SFE UNDERGRADUATE FUNDING FOR EU/EEA NATIONALS
The eligibility criteria to receive SFE funding for students from the EU/EEA differs from that for 'home’ students.
The SFE eligibility criteria goes into this in more detail, but in brief, you will ordinarily need to have settled or pre-settled status to receive any funding.
The EU (European Union) countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
The EEA (The European Economic Area) is made up of all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Nationals of Switzerland also qualify under this category as Switzerland but part of the single market. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.
EU/EEA/Swiss students who started their course in the 20/21 academic year or earlier will not experience any changes in their funding.
New students starting on or after August 1st, 2021, will be subject to the new regulations which came into force in 2021.
You may qualify for home fee status and the full student finance package (i.e. funding towards living costs as well as tuition fees) if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss student with settled status and have been resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of your course.
If you have pre-settled status you may qualify for tuition fee support, and in some instances maintenance loan support, dependent on individual circumstances.
Irish students are often eligible for tuition fee loans without settled or pre-settled status as this is not required under the Common Travel Area agreement. However, some Irish citizens are also eligible for maintenance support in England if they have lived in the UK and Islands for 3 years before the start of the course.
Students from Ukraine who have been granted leave under the ‘Ukraine Schemes’ may in some circumstances be eligible for partial or full funding.
As you will see, the regulations for student finance are somewhat complex, and eligibility can differ based on individual circumstances.
Please contact the SU Advice Centre if you would like to seek further clarification about your eligibilty for student finance.
Last updated: April 2025