The Living Expenses Support Scheme (LESS)
The Living Expenses Support Scheme (LESS) is here to help home status students who need additional financial support during the academic year.
The scheme aims to help and award students with an additional grant that can be used to meet any maintenance needs, such as rent, travel, childcare, and day-to-day costs etc. The scheme cannot be used to pay tuition fees.
Am I eligible to apply?
The scheme is open to ‘home’ status students only. Normally this would mean that you have been charged the home rate tuition fee and are in receipt of full Student Finance support.
You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- Not enrolled at the University of Westminster
- A student interrupting studies (suspended)
- An undergraduate student that has not taken out the maximum student support available to them from student finance including the maintenance loan. This includes the part of the loan based on your household income
- An EU undergraduate student getting the 2024/25 tuition fee loan only
- A postgraduate student who has chosen not to take the full £12,471 Master’s loan
- A self-funded student whose tuition fees have not been paid in accordance with the instalment plan shown on the Paying your fees page. This includes postgraduate students in receipt of the master’s loan as the loan is paid directly to the student. If you have an outstanding fee balance, your application will not be considered until this has been paid
- Enrolled on a conversion or professional course, such as CILEx, ACCA, CIMA, RIBA (part 3) and the Legal Practice Postgraduate Diploma
- A PG Dip, PhD, MPhil, or other research student. Please note MRes students in receipt of the full master’s loan are eligible to apply
For further information about external funding opportunities or government support, please refer to our Other funding options and Bursaries and awards for current students pages.
If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Student Centre or via the live chat on Student hub which is open 7 days a week.
If you would like to be contacted by a member of the Student Funding team, appointments may be booked through Engage.
I’m a full-time undergraduate student
You will need to show you have taken the maximum student support available to you from student finance including the maintenance loan. This includes applying for finance based on your household income. Read more on student finance on the Gov.uk website.
If you are receiving the Maintenance Loan amounts below, please contact Student Funding before making your application as you may not be eligible to apply.
Living at home rate: £3,790
Not living with parents and studying in London: £6,647
In addition to this, usually, students should have taken out the full tuition fee loan.
I’m a part-time undergraduate student
You must be studying at least 25% of the full-time equivalent course and have applied for the part-time Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance England and be in receipt of the full part-time maintenance loan that you are eligible for, based on your household income.
I’m a module retriever
Full-time undergraduate students retrieving modules on a part-time basis must be attending classes and must also have taken their full entitlement of student loan.
I’m an Assessment Only student
Assessment only students should include with their application a letter from the Library and Student Centre showing the assessments (with submission dates) that must be completed during 2024/25.
I’m a full-time postgraduate student
Guidelines are followed which assume that a student receives a minimum income level per week, regardless of whether this is the case. It is expected that students will have made adequate provision for tuition fees and living costs for themselves and any dependants before starting their course.
This could include income from earnings, a partner’s earnings, savings, loans – including the master’s Loan (ML), overdrafts etc.
I’m a part-time postgraduate student
You must be studying at least 25% of the full-time equivalent course in the 2024-25 academic year.
It is expected that students will have made adequate provision for tuition fees and living costs for themselves and any dependants before starting their course.
This could include income from earnings, a partner’s earnings, savings, loans – including the master’s Loan (ML), overdrafts etc.
You must also have paid the tuition fees in full for the whole academic year before you can submit an application (not just the instalment due).
How is my application assessed?
The Student Funding team will assess your application. When deciding about an award, we look at the shortfall between your expenditure (as defined by national guidelines) and your expected income.
Please note that non-essential expenditure may be considered and could reduce your award or even result in your application being rejected. Examples of this type of expenditure includes online gambling, private school fees, private healthcare, and excessive spending on social activities.
If your application is incomplete, unclear or does not contain all the requested documentation, it will delay our decision. Please note that we reserve the right to request additional information if it would help with assessing your application.
How much will I be awarded?
An award can be anywhere between £100 and (in exceptional circumstances) £3,000. The exact amount of award will be determined by the University depending on the level of financial need you demonstrate. Please bear in mind that demand always exceeds the funds available, so any award made will not cover the full shortfall you have, and you should not assume that you are receiving an award until you are notified.
How will I be notified and paid?
We aim to provide a written decision within 6-8 weeks of your application being submitted, although at busy times this may not always be possible.
You will receive an email telling you of our decision and if successful, the expected payment date which is usually 2 weeks after.
Still not sure whether to make an application?
You might not want to apply because you think there are more deserving cases than yours. Please know the assessment calculations we make will determine if you are showing financial need, so we would always encourage you to apply. The purpose of the scheme is to assist as many eligible students as possible.
How do I apply?
Please download the application form below that relates to the level of your course. This should be completed together with the guidance notes for undergraduate students or postgraduate students to try to avoid your submission being incomplete.
Apply – Undergraduate students
Please note the deadline for 2024/25 applications is midnight Friday 20 June 2025.
If you find you do not have all the evidence required, you can save the form and go back to it later. The supporting evidence required is determined by your circumstances and how you answer the questions. However, as a minimum, all students will need to provide:
- 3 months bank statements for all accounts held by you
- A supporting statement
- The 2024–25 Online Student Finance Entitlement letter and your payments information showing the instalment due dates and amounts
Delays in the assessment of your application may occur if you do not upload the correct information.