Student finance

Key things to know about student finance.

SAAS

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is Scotland’s student funding agency.

SAAS provides government money to colleges and universities to pay for your course tuition fees and give you money directly to help with your living costs while you study. This could include a loan, a bursary or a living cost grant, and the amount you receive will depend on your circumstances. Find out more about SAAS funding, including funding available and who can apply for it, on the SAAS website.

Tuition fees

Students who are eligible for SAAS funding, and who are studying in Scotland full time for a first degree or equivalent, are not required to pay tuition fees. This means that you will not need to take out a student loan to cover the cost of any of your tuition for your time at college or university. However, you still have to apply to SAAS to have your tuition fees paid every year.

If you choose to study in elsewhere in the UK, you’ll have to pay the full tuition fees. The exact figure will vary depending on your chosen university. To help you pay this, you can apply for a tuition fee loan via SAAS.

Find further information on the SAAS website.

Living costs - loans, bursaries and grants

Though you won’t have tuition fees to pay in Scotland, you might still need to think about how you will cover your living costs whilst you are a college or university student – accommodation, food, transportation, study materials etc.! You could apply for a bursary and/or a loan through SAAS to help with these costs. The amount you can receive depends on your household income.

What is a SAAS student bursary?

You may be able to apply for money in the form of a bursary to help with your costs whilst you are studying. You typically do not have to pay a bursary back. Eligibility for this typically depends on your household income and you can find out more details on the SAAS website.

What is a SAAS student loan?

You can apply to borrow money in the form of a loan to help you with your costs whilst you are studying. The amount you can borrow typically depends on your household income and you can find out more details on the SAAS website. The important thing to remember is that it’s up to you to decide how much you want to borrow. For example, you might decide that you want to take a loan for your travel costs only and so you can decide on the amount. If you apply for a loan, you will have to repay it. You can find out more about student loans and repayments on the SAAS website.

What other support is available?Some students may be able to apply for other types of support or grants. Find out more on the SAAS website.

Paramedic, nursing and midwifery funding

Find out more about paramedic, nursing and midwifery funding arrangements, including the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB), on the SAAS website.

Care experienced students, estranged students and young carers

If you are a care experienced student, an estranged student or a young or student carer, there may be specific funding that you are eligible for.

Find out more on our blog posts for care experienced students, our blog posts for estranged students, and our blog post for young carers.

Payment options

When applying to SAAS for your funding, you can choose whether to receive your payments over term time (usually 9 months), or over the full year.

Having your payments spread over the full year may help you budget for the year without the gap in SAAS payments over the summer (which you would have with the term time payment option).

Find out more on the SAAS website.

Other sources of funding

In certain cases, you may also be eligible for extra funding in the form of bursaries or scholarships – these are financial awards that do not have to be paid back. These are available from lots of different organisations, including universities and educational trusts.

Often, applicants need to meet particular criteria to be eligible (for example, study a specific subject, have a connection to a certain area or family name) but it is definitely worth looking into them – you never know what you might be able to apply for!

Spend some time searching on university, college and organisations' websites to see what financial support might be available. We've put together some useful links below to help you begin your search.