Funding for Repeat Years Study

Full-time undergraduate students

This information is for UK/Home undergraduate students who meet the eligibility rules to receive Student Finance England funding and are repeating a year of their course / repeating modules / changing course. 

If students need to re-sit modules or repeat a year of their course, the course keeps its full-time status and students continue to be classed as full-time students and are still eligible to apply for full-time Student Finance England funding.

Do not apply for part-time funding, even if you're taking fewer modules than usual as you are not eligible for this.

Students are normally entitled to funding for the standard length of their course plus one extra year.  This additional year can be used if you changed course, stopped your studies or are repeating a year of study.  During this year you continue to be eligible for all the SFE loans and grants you usually receive.

If you stopped your course within the first year, you’ll get funding for the same course or a new course when you go back.

You can calculate the amount you will get by taking the total number of years of the course you are applying for and adding one year.  Then subtract the number of years you got funding for.  If you studied for part of a year you should count it as a whole year.

However, if you repeat a year of your course more than once or you’ve previously studied on a higher education course in the past - even if you only attended for one day or studied outside of the UK - you may have used your additional year of funding already.  This means that you will not be entitled to receive a Tuition Fee Loan for your repeat year and will have to pay your own tuition fee.  If you started your course before September 2016 and usually receive the Maintenance/Special Support Grant, you won’t be entitled to receive this either.  You will continue to be eligible for the Maintenance Loan, and grants for dependants and disabilities, if applicable.

Examples

• If you are applying for a 3 year course and have studied 5 months of a different course, you’ll get 3 years of funding.
• If you are applying for a 4 year course and have studied 2 years of a different course, you’ll get 3 years of funding.

There is an exception to this rule: If you are repeating the year because Compelling Personal Circumstances (CPR) affected your study, for example, illness or bereavement (other circumstances can be considered), Student Finance England may, at their discretion, award an extra year of funding to you.  This extra year of funding would include the Tuition Fee Loan and where relevant, the Maintenance/Special Support Grant. It is known as a CPR year of funding.

To be considered for this extra year, you will need to provide SFE with evidence of the circumstances that caused you to repeat and ask them to consider this.  You should do this once you have made your funding application for the next year of your course.

You can even apply for a CPR year retrospectively.  For example, if you have already used your additional year to fund a repeat year but CPR issues caused the repeat, you can request SFE to backdate a CPR year.  If agreed, this would release your additional year.  Your additional year can then be used to fund your current repeat year instead.  This can be very useful especially if you cannot provide CPR evidence for your current repeat year.

If you have CPR issues and need help with this or are unsure if you can be considered and would like to talk this over, please contact Student Money Advice

Further information can be obtained from Student Finance England at www.gov.uk