Student finance for teacher training

Funding is available to help you train to teach if you choose a course that has tuition fees. You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees or to help with your living costs.

The amounts on this page are for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

You can still apply for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan if:

  • you also get a teaching bursary or scholarship

  • you’ve previously applied for and received a student loan

You’ll only have to make loan repayments once you’re earning.

You do not need to wait until you have a confirmed offer for a teacher training course to apply for student funding.

If you choose a teacher training course that has a salary you’re not eligible for any student finance.

Non-UK citizens: student finance

You are unlikely to get help funding your training unless you have permission to live permanently in the UK, have refugee status, or are training to teach languages or physics. You will also need to meet some other eligibility requirements.

You may be eligible for financial support to train to teach if you are from Ukraine or Afghanistan and on certain visas.

If you are in the process of seeking asylum, check your immigration bail conditions to see if you have permission to study on a teacher training course in England. Even if you have permission, you are unlikely to be eligible for financial support.

If you are granted asylum in the UK, you may be eligible for financial support to train to teach.

Find out about funding for non-UK citizens.

Tuition fee loan

From autumn 2025, the maximum fees that providers can charge for postgraduate teacher training courses have increased. This means the amount you can apply to borrow to cover tuition fees has also increased. The increased amounts are shown on this page.

You can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of your postgraduate teacher training course. If you’re eligible for a tuition fee loan, the amount you borrow is paid directly to your course provider.

The maximum tuition fee loan for postgraduate teacher training for a UK applicant is:

  • £9,535 per year for a full-time course
  • £7,145 per year for a part-time course

The maximum amount you can borrow depends on how much your course costs.

Tuition fee loans are not means tested. So you do not need to provide evidence of your income or anyone else’s to be eligible to receive one.

Maintenance loan

From autumn 2025, the maximum maintenance loan amounts have increased. The increased amounts are shown on this page.

You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan to help cover your living costs.

The maximum amount you may be eligible to borrow is:

  • £8,877 if you live at home with your parents
  • £10,544 if you live away from home and are studying outside of London
  • £13,762 if you live away from home and are studying in London
  • £4,461 if you’re 60 years or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course

Use the student finance calculator on GOV.UK to get an estimate of how much funding you might get.

Check your eligibility for a bursary or scholarship

You may also be eligible for a tax-free bursary or scholarship, depending on the subject you’re training to teach.

You do not have to pay a bursary or scholarship back. You can get a bursary or scholarship as well as any tuition fee loan and maintenance loan.

Find out if you're eligible for a bursary or scholarship

Other financial support

Financial support if you have a disability or other health condition

If you’re neurodiverse, have a long-term physical or mental health condition, or have any other accessibility needs, you may be eligible for extra financial support to become a teacher.

This support can help to cover the costs of any specialist equipment or study-related costs due to a health condition or disability.

Find out more about financial support if you have a disability

Financial support if you’re a parent or carer

If you have children or other caring responsibilities, you may be able to get extra financial support while training to teach.

Find out more about financial support if you’re a parent or carer

Financial support if you’re a veteran

If you’re transitioning from the armed forces or your service has already ended, you could be eligible for support to train to teach.

Find out more about financial support if you’re a veteran

If you’re from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Crown Dependencies

You’ll need to contact your country’s student finance body to find out about your eligibility for funding if you live in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Find out about student finance across the UK:

Or, you’ll need to contact the education authority if you live in Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.

Find out about student finance in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man:

Get a free adviser

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