Student Finance 

LIS is a full registered higher education provider. This means you can apply to Student Finance to borrow money to help pay for university or college fees (tuition fee loan) and to help with living costs (maintenance loan). You may also be eligible for additional student funding if, for example, you’re on a low income, are disabled, or have children. 

(1) How much am I entitled to? And how does it work? 

You can check your eligibility for student finance here. 

The tuition loan will be paid directly to the course provider, whereas the maintenance loan will be paid directly into your bank account in three instalments at the start of each term:    

– 33% – term one  
– 33% – term two  
– 34% – term three 

(2) When should I apply? 

You are encouraged to apply for student finance as soon as possible to ensure your finances are in place for the new academic year. You should apply now – even if you’re unsure which university to attend (you can always update your application later if you need to). 

New students: the deadline to apply for student finance is the 20th May 

Continuing students: the deadline to apply for student finance is 24th June 

You can still apply for student finance after this date, but your application may take longer to process and not be in place for the start of term. 

(3) How do I apply?  

The application takes place online and will take around 30 minutes to complete. It will then take around 6 weeks to be processed by Student Finance. 

Before you start, you will need: 

– Your UK passport details 
– The name of your course and university (for LIS students this will be “Interdisciplinary Problems and Methods” and “the London Interdisciplinary School”) 
– Your national insurance number 
– Your UK bank details 
– The address of a family member or friend that Student Finance can contact if they can’t get hold of you 

Next steps: 

1. Check your eligibility for student finance 
2. Prepare the things you will need for your application (according to the list above) 
3. Set up a student finance online account 
4. Complete and submit your application – you’ll be able to search for LIS and the course name when you reach this section (screenshots below) 
5. Wait for your application to be processed – this can take up to six weeks 

Apply for student finance here 

Helpful resources: 

– A useful overview of student finance 
– Student finance calculator (calculate the maintenance loan you may be eligible for) 
– The different repayment thresholds