once they have left university and are earning over £15,000. There are no upper age limits imposed for students’ loans for tuition fees.
Students who started their course in September 2006 or after can apply for a Maintenance Grant. The maximum amount of support available is £3,335 and the good news is that is doesn’t need to be repaid.
A maintenance grant is usually paid in three instalments, one at the start of each term, along with any other support. The amount received depends on a person’s household income, and will be calculated by their ELB (Education Library Board).
A Special Support Grant is available for new students who started their course in or after September 2006 and who are eligible to receive Income Support and other means-tested benefits such as Housing Benefit.
It will cover additional course costs such as books, equipment, travel or childcare that result from attending a course. The amount of support, the income assessment arrangements and the payment arrangements are the same as for the Maintenance Grant.
New students who are receiving the Maintenance Grant, existing students and gap-year students will not be entitled to receive a Special Support Grant.