This guidance is intended for current University of Westminster students. Prospective students should refer to our funding pages for comprehensive information on university funding
Undergraduate student funding
Funding for repeat/re-take years
If you are repeating or retaking a year, your Student Finance England (SFE) funding may be impacted. This depends on whether you have previously repeated a year, suspended mid-way through a year, or have any attendance on a prior degree-level course. For more information, please visit our repeat-year funding page.
Module retrievers
If you are registered on a full-time course but are taking fewer modules in a year because you are repeating part of your course and need to attend timetabled lectures for those modules, you remain registered as a full-time student. You may still be eligible for your usual full-time Student Finance England (SFE) funding if you have remaining funding entitlement. For more information, please visit our funding for repeat years page.
Assessment only
If you have no scheduled classes/timetabled attendance and are only required to submit an exam or outstanding coursework/dissertation, you may be registered as "assessment only – module retriever no attendance." Typically, no tuition fees are charged for this status, and you may not need a tuition fee loan for the year. However, as an assessment only student, you are not eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance England (SFE).
For more details, please visit our funding for repeat years page.
Placement year funding
In most cases, your placement year will affect your SFE funding.
Read our full-time undergraduate placement years page for further details.
How to pay tuition fees
Information about payment methods and fee payment instalment dates is available on the paying your fees page.
Repaying your student loan
The timing and amount of your loan repayments depend on your repayment plan, which is determined by when you started your course and the type of course you studied. If you're unsure about your repayment plan, you can check by signing into your Student Finance England (SFE) online account.
You cannot choose your repayment plan, and if you have multiple loans, you might be on different plans. Repayments begin in April, following the completion or withdrawal from your course. Your repayments are based on your earnings, not the amount of your student loan debt. Interest accrues from the day the loans are disbursed, with lower rates while you study and higher rates once you stop studying, based on your earnings.
The Student Loans Company (SLC) manages loan repayments. For more information, please visit the Student Loans Company website.
Postgraduate student funding
Payment and Repayment
The loan is not based on household income, so there is no income assessment. For full-time courses, the loan is paid over one year, while for part-time courses, it is divided equally over two years. Instalments are paid three times a year: 33% at the course start date, another 33% four months later, and the final 34% seven months after the course start date.
Payments are made directly to you, not the University. Unlike SFE funding for undergraduate courses, there is no separate tuition fee loan payment made directly to the University on your behalf. Ensure you can pay your course tuition fee using the loan money paid to you or other additional funds you have secured.
You will start repaying your loan after completing your course, but only if you earn above the earnings threshold of £21,000 per year. You will repay 6% of what you earn above this threshold. The earliest you will begin repayments is the April after you finish your course.
For more information about repaying this loan, visit the GOV.UK website. Details about university payment methods and fee payment instalment dates can be found on the paying your fees page.
Who to contact for help with SFE funding
The Student Advice team at the University offers personalized guidance on your eligibility for Student Finance England (SFE) funding. They can also assist if you encounter issues with the application process and can liaise with SFE on your behalf.
The Disability Learning Support team can help with issues related to the Disabled Student’s Allowance.
Other funding options
Find out more about other funding options for current students at the University of Westminster.