It is important to plan how you will finance your studies, both in terms of tuition fees and living costs.

Start Early 

It is worthwhile considering how you will fund your degree as early as possible. If you require a student loan for tuition fees or maintenance, it is important that you start your application as soon as possible.

Tuition Fees

Different tuition fees are charged to Home and Overseas students. To qualify as a home student, you must meet the regulations set out by the UK government. 

Your offer email states the fee status you have been assigned and the amount you will be expected to pay in your first year. If you have any questions about your assigned fee status please contact the Admissions team. You can also visit the UKCISA website for further guidance. 

Undergraduate loans

For UK students, you will have the option to access Student Finance, the government loan system. Through Student Finance, you can access up to £9,535 a year for your Tuition Fee loan, which will be paid directly to the university when you enrol. Additionally, you may apply for a means-tested Maintenance Loan (to be used for living costs) of up to £13,022. 

Applications open in late March and need to submitted by the end of May to guarantee that your funding will be in place for the start of your course in September. You do not need to have made your final decision on where you want to study, or have a confirmed offer to apply. You will need to submit any applications for student finance in the year you are starting your studies. If your offer is for deferred entry (September 2025), you will need to submit any applications for student finance in 2025.

The application process varies depending on where in the UK you are based. For more information and to apply, see the Government website.

Postgraduate loans

UK students can also apply to Student Finance for a Master’s loan of up to £12,167.

For the Master’s loan the amount you can request is not separated into a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan; instead, it is paid as one combined amount. 

The total amount you can borrow for postgraduate education is generally lower than for undergraduate courses and may not cover your tuition fees in full. Therefore, you should consider how you will supplement the loan.

Please note that these loans will need to be repaid once you have completed the course and are earning over the salary threshold.

For more information and to apply, see the Government website.

International students

Offer holders from the United States of America can apply for Federal Loans, as the RVC participates in the Direct Loan Program in which federal financial assistance is made available from the US Department of Education to US students studying at the RVC.

The process begins slightly later than it would if you were attending a US school, with applications usually opening in June. More information about how to apply will be sent closer to the time. If you would like more information in the interim or have any questions please see our website or contact our colleagues in the Financial Aid team.

International offer holders from outside the USA may be able to access loans, scholarships or bursaries in your home country, so it is worthwhile investigating before you begin your studies. A good starting point for further information is your local Ministry of Education.   

For more information on international funding options, please visit our international pages.

Scholarships

The RVC also proudly offers scholarships and bursaries for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The scholarships are highly competitive and typically awarded based on academic merit and/or contextual markers.

The full list of RVC scholarships available can be found here. 

You may also apply to external scholarships that you know of to help support your studies; however, you’ll be expected to find and organise these of your own accord.

Financial assistance while studying

The RVC’s Advice Centre offers advice for accessing funding, budgeting and administers hardship funds. Please see more information here. 

Further information

Further information regarding funding can be found here. We will send useful tools and reminders and host webinars on funding information across the spring and summer, so please check your emails and website to stay informed. 

You may also find the website BlackBullion helpful in learning to manage your money or find additional funding opportunities. 

Finance webinar

As part of our exclusive Offer Holder Webinar series, Shelley Revell from the Advice Centre joined us to talk through student loan applications. You can catch up below: