Studying in England, Scotland or Wales as a Northern Irish Student (2026/27)
If you normally live in Northern Ireland, you still apply to Student Finance NI when you go to university in England, Scotland or Wales. The big change is the fee: up to £9,790 a year in 2026/27, against £4,985 at home. A Tuition Fee Loan covers all of it. You stay on Plan 1, you can still get the Maintenance Grant, and your Maintenance Loan depends on where you live during term, with a higher rate in London.
Looking for Student Finance NI in general?
This page covers only what changes when you study in Great Britain. For everything else — amounts by household income, how and when to apply, phone numbers and repayment — read our Student Finance NI 2026/27 guide. To apply or sign in, go to the official site at studentfinanceni.co.uk.
Key Takeaways
- Tuition at a public university in England, Scotland or Wales is up to £9,790 a year, £14,415 more than £4,985 a year at home over three years. The Tuition Fee Loan covers it.
- A private university or college in Great Britain is different: SFNI lends only up to £4,985, and you pay the rest.
- Living away from home you can borrow up to £8,352, or £11,699 in London. An English flatmate can borrow more at low household incomes, but not at high ones.
- You stay on Plan 1 whatever nation you study or later work in: 9% of income above £26,900, written off after 25 years.
- Nursing and midwifery in Great Britain is funded by Student Finance NI in the normal way, unlike the same course in Northern Ireland.
In this article
What Changes, and What Stays the Same, When You Study in Great Britain
Your funding follows where you normally live, not where your university is. SFNI says that if you are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, you may be eligible for its services "regardless of where in the UK or Republic of Ireland you are studying". The same rule works the other way: a student from elsewhere in the UK who lives in Northern Ireland only to study is not treated as ordinarily resident there.[source][source]
| 2026/27 | Studying in Northern Ireland | Studying in England, Scotland or Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Who you apply to | Student Finance NI | Student Finance NI (not SFE, SFW or SAAS) |
| Tuition fee, public university | Up to £4,985 | Up to £9,790 |
| Tuition Fee Loan, private university or college | Up to £4,985 | Up to £4,985; you pay any difference |
| Maintenance Loan, away from home | Up to £8,352 | Up to £8,352, or £11,699 in London |
| Maintenance Grant | Up to £3,569 | Up to £3,569 |
| Repayment plan | Plan 1 | Plan 1 |
Fee and loan maximums from SFNI's 2026/27 guide and its Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan pages. The grant is means tested; see what you get at each household income.
Tuition Fees for NI Students in England, Scotland and Wales
SFNI's 2026/27 guide lists the same maximum in all three nations. The fee follows the university, so you pay what a Great Britain university charges, not the Northern Irish rate.[source]
| Where you study | Fee a year, 2026/27 | Typical course | Tuition over the course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | Up to £4,985 | 3 years | £14,955 |
| England | Up to £9,790 | 3 years | £29,370 |
| Wales | Up to £9,790 | 3 years | £29,370 |
| Scotland | Up to £9,790 | May be 4 years | £39,160 over 4 years |
Totals are the 2026/27 maximum times the course length. Fees can rise each year, and universities can charge less than the maximum.
The Tuition Fee Loan Covers the Higher Fee
- You can borrow up to the fee your university charges, up to £9,790 a year.
- It is not means tested, so household income does not change it.
- The Student Loans Company pays it straight to the university in three instalments.
- On an accelerated degree in England, SFNI says you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £11,750 in 2026/27.[source]
Check whether the university is public or private
At a private institution in Scotland or Wales, or an Approved Institution in England, SFNI says the most you can borrow is £4,985, not £9,790. It adds that you "will be responsible for funding the difference" and that some private institutions "may not attract any support" at all. Ask SFNI what you can get before you accept a place.[source]
Four-Year Degrees in Scotland
SFNI warns that "Scottish degree courses may last for four years", while degrees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland usually last three. A fourth year means a fourth year of fees and a fourth year of living costs.[source]
A four-year Scottish degree against three years at home, 2026/27 fees
- Scotland: 4 × £9,790 = £39,160 of tuition
- Northern Ireland: 3 × £4,985 = £14,955 of tuition
- Difference: £24,205, before the extra year of living costs
SFNI funds tuition for the full length of your course, plus one extra year if needed, for example if you change course. So all four years of a Scottish degree are covered by a Tuition Fee Loan.[source]
Living Costs: Maintenance Loans and Grants in Great Britain
SFNI sets the Maintenance Loan by where you live during term, not by which nation your university is in. Only London has its own higher rate. The London rate covers the University of London and colleges in the City of London and the Metropolitan Police District.[source]
| Living away from home, 2026/27 | NI student, full year | NI student, final year | English student, full year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside London | Up to £8,352 | Up to £7,731 | Up to £10,830 |
| London | Up to £11,699 | Up to £10,646 | Up to £14,135 |
NI rates from SFNI's 2026/27 guide. English rates from GOV.UK's 2026/27 assessment guide for students not entitled to benefits.[source]
You Against an English Flatmate, by Household Income
The maximums make NI students look much worse off. That is only true at lower household incomes. England's loan starts falling above £25,000. SFNI only starts taking a household contribution above £41,540, and lower down it swaps part of the loan for grant. Both students below live away from home outside London.
| Household income | NI student: grant + loan | English student: loan | NI student compared |
|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £2,261 + £6,773 = £9,034 | £10,830 | £1,796 less |
| £30,000 | £1,248 + £7,104 = £8,352 | £10,058 | £1,706 less |
| £35,000 | £708 + £7,644 = £8,352 | £9,285 | £933 less |
| £45,000 | £7,729 | £7,739 | £10 less |
| £65,000 | £6,264 | £5,048 | £1,216 more |
NI figures at £25,000 to £35,000 are rows of SFNI's own 2026/27 illustration. The £45,000 row takes SFNI's own contribution example off the maximum loan. The £65,000 row is SFNI's 75% floor and England's published minimum loan. English figures come from GOV.UK's 2026/27 table. The subtraction is ours.
The pattern: at low household incomes an English flatmate gets more to live on, even counting your grant. By our arithmetic from both sets of published rules, the two stay within a few hundred pounds of each other from about £44,000 to £54,000 of household income. Above about £55,000 the NI student can borrow more. Part of the NI total at lower incomes is grant, which you do not normally repay.
The Grant Comes With You
The Maintenance Grant, up to £3,569, and the Special Support Grant depend on household income, not on where your university is. nidirect confirms this for one case directly: NI nursing and midwifery students in Great Britain are told to apply to SFNI for "tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and grant".[source]
No Grant for Trips Home
SFNI's Travel Grant covers only two cases: clinical training away from your usual place of study on a medical or dental course, and study outside the UK as part of your course. Flights or ferries between Great Britain and home are not on that list, so budget for them from your loan or other income.[source]
Nursing, Medicine and Other Healthcare Courses in Great Britain
Healthcare funding is where studying in Great Britain changes the most. nidirect sets out three different answers.[source]
- Nursing or midwifery in England, Wales or Scotland: apply to Student Finance NI for the Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan and grant on the PN1 or PR1 form, like any other student. In Northern Ireland the same course comes with a bursary and no Maintenance Loan.
- Medicine or dentistry: the first four years are funded like any other course. From the fifth year, the Department of Health pays a bursary "regardless of where you study in the UK", plus a reduced-rate loan.
- Four-year graduate-entry medicine in England, Wales or Scotland: you are not eligible for a Health Service bursary, tuition fee support or a Higher Education bursary. You can apply to SFNI for living-cost loans and certain extra grants.
For the Northern Ireland side of each course group, see our NHS Learning Support Fund and healthcare student funding guide.
Applying from Northern Ireland for a Great Britain University
You apply exactly as a student staying at home would. Normally you must be living in Northern Ireland on the first day of the first academic year of your course, and have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years before that, with settled status.[source]
- Create an account or sign in at studentfinanceni.co.uk. Do not apply to Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales or SAAS.
- Apply with your first-choice course and university. You can change them later.
- Ask for a Tuition Fee Loan that matches the Great Britain fee your university charges.
- Give household income details if you want the grant and the full Maintenance Loan.
- Reapply every year of the course.
For 2026/27, SFNI asked for applications before 30 April 2026 so the money is ready at the start of term. The final deadline for a September 2026 start is 31 May 2027. Money reaches your bank account after you register at your university, usually three working days after it confirms your attendance. So plan to cover your first week in Great Britain yourself.
Full steps, evidence, deadlines for other start dates and contact numbers are in how to apply for Student Finance NI.
Repaying After a Degree in Great Britain
Studying in Great Britain does not change your plan, and nor does staying there to work. GOV.UK says: "If you applied to Student Finance Northern Ireland — You're on Plan 1, whether you studied an undergraduate course or a postgraduate course."[source]
In 2026-27 Plan 1 takes 9% of income above £26,900. Interest is the lower of RPI or Bank of England base rate plus 1%, currently 4.1%. The balance is written off after 25 years. An English classmate who started in 2023 or later is on Plan 5 instead, with a £25,000 threshold and a 40-year write-off.
| Salary | You, Plan 1, a year | English classmate, Plan 5, a year |
|---|---|---|
| £28,000 | £99 | £270 |
| £35,000 | £729 | £900 |
| £45,000 | £1,629 | £1,800 |
9% of salary above each plan's 2026-27 threshold, worked from this site's shared constants. Your yearly deduction is a little smaller than your classmate's, and your loan is written off 15 years sooner.
Check your plan on your first job in Great Britain
GOV.UK advises downloading your "active plan type letter" from your online account and asking your employer which plan they have you on. If they differ, show your employer the letter. You can get a refund if you paid too much because you were on the wrong plan type.[source]
More on thresholds, write-off and moving abroad is in repaying a Student Finance NI loan.
FAQs: Northern Irish Students in Great Britain
Do Northern Irish students pay more to study in England, Scotland or Wales?
Yes. A public university in England, Scotland or Wales can charge a Northern Irish student up to £9,790 a year in 2026/27, against up to £4,985 at a university in Northern Ireland. Over a three-year degree that is £14,415 more. Student Finance NI's Tuition Fee Loan covers the higher fee in full, so you do not pay it up front.
Do I apply to Student Finance England if I go to university in England?
No. If you normally live in Northern Ireland, you apply to Student Finance NI wherever in the UK you study. SFNI says students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland may be eligible for its services "regardless of where in the UK or Republic of Ireland you are studying".
Can I still get the Maintenance Grant if I study in Great Britain?
Yes. The Maintenance Grant, worth up to £3,569 in 2026/27, depends on household income, not on which UK nation your university is in. You get the full grant at household incomes of £19,203 or less and none above £41,065. The Special Support Grant works the same way.
How much maintenance loan does a Northern Irish student get in London?
Up to £11,699 in 2026/27, or £10,646 in your final year. The London rate applies to the University of London and colleges in the City of London and the Metropolitan Police District. Elsewhere in Great Britain the maximum is £8,352. An English student in London can borrow up to £14,135.
Is a Scottish degree more expensive for Northern Irish students?
Often, because SFNI notes that Scottish degrees may last four years rather than three. Four years at up to £9,790 is £39,160 of tuition, against £14,955 for three years in Northern Ireland, plus a fourth year of living costs. SFNI funds tuition for the full length of your course, plus one extra year if needed.
Which repayment plan am I on if I studied in Great Britain?
Plan 1, the same as if you had studied at home. Your plan is set by the body that funded you, so an NI student at an English university stays on Plan 1 while English classmates who started from 2023 are on Plan 5. In 2026-27 Plan 1 takes 9% of income above £26,900, and the balance is written off after 25 years. Plan 5 has a £25,000 threshold and runs for 40 years.
Can I study nursing or midwifery in England, Scotland or Wales with Student Finance NI?
Yes. nidirect says that if you plan to study nursing or midwifery in England, Wales or Scotland, you should apply to Student Finance NI for the Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan and grant on the PN1 or PR1 form. This differs from nursing and midwifery in Northern Ireland, which is funded by the Department of Health and comes with no Maintenance Loan.
Work Out Your Plan 1 Repayments
The £26,900 threshold and 25-year write-off, applied to your own salary
Student Loan Calculator UK Editorial Team
Editorial Team
This page is maintained by the Student Loan Calculator UK editorial team, checked against GOV.UK and Student Loans Company guidance. Read more about our editorial approach.