University Bursaries by Immigration Status: What London Students Can Claim

If you are starting university in London, your student loan is not the only money you can get. Most London universities hand out their own funding on top of that, through bursaries and hardship funds that you never have to pay back. The problem is that nobody tells you about them properly, and not every student qualifies for every bursary. Your immigration status, your household income and sometimes your London postcode decide what is available to you.

This guide covers how bursary eligibility works for the five main immigration statuses we deal with every day at Wilor Education: UK Citizens, ILR holders, EU Settled Status, Pre-Settled Status and Refugees. If you have not sorted your Student Finance England application yet, do that first. Bursaries sit on top of your loan, not instead of it.

What Is a Bursary and How Is It Different from a Student Loan?

A bursary is free money. You do not pay it back. That is the main thing to understand.

Student loans come from Student Finance England, they cover tuition and living costs, and you repay them once you earn above a certain salary after you graduate. Bursaries come from your university directly (or sometimes from a charitable trust or external body), they are usually paid into your bank account in instalments alongside your loan, and they are yours to keep. No repayment. No interest.

The amounts vary a lot. Some bursaries are a few hundred pounds a year. Others are worth £2,000 to £3,000 annually, and a handful go higher. The common thread is that most of them are means-tested, meaning your household income needs to fall below a certain threshold, and almost all of them require you to have “home fee status.” That is where immigration status comes in.

How Immigration Status Affects Bursary Eligibility at London Universities

Here is how it works in practice. Before a university will consider you for a bursary, they need to confirm two things: that you qualify as a “home” student (not international), and that you meet whatever income or background criteria the bursary requires.

Your immigration status is what decides the first part. If Student Finance England classifies you as eligible for home fee loans, most universities will also treat you as eligible for their home student bursaries. The two systems are not formally linked, but they use the same underlying logic. So in most cases, if you can get a student loan, you can access bursaries too.

But there are edges. Pre-Settled Status holders who qualify for a tuition fee loan might not automatically qualify for every bursary at every university, because some bursary schemes have their own residency criteria on top of the Student Finance England check. And some bursaries are ring-fenced for specific groups, like care leavers, estranged students, refugees or students from particular postcodes, regardless of the standard income threshold.

Eligibility varies by university. Always check the specific bursary terms on your university’s website or contact their student finance office directly.

UK Citizens: Bursaries Available at London Universities

If you are a UK Citizen with three years of UK residency, you have access to every bursary your university offers, assuming you meet the income or background criteria. No extra hoops. No additional evidence beyond what Student Finance England already asked you for.

Most universities automatically assess you for their main bursary when your Student Finance England data comes through. You do not always need to fill in a separate form. But here is the thing that catches people out: some of the best bursaries do need a separate application, and they have deadlines that are earlier than you expect. The university will not chase you. If you miss the deadline, the money goes to someone else.

For UK Citizens from lower-income households (usually below £25,000 to £30,000 depending on the university), bursaries of £1,000 to £3,000 a year are common at London universities. Some also offer one-off “transition” bursaries in your first year to help with the cost of moving.

ILR Holders: Bursary Access for Settled Residents in London

Indefinite Leave to Remain puts you in the same bracket as UK Citizens for bursary purposes. Three years of UK residency plus your ILR status means full access to means-tested bursaries, hardship funds and any widening participation schemes your university runs.

One thing worth flagging. If your ILR was granted recently, like within the last year or two, and your household income is hard to evidence through the usual HMRC route (because your earning history in the UK is short), talk to your university’s student finance office directly. They can sometimes use alternative evidence, like bank statements or employer letters, to assess you for bursaries that would otherwise need a full tax return history.

Do not assume you will not qualify just because your paperwork looks different from a UK-born student’s. The bursary is based on income, not how long you have been earning in the UK.

EU Settled Status: Bursary Eligibility for EU Nationals in London

EU Settled Status holders with three years of UK residency are treated the same as UK Citizens for bursary eligibility. You have access to everything: the main institutional bursary, any department-specific awards, hardship funds, and widening participation funding if you meet the criteria.

The one area where confusion sometimes comes up is around household income evidence. If your parents live in an EU country and their income is not on the UK tax system, the university may need to see translated financial documents or equivalent tax statements from the home country. It is not a blocker, but it can slow things down if you leave it to the last minute. Get those documents translated early.

Pre-Settled Status: What London Students Need to Know About Bursaries

This is the status where bursary eligibility gets genuinely complicated. If you have Pre-Settled Status and Student Finance England has approved your loan application, most universities will treat you as a home student for bursary purposes too. But not all of them, and not for every bursary.

Some bursary schemes have their own residency criteria that go beyond the Student Finance England check. A bursary might require “settled” status specifically, or it might require five years of continuous UK residency rather than three. These are not common conditions, but they exist, and they tend to affect Pre-Settled Status holders more than anyone else.

The practical advice here is simple: do not assume. Check the terms of each bursary individually, or better yet, email your university’s student finance team and ask them directly whether your Pre-Settled Status qualifies you. Get the answer in writing before you rely on that money in your budget.

Refugees and Humanitarian Protection: Dedicated Bursaries in London

Refugees are in a unique position when it comes to bursaries, and it is actually a better position than most people expect.

You are exempt from the three-year residency rule for Student Finance England, which means you qualify for full loans from the date your refugee status or humanitarian protection is confirmed. That same exemption carries over to university bursaries. You have access to the standard means-tested bursaries that every home student can apply for, plus many London universities have dedicated refugee bursaries and scholarships on top of that.

These dedicated funds are often not advertised loudly. They sit on a university’s financial support page or get mentioned in a welcome pack, but they are easy to miss if you are not looking for them. Ask your university’s widening participation team or refugee support advisor specifically about refugee-designated funding. At some London universities, this can add £1,000 to £2,000 per year on top of the standard bursary.

External organisations also offer refugee-specific funding. The Helena Kennedy Foundation, the Student Action for Refugees network and local refugee charities all run bursary programmes that you can apply for alongside anything your university offers. There is no rule against stacking multiple bursaries from different sources.

London Universities with Notable Bursary Schemes

Every university has its own bursary structure, and the amounts change each year. But here are some London universities that are known for particularly strong support packages for home students from lower-income backgrounds. These are not the only ones, just a starting point for your research.

University of East London (UEL) runs a financial support package that includes bursaries for students with household incomes under £25,000, plus additional support for care leavers, estranged students and mature learners. Their campus in Stratford is well-connected and popular with students across east London.

University of Westminster offers some of the most generous bursaries in London, with awards that can reach £5,000 for students from the lowest-income households. They also have a dedicated scholarship for students with refugee backgrounds.

King’s College London runs a bursary scheme worth up to £3,000 a year for home students with household incomes below £25,000. They also have a hardship fund for students who hit financial difficulty mid-year.

Other London universities worth checking

London Metropolitan University has a lower entry barrier than Russell Group universities and provides bursaries and fee waivers targeted at mature students, care leavers and students from widening participation backgrounds. Good option if your route into university was not straightforward.

Queen Mary University of London offers a tiered bursary of up to £1,500 a year based on household income, plus a specific support package for students who were in local authority care.

Bursary amounts and eligibility criteria are updated annually. Always verify current figures on your university’s official financial support page before relying on any numbers.

How Wilor Education Can Help

At Wilor Education, we deal with student funding every single day across all five immigration statuses covered in this guide. So when we sit down with a student, we are not just looking at whether they qualify for a student loan. We are looking at the full picture: which university bursaries match their status and income, whether there are department-specific awards they have not heard of, and whether external trusts or refugee-designated funds apply to their situation.

Here is what that looks like in practice. You come to us, we confirm your immigration status and eligibility, and then we walk you through every funding route that is open to you. Not just the obvious ones. The smaller pots that most students never find because they did not know to look. The hardship funds that do not get advertised. The external grants from organisations like the Helena Kennedy Foundation, Turn2us and the Sanctuary Scholarships network.

We do this for free. No fees for the eligibility check, no fees for the guidance, no hidden charges later. If there is a bursary you qualify for, we want you to know about it before the deadline, not after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay a bursary back?

No. A bursary is not a loan. It is a grant. The money goes into your bank account, you use it for whatever you need, and that is the end of it. No repayment, no interest, no conditions once it has been awarded.

Can I get a bursary and a student loan at the same time?

Yes, and you should. They come from different places. Your loan comes from Student Finance England, your bursary comes from your university or an external trust. One does not cancel out the other. Getting a bursary does not reduce your loan entitlement either.

What if my household income changes after I have applied?

Tell your university and Student Finance England. If your household income drops, you may qualify for a higher bursary or a larger maintenance loan. Most universities reassess within the same academic year if you report a significant change, like a parent losing a job or a change in household structure.

Are bursaries only for first-year students?

No. Most university bursaries are assessed and paid each year of your course, not just in year one. You are usually reassessed annually based on your household income for that year. Some bursaries are first-year-only (like transition or welcome bursaries), but the main institutional bursary typically continues throughout your degree.

I have Pre-Settled Status and my bursary application was rejected. What now?

Ask the university to explain exactly why. If the rejection is because their bursary terms require “settled” status and you have “pre-settled,” ask whether there are alternative funds you qualify for, like hardship funds or widening participation grants, which often have different eligibility rules. If your Pre-Settled Status has since been upgraded to full Settled Status, tell them immediately and ask for a reassessment.

How do I find bursaries for refugees specifically?

Start with your university’s financial support page and ask their widening participation or refugee support team directly. Beyond that, look at the Helena Kennedy Foundation, Student Action for Refugees (STAR), the Sanctuary Scholarships network and the Article 26 project. Local refugee charities in your area may also run small grant programmes. There is no central list, so you need to check multiple sources.

Related Guides for London Students