Financial information for undergraduate international students

You may be eligible for a student loan from the UK government if you:

• have settled status; and
• you normally live in England; and 
• you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years in a row before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

You may also be eligible for financial support from the UK government if you are:

• a UK national who was living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein on 31 December 2020, or returned to the UK between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 immediately after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein; or
• have been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for three years in a row immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

Please visit the gov.uk website for full eligibility criteria.

The British Council is a good place to find details of all the options, and for tips and advice on managing your money once you arrive in the UK.

If you find yourself in financial difficulties once you have arrived in the UK, you should speak to the AskBU team and the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) to see what help may be available to you.

If you are a US citizen you can apply for a US Federal Loan to fund your studies in the UK. We participate in the US Government Federal Stafford Loan Programme, which means eligible US citizens can apply for Direct Stafford PLUS Loans up to the Cost of Attendance.

You can find full details about US Federal Loans, including how to apply for them and who to contact at BU for advice, on our funding support for US students page.

When studying in the UK, you will need to open a bank account. 

There are many banks in the UK. Here are some top tips about how to choose one:

• Look at what the different banks are offering students
• See if the bank you already have an account with operates in the UK too
• Look at which bank is available on your university campus or in your university town
• Consider how much interest free overdraft the bank is offering
• Research the international transfer fees.

More things to consider.