Settled and pre-settled: can I apply for Student Finance?

What settled and pre-settled are

They are the two statuses of the EU Settlement Scheme, the system that allowed European citizens and their families to keep living in the UK after Brexit.

• Settled status: permanent permission to stay. You normally get it after living here for 5 years.
• Pre-settled status: the step before, for people who had been here for less time. Over the years, it can become settled status.

You can see which one you have, and get your share code, on the official page View and prove your immigration status.

If you have settled status

You can normally apply for full funding, just like a British student, if you meet these conditions:

• your home is in England, and
• you've lived in the UK (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) for 3 years on the day your course starts.

That includes the tuition fee loan, which goes straight to the university, and the loan to live on, which depends on where you live and your household income. Work out how much you could get.

If you have pre-settled status

The tuition fee loan

You can normally apply if you've lived for 3 years in the UK, the European Economic Area, Switzerland or Gibraltar on the day your course starts, and your home is in England. Those years can't have been only for studying.

The loan to live on

With pre-settled status alone, it's normally not granted. But it can be granted if you, your partner or a close family member work in the UK. This is what Student Finance calls being a migrant worker. For that:

• the work has to be genuine and stable: with very few hours or very low earnings it can be refused;
• you have to keep working during the course to keep it.

The good news: many people who want to study already work here. And as many degrees are organised around about 2 days of classes a week, the two can be combined.

The 3-year rule

The 3 years are counted up to the first day of the first academic year, which is normally 1 September or 1 January. Holidays or short trips don't break that time.

Just a little short? Sometimes it's enough to choose an intake that starts a few months later. We help you find it.

If you already have a degree

Having studied before, here or in your country, doesn't rule you out. It depends on what you studied and the course you choose. Tell us about your situation and we'll look at it with you.

How you prove it

When you apply, you'll normally be asked for:

• your passport or ID card;
• your share code, so they can check your status;
• proof of your address in England;
• if you're applying through the work route, your payslips or contract.

From you, we only need the basics: the course you want, your CV, your passport, proof of address and your settled or pre-settled status. You upload them from your phone in “My application” and we guide you through the rest.

Frequently asked questions