Funding and financial support

An overview of the scholarship funding is allocated in addition to any other government financial support you may be eligible for.

Scholarship funding

  • To qualify for the scholarship, you must apply for and receive all available UK government student financial support, typically provided as a student loan.
  • The scholarship funding will cover all remaining costs to fund your studies and living costs.
  • The amount you receive depends on how much you are eligible to receive from your government funding and your immigration status.
  • The scholarship will cover the remaining costs. 
  • Any scholarship funding you receive is subject to your engagement with your academic course and the Education Beyond Borders programme.

How the funding will work - depending on your immigration status

As an asylum seeker in the UK, you are not eligible for government funding, so you will receive: 

  • £19,795 as a stipend for living costs
  • Full funding for tuition fees (at ‘home fee level’), which will be paid directly to the University.  

What does the scholarship stipend cover? 

The scholarship only covers your costs and does not provide financial or practical support for family members and other dependents (e.g., no accommodation costs will be provided for anyone other than the successful scholarship applicant). 

If you have asylum seeker status and you receive Home Office support, you may be more secure remaining on this support rather than taking the scholarship funding as you may lose access to Home Office accommodation and Legal Aid. In the short term, the loss of this government support may be manageable but could cause challenges once you finish your studies.

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If you choose to stay on asylum support, Education Beyond Borders cannot legally provide you with any living costs. However, you can receive funding from Education Beyond Borders towards your tuition fees plus study and travel costs only. This only applies if you are based in Edinburgh or within a commutable distance.

We define a commutable distance as:

  • being within a 60-mile radius of the University of Edinburgh 
  • you can travel to the University by car, bus or train to attend your classes. 

It is important to think this through carefully before applying for this scholarship. 

How will the scholarship be distributed? 

We will provide information about the scholarship's distribution in a 'payment schedule', which will be issued once we have confirmed that you have met the conditions for your degree course entry.  


Tuition fees 

You must apply for government postgraduate funding for your tuition fees and we will pay the difference of what your tuition fees costs (home fee level) directly to the university.  
  • If you are a student who usually resides in Scotland you are eligible for up to £7000 towards tuition fees which is paid directly to the University by SAAS and we pay the rest of your tuition fees, also directly to the University.   
  • If you are a student who usually resides in England we will pay your tuition fees in full directly to the University.   
  • Wales: Under review
  • Northern Ireland: Under review  

Living costs  

You must apply for government funding for living costs. Education Beyond Borders will provide an additional stipend up to a maximum of £19,795 for your living costs. The amount you receive from us depends on what you receive from government funding for living costs.  

  • If you usually live in Scotland, you are eligible for up to £6900 from SAAS towards living costs, and you will receive up to £12100 from Education Beyond Borders.  
  • If you usually live in England/Wales/Northern Ireland, you are eligible for varying levels of funding, and we will provide additional funding up to a value of £19,795. For example, if you live in England, you are eligible for up to £12471, and you would receive up to £6766 of Education Beyond Borders scholarship funding.  
  • If you are eligible but decide not to apply for a loan, you must provide proof that you can cover the rest of your tuition fees and living expenses.
  • If you are not eligible for a loan, we require an official confirmation letter as evidence. If this is the case, you will be considered for full funding.

What does the scholarship stipend cover? 

The stipend, along with any student finance you receive, will allow a good standard of living, covering costs for accommodation, food, bills, travel and study costs in Edinburgh.The scholarship only covers costs for individuals and does not provide financial or practical support for family members and other dependents. This includes support for living or accommodation costs for anyone other than the successful applicant. 

How will the scholarship be distributed? 

We will provide information about the scholarship's distribution in a 'payment schedule', which will be issued once we have confirmed that you have met the conditions for your degree course entry.  


Student loans

UK Government student financial support is available to those who meet the nationality and residency criteria set by the government body that distributes the funds. 

The funds partially cover tuition fees and living costs to support students in their studies, and they are often called a ‘student loan’. 

Different government bodies distribute funding in specific UK regions (Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland).  


Generally, those with the following statuses will be eligible for a student loans in the UK:

  • Those who hold immigration status (or are dependant) of ‘Refugee’ (including ‘Leave to Remain’) 
  • OR have permission to remain under one of the eligible resettlement schemes 
  • OR have been granted ‘Humanitarian Protection’.

We advise you to do your own research to check your own individual eligibility.


  • While student loans are funding that you will eventually have to pay back, they work differently from a bank loan. 
  • You will only start repaying this loan to the regional student loans company when your income is over a certain amount (the ‘threshold’ amount) at some point after completing your degree. 
  • When you start earning the threshold amount (currently £31,395 in Scotland), the loan payment is deducted monthly from your payslip. 
  • The amount you pay back monthly depends on which company you have taken the loan from, how much you borrowed and how much you earn. 

All scholarship applicants who are eligible for government funding must apply for and receive all UK financial support available to them. This will usually be a loan for part of their tuition fees and living costs. 

If you are not eligible to apply for student finance, you must provide evidence of this.  

To prevent any delays, we advise that you apply for your study loan as soon as you have received an offer from the University of Edinburgh.


The funding you can apply for depends on the region (Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales) where you usually live. 

It is your responsibility to apply for eligible funding. If you have any questions about what you are entitled to, please get in touch with the relevant funding body.  

These figures are an example based on the funding issued in the 2024/25 academic year, and funding amounts may differ in 2025/26. 

Scotland – Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) 

Tuition fees: £7000  (this is sent directly to the University to be used towards your tuition fees)  

Living costs: £6,900  

 

Wales – Student Finance Wales  

Tuition Fees and living costs: £18,950 

 

England – Student Finance England  

Tuition fees and living costs: £12,471 

 

Northern Ireland – Student Finance NI  

Tuition Fees: Up to £6,500 


We recognise that some students may not wish to take out a loan for religious or personal reasons, such as Sharia/faith-based beliefs. Ƶhas been provided with this guidance from the UK Fatwa Council, which advises why student loans are permissible in these circumstances and is on their website.


 

Further advice on funding

If you decide not to take a loan, you will need to make sure you have an alternative source of funding to cover the cost of your education alongside this scholarship. If you require more information on this subject, please get in touch with the Education Beyond Borders team.

Contact the team

Plan your budget

Before you apply, you are advised to plan a budget you check that you can afford to study in Edinburgh.

Read our guidance to help you plan

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