Eligibility for the Leeds Bursary

We calculate your basic eligibility for the Leeds Bursary using information already held on your student record.

To qualify for a Leeds Bursary, you must be registered on an undergraduate, higher-education course lasting at least one year. This includes:

A degree (but not a degree apprenticeship as these have a different funding structure)
A foundation degree
A diploma of higher education (DipHE) or
A certificate of higher education (CertHE).

You must meet all of the eligibility criteria in the next section, including having your household income assessed by the Student Loans Company (SLC).

If you are a full-time student, you don't need to apply for the Leeds Bursary, as the information held on your student record is used to determine your eligibility.
If you are a part-time student, you will need to apply for the bursary. Please see the part-time students Leeds Bursary page for information on how to apply.

If you are eligible to receive the Leeds Bursary, we will contact you at your University email address from early in the autumn term to confirm this. Please check your University email account regularly.

Eligibility criteria

You must:

Meet the eligibility criteria for receiving a Maintenance Loan from either Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. Channel Islands or Isle of Man students do not qualify.
Be a new student, starting a first degree course on or after 1 September 2012.
Be liable for the maximum tuition fee (£9,535 in 2025) or pro-rata equivalent for part-time students.
Have not already achieved a degree level or higher-level qualification. This stipulation does not apply if you are studying Nursing, Midwifery or Dental Hygiene & Therapy, and are eligible to receive full statutory funding (both maintenance loan and tuition fees loan).
Be a registered student at the University for the relevant academic year.
Have an assessed household income of below £36,000 if you commenced studies prior to August 2024, or below £42,875 if you commenced studies after August 2024.
Not be undertaking a degree apprenticeship course.
Not be on a study-abroad or work-placement year or be charged fees at the study-abroad/work placement fee rate.
Have an approved student finance application in place for the relevant year. UK students who have their tuition fees paid by NHS England (or equivalent funding body for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) should read information about Leeds Bursary for NHS-funded students.

If you are an EU student, and started your course before September 2021, you must take the Leeds Bursary as a payment against your tuition fee. If your tuition fees are funded by an NHS Bursary, you won’t be eligible for the Leeds Bursary, as you aren’t liable to pay any tuition fees.

Household income assessments

You will need to have your household income assessed by your financial awarding body in order to receive the Leeds Bursary. This is also sometimes referred to as being means tested.

The financial awarding bodies are:

It is possible for your financial awarding body to assess your household income even if you do not wish to take out a loan so that you can be considered for a Leeds Bursary award.

Household income assessments from SFE

If you want to request a household income assessment from SFE, use the government’s student finance forms page to find and complete the correct form. If you’re a new full-time student, you’ll complete the PN1 form, and if you’re a continuing full-time student, you’ll complete the PR1 form. You will need to print this form and post it back, as outlined in the instructions on the form finder page.

You should also include a covering letter (including your SFE Customer Reference Number) saying that you are requesting a household income assessment in order for your University to determine your eligibility for a Higher Education Bursary.

Household income assessments from other financial awarding bodies

If you are funded by SFW, SFNI, or SAAS, then you will need to download and complete different forms to receive a household income assessment. This information is outlined on the government’s student finance forms page.

If you are funded by SFW or SFNI, you should also include a covering letter (including your SFEW/SFNI Customer Reference Number) saying that you are requesting a household income assessment in order for your University to determine your eligibility for a Higher Education Bursary. If you are funded by SAAS, you do not need a covering letter.

Informing Student Loans Company of your household income assessment

To be awarded a Leeds Bursary, all household income assessments/re-assessments must be finalised by your financial awarding body and updated on the Student Loans Company’s (SLC) Bursary Administration Service before the end date of your undergraduate course, or before your permanent withdrawal date (whichever is sooner). Any assessed household income notified after these dates will not be accepted and a Leeds Bursary cannot be awarded.

There is a deadline for applying for a household income assessed Maintenance Loan. Generally, you can request an assessment within the same academic year, but it's best to do so as soon as possible. We recommend that you contact your financial awarding body directly to ensure you meet the deadline.

Students with full/partial fee waivers

If your school has awarded you a full or partial fee waiver (for example, if you are repeating a year with mitigating circumstances), the amount you receive in your bursary would take this into consideration (be pro-rated).

For example, if you have been awarded a 60% fee waiver, you would be liable to pay 40% of the standard fee charge, and your Leeds Bursary entitlement would also be 40% of the equivalent award payable to a student liable for full fees. If, in a previous year, your fee charge was reduced after we paid your Leeds Bursary for that year, this would be classed as an overpayment, and we would use this to adjust the amount you would be entitled to for the current year.

NHS Low Income Scheme

If you’re in receipt of the Leeds Bursary or Means-tested Undergraduate Scholarship, you can apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme HC2. This entitles you to free prescriptions, free dental treatment, free eye tests, and help with the cost of glasses/contact lenses, and help with travel costs to NHS appointments.

You can apply for an NHS HC2 on the NHS website. You will need to provide a letter from the University to confirm that you receive a means-tested bursary or scholarship. Please email the Funding team at funding@leeds.ac.uk to request a letter to support your application.

When you will not be eligible

There are certain instances where you will not be eligible to receive a Leeds Bursary. These are:

If you are in receipt of a Means-Tested Undergraduate scholarship

If you are receiving a Means-Tested Undergraduate Scholarship, you are not eligible to receive an award from the Leeds Bursary.

If you already hold a degree-level qualification

As this bursary is a widening participation scheme for students from low-income backgrounds undertaking a first degree, if you already hold a degree level qualification or higher, you are not eligible to receive this award.

Year abroad or year in industry

If you are spending a year in industry or studying abroad, you will already be paying a reduced tuition fee and therefore are not eligible to receive the Leeds Bursary.

Degree Apprenticeships

If you’re on a Degree Apprenticeship programme, you will not qualify for the Leeds Bursary. This is because you will continue to receive a salary from your employer and have your fees paid directly to the University.

Former students

Once you have either successfully completed your course (meaning the final day of the last term in your final academic year has been reached) or have permanently withdrawn from your course prior to successful completion, no further Leeds Bursary payments (for any academic year) will be made.