Fees, funding, and student finance

Funding your degree at university is usually made up of two distinct parts. Here, we outline what these are and also what else you might need to pay for. 

Course fees 

Course fees vary depending on the course you're studying and can be found on the course page under Fees. We recommend that you search for your desired course to find specific information about your course fees. International students can find out about fees and funding in the dedicated international section of our website.

Living costs 

You’ll need to cover your living costs during your time at university. This includes rent for accommodation, bills, and essentials such as food, travel and clothes. A maintenance loan can help cover some of these costs, but you can also do take on work to help fund yourself while at university.

Our student support and wellbeing advisers are also available to talk about budgeting and how to cover everyday living costs. Call 01227 922675 or email Student Wellbeing for helpful advice and support.

Additional costs 

Apart from tuition fees and living costs, there are some additional costs that could be attached to your course of study. We try to keep these to a minimum and be clear about what they are.

Some additional costs apply to almost all students – like purchasing textbooks (though remember we have a well-stocked library where you can access a lot of text books for free). But some additional costs are linked to specific courses. You’ll find more information about these costs on your course page in the Fees section.

Apply for student finance to fund your course

When it comes to student finance (commonly known as your student loan), you need to apply via a government portal.

You will need to go to Apply for student finance on the UK government website, and click 'Start Now'. This will take you to a page where you will have to register.

Handy tip: Note down your Customer Reference Number (CRN). You will have to use this every time you log in to your account.

Once you’ve created your account, follow the steps to apply. You will need your National Insurance Number and your bank details to hand as your maintenance loan is paid straight into your account each term. Your tuition fee loans are paid to your university, so you will not see this money in your account.

Usually, the following months are when student finance deadlines happen:

• New students - May 
• Returning students - June

Applying for student finance can take 6-8 weeks. You don't need a confirmed place at university to apply. 

You can also apply up to nine months after the academic year starts. But remember, the later you apply, the later you might receive any money.

Our biggest piece of advice is to apply as soon as you can! This way, you can be certain that you'll have enough money for when you start university. 

Go to the Student Finance website to find out more detailed information. 

Understand your student loan

1. These loans are not like other loans such as credit card loans or a mortgage. They come with more protection, which means that you won’t instantly be landed in debt once you graduate. They also don't impact your credit score. 
2. Student Finance England is the sole provider of student loans in England – they are the go-to place for your student loan.
3. You don’t have to pay anything back until you graduate. And that’s only when you start earning over £25,000 a year. So, if you have a starting salary of under this amount once you’ve graduated, you won’t have to pay back a penny.
4. Once you start earning over £25,000 a year, you’ll only have to pay 9% of money you earn after the initial £25,000. So, if you earn £25,500 a year, you’ll pay 9% of £500.
5. If your student loan isn’t paid off after 40 years, the government will automatically cancel it.
6. Once the first payment has been made to you or your university or college, interest will be added to your loan.

At CCCU, we offer a range of grants, scholarships and bursaries to help make funding your studies easier. This way, you can focus on your degree without worrying about your finances.

Our scholarships and bursaries include:

• Futures Scholarship
• Canterbury Christ Church University Grant
• Academic Excellence Scholarship
• Academic Scholarship
• Care Leavers' Bursary
• Partner Schools Award
• Sport Scholarship
• Music scholarships
• Support for Medicine, Health and Social Care
• Social Work Bursary
• Career Development Fund.

Each award has certain eligiblity criteria, so be sure to check that you meet this.

If you have any questions, please contact our Course Enquiry Team: courses@canterbury.ac.uk

Maintenance loan to support living costs

To help with living costs you may be able to apply for a government maintenance loan. Unlike the tuition fee loan, the amount you receive varies depending on your situation.

Use their student finance calculator to get an idea of the amount you might expect to receive.

You can apply for this loan if:

• you are a full-time UK student
• you are a full-time EU student who has been granted Settled status and has lived in the UK for more than three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

The amount you receive depends on:

• household income
• financial status
• where you study
• where you choose to live.

You will not receive any related maintenance loan payments until your tuition fee loan has been approved and your attendance at University can be confirmed.

You can apply for a maintenance loan if you're on a part-time or full-time course. Part-time maintenance loans are also available for students studying BA/BSc, BEd, or PGCE courses.

Remember: If you're worried that you might struggle to pay bills, our support team can offer advice.

Courses not eligible for student finance

• Diplomas of Higher Education
• Higher National Diplomas
• Higher National Certificates
• Certificates of Higher Education
• Diploma in Education and Training

Pay without using student finance

If you don’t qualify for a government tuition fee loan, you can pay your fees yourself or via a sponsor.

If you're starting your course in September, payments can be made by one of the following options:

• payment in full
• three equal payments at the end of September, January and April
• eight equal monthly payments at the end of September through to April.

To discuss setting up a self-payment plan, please email our Finance team: accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk

The University accepts Visa and MasterCard debit and credit card payments.

If your course starts in January or April, then the above payment terms will be adjusted to take account of your start date.

Payment plan via a sponsor

Whilst most people opt for tuition fee loans, there is the option of paying for your fees upfront. This is usually through a person or organisation who can pay your fees for you.

You can receive official financial sponsorship from His Majesty’s Government, your home government, the British Council, or any international organisation, international company, university or a UK independent school. You must enter the sponsor details in the MySponsor section of your MyRecord portal. These details can be entered at any stage prior to you starting at university or through the online registration process.

The University Fees team will check the sponsor information provided and will notify you if they are able to approve the sponsor. Alternatively, they will notify you if they require any further information about your sponsor or if they are unable to approve your sponsor.

Please note: Any arrangement made between you and a sponsor to pay your tuition fees is an agreement between you and the sponsor. If your sponsor does not pay the tuition fees, you will be personally liable to pay the fees yourself.

The University will then invoice you directly and you will be required to either pay in full or set up a self-payment plan that is acceptable to the University at that stage in the academic year.

Family members are not regarded as sponsors but may pay tuition fees to the University with your agreement.

Payments from family members are deemed to be payments made by the student and may be made on an instalment basis as set out above.

There is no direct contract or binding arrangement between the family member and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Students with a disability

If you have a mental health diagnosis, long term illness or any other disability you can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) to cover some of the extra costs.

The support you'll receive is based on your individual needs rather than your household income.

Students with children or dependant adults

There's a range of support from the government that you could be eligible for to help you with childcare costs including:

• Childcare Grant (full-time students only)
• Parents Learning Grant (full-time students only)
• Adults Dependants' Grant (full-time students only)
• Child Tax Credits.

Students with low income

You could be eligible to apply for Income Support or Universal Tax Credit whilst you're studying.

Information about extra help from the government can all be found on the UK government website.

Independent students under 25 years old

If you're under 25 years old, have no contact with your parents and support yourself there is help and advice available on the Stand Alone website, including a finance guide explaining what you could be entitled to.

The University also offers support to students who are, or have previously been in, care and students who meet household income criteria. Full details can be found on our scholarships and bursaries section.

We don't want any of our students to suffer financial hardship while studying with us. As such, there are multiple hardship funds that our students can access if you are in need of financial help. 

• Access to Learning fund 
• Exceptional Support fund 
• Cost of Living funding from Office for Students. 

Each hardship support payment has its own eligibility criteria, which you can find out on our website.

Once you're a current student with us, you'll be able to contact a Learning Support Adviser who will be able to assist you further.  

Useful student loans guide and FAQs

For more information, the government has created a useful Student Loans guide, which covers everything you need to know about student loans. Here, you will find:

• how the loan works
• if you’re eligible to receive the loan
• how and when to apply
• how repayment works
• real-life stories from graduates who took out loans for study.

It’s also worth checking out their FAQs document as well. This covers all you need to know for if you don’t finish your degree, how the interest rate works and much more.

If you still have unanswered questions or you’re not quite sure how student loans work, feel free to contact our Course Enquiries Team.