For students to be eligible for SLC (Student Loan Company) funding, they must be studying a designated course. Courses at Edinburgh Theological Seminary are designated each year by the Department for Education. We make an application for our courses to be designated annually and we expect this process to be completed in late Spring each year.
Funding Your Studies
It’s important to take time to consider how you will finance your studies well in advance of starting your course.
The funding sources which are available to you will depend on where you come from, at least in the first instance. It will also depend on your course of studies.
Undergraduate & Postgraduate Students from Scotland
Residents of Scotland studying on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Scotland can apply to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for funding. Undergraduate students would normally have their tuition fees paid but postgraduate students may apply for a student loan from which they can pay their tuition fees, but this would need to be paid back, just like any other student loan. SAAS also provides access to student loans at undergraduate level and a range of other support, depending on your age and circumstances.
Residency is defined as follows by SAAS:
- To meet the general residence conditions, you must have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of the course (the relevant date). For the majority of students who start their course in the autumn term, the relevant date is 1 August.
- You must also be ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date.
- If you are not a UK national, you must also have ‘settled status’ in the UK (as set out in the Immigration Act 1971) on the relevant date. If you have not been living in the UK, you may still qualify depending on your circumstances.
- We will not treat you as being ordinarily resident in Scotland if your main purpose in coming here has been to receive full-time education and that you would have otherwise been living elsewhere.
You can find out more on the SAAS website.
If you are applying to start, or continue, studying in an academic session, make sure that you submit your application for funding before the end of June prior to the new session, if at all possible, so it will be processed for the beginning of your studies. If you leave it till later, you might find that there is an unwelcome gap in your finances.
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland
If you are classed as being ordinarily resident in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (i.e., Rest of UK), you will be required to pay tuition fees for each year of your course. The fees set by ETS can be found here.
You may also be entitled to take out an additional student loan to cover tuition costs, and this will be repaid, along with any other student loans, once you have graduated. Please visit Student Finance England, Student Finance NI, or Student Finance Wales for further information on what you would pay back.
Students from the EU/EEA
Due to the UK withdrawal from the EU, EU students commencing their studies in 2021/22 and later will no longer be eligible for Home fees (free tuition) nor funding from the Scottish government. From 2021/22, new entrant EU students will pay the same fees as all other international students.
Students from outside the UK
If you belong to this category, it is likely that you will be classed as an international student and will have to pay international student fees.
Disabled students
You may be eligible for a Disabled Students Allowance from SAAS, who will need to confirm that you have a place on a course that they support and that you are eligible for support from SAAS. For more information please see DSA notes on funding for disabled students allowance.
If you have a disability or need additional support please contact the Disability Officer who will be able to discuss your needs and find expert help to enable you to access the right funding and support for you.