Funding and Finance
Tuition fee and Maintenance Loans
If you are looking to train as a teacher funding is available to help you complete your teacher training year and start your new career. You can apply for:
- tuition fee loans to cover up to £9,250, these are paid directly to you by Student Finance England.
- maintenance loans of up to £13,022 to help with living costs
You will only have to make loan repayments once you are earning over the salary threshold.
More information about tuition fee and maintenance loans can be found
I already have received loans for my first degree
You can still apply for a tuition fee and a maintenance loan if you already have a loan
Bursaries and Scholarships
You may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship when training to teach. These are tax-free amounts of money you receive to train in certain subjects. You do not need to pay these back.
Bursaries and scholarships are paid in 10 equal instalments over the duration of the programme.
Bursaries
You could get up to £28,000 tax-free while you train in the form of a government teacher training bursary. Your eligibility for, and the amount you can expect to receive, will depend on the subject you choose to teach and your degree classification or highest relevant academic qualification.
You do not need to apply for a bursary. If you’re eligible, you’ll automatically receive it.
For more information about bursaries see the Get into Teaching Bursaries and Scholarships page
* Information in scholarships and bursaries table is indicative of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Scholarships
If you are passionate about your subject and have the ambition and potential to become an outstanding teacher, you could apply for a scholarship. Scholarships are provided by charitable organisations. They are highly competitive and therefore awarded to the most gifted and passionate As well as financial support, as a scholar you’ll enjoy a range of prestigious benefits, including:
- free membership from the professional subject associations awarding the scholarship
- access to resources and events to support you through your training
- support to improve your teacher practice and subject knowledge
- networking opportunities from a community of like-minded scholars
Eligibility
To be eligible for a scholarship, you’ll need at least one of the following:
- a bachelor’s degree class 2:1 (honours) or higher
- a master’s degree
- a PhD
In exceptional circumstances, if you achieved a 2:2 in your degree you may still be awarded a scholarship if you have significant relevant experience.
Benefits
As a scholar the benefits go beyond financial support, you will also enjoy:
- free membership from the professional subject associations awarding the scholarship
- access to classroom resources and events to support you through your training (workshops, mentoring and coaching)
- support to improve your teacher practice and subject knowledge
- networking opportunities from a community of like-minded scholars
How to apply
Scholarships are offered by independent institutions. They set their own eligibility criteria and you’ll need to apply through the relevant scholarship body:
- the Royal Society of Chemistry(opens in new window) (chemistry)
- BCS The Chartered Institute for IT(opens in new window) (computing)
- British Council(opens in new window) (languages – French, German and Spanish only)
- the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications(opens in new window) (maths)
- the Institute of Physics(opens in new window) (physics)
Each scholarship body will have its own deadline for applications. You can find these on their individual websites.
If you’re not successful in your application for a scholarship, and have secured a place on a qualifying teacher training course in England, you will still receive the standard bursary.
Bursary and Scholarships 2023-2024
The following table shows the bursaries and scholarships available for the 2024-2025 academic year. Once bursaries and scholarships are confirmed for the 2024-25 year this will be updated.
| Subject | Bursary | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| Art and Design | £10,000 | |
| Biology | £25,000 | |
| Chemistry | £28,000 | £30,000 |
| Computing | £28,000 | £30,000 |
| Design and Technology | £25,000 | |
| English | £10,000 | |
| Geography | £25,000 | |
| Languages (French, German and Spanish only) | £25,000 | £27,000 |
| Languages (all other languages, including ancient languages) | £25,000 | |
| Maths | £28,000 | £30,000 |
| Music | £10,000 | |
| Physics | £28,000 | £30,000 |
| RE | £10,000 |
Additional Financial Support
If you are a parent or carer, have a disability or are a veteran, there may be additional financial support available to you.
Once you have accepted your place with us, you can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance, Disabled Students’ Allowance and Adult Dependants’ Grant online via Student Finance England (SFE).
Parent and Carer financial support
If you have children or other caring responsibilities, you may be able to get extra financial support while training to teach.
You do not have to pay this money back, and you’ll get it on top of your other student finance.
There are full and part-time teacher training courses available, but you must be doing a full-time course to be eligible for the following funding. If you’re doing a part-time course, you may be eligible for Universal Credit.
Child Care Grant
A Childcare Grant could help you with your childcare costs. The amount you could receive will depend on your household income and the number of children who are dependent on you.
*in the 2023-2024 academic year these were up to £188.90 (1 child) or up to £323.85 (2 or more children)
To be eligible, you need to:
- be a full-time higher education student
- have children under 15 (or 17 if they have special educational needs)
- be eligible for student finance
Find out more about the Childcare Grant and how to apply(opens in new window).
Parents' Learning Allowance
A Parents' Learning Allowance could help you with your learning costs. You could be eligible for between *£50 and £1915 a year, depending on your household income.
To be eligible, you need to:
- be doing a full-time undergraduate course or a teacher training course in England
- have dependent children
- have a household income of less than *£18,739.99 a year
Find out more about the Parents’ Learning Allowance and how to apply(opens in new window).
*NB indicative of the 2023-2024 academic year
Adult Dependants' Grant
You could be eligible for an Adult Dependants’ Grant of up to *£3,354, depending on:
- your household income
- the adult dependant’s income
- your personal circumstances (for example, if you’re married or have children)
- what other grants you’re receiving (for example, a Childcare Grant)
This is usually paid to you in 3 instalments, one at the start of each term.
To be eligible, you need to:
- be a full-time student in higher education
- have an adult depend on you financially
- have a household income of less than *£15,453.98
Find out more about the Adult Dependants’ Grants and how to apply(opens in new window).
*NB indicative of the 2023-2024 academic year
Getting support if you are disabled
The experience and perspective of a diverse workforce is valued in school culture.
If you’re disabled, have a mental health condition or educational needs, you can get support to become a teacher.
Financial support
You can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)(opens in new window) to cover the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability.
You’ll get confirmation of whether your application has been successful within 6 weeks.
It can take up to 14 weeks to get your DSA support, so you should take this into consideration if you need the support in place for the start of your course.
If you are salaried or an apprentice you may also be eligible for support(opens in new window).
Adjustments to support your training
We can make adjustments to support you in your training. For example:
- adapting learning resources
- access to adult mental health first aiders,]
- putting you in touch with other professionals
- ensuring accessibility
AbilityNet(opens in new window) or Disability Rights UK(opens in new window) may also be able to help you identify technology or other adjustments to help you study.
Sharing that you’re disabled when you apply for teacher training(opens in new window) can help us to make adjustments for interview and to support your teacher training journey. Do contact us to discuss any adjustments you may need.
Support for veterans
As a veteran, you can bring a unique perspective to teaching by using your organisation, leadership and management skills in the classroom.
Undergraduate bursary for veterans
You may be eligible for a tax-free undergraduate bursary of £40,000 if you are (all of the following):
- a veteran who has left full-time employment with the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy no more than 5 years before the start of the course
- training to teach secondary biology, physics, chemistry, computing, maths or languages
- doing an undergraduate degree leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England
Doing an undergraduate degree leading to QTS means that you would be qualified to teach in England.
You do not need to apply for a bursary to get one. Your teacher training provider will determine if you’re eligible.
You’ll receive £20,000 in each of the last 2 years of your course in equal monthly instalments.
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
As with all trainees, you may be eligible for a postgraduate scholarship or bursary if you are training in certain subject (see Bursaries and Scholarships above)
Getting advice and support
There are many places and organisations that support veterans as they come to the end of service including:
- The Career Transition Partnership
- The MOD’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC)(opens in new window) promotes lifelong learning amongst members of the armed forces by providing financial support to pay for approved qualifications. You can contact them to find out about eligibility.
- If you’re unsure about who to contact for support, Veteran’s Gateway(opens in new window) can help put you in touch with the organisations you may need for advice and support.
Get into Teaching can give you dedicated support from a teacher training adviser, someone like you who as left the armed forces and gone into teaching. A teacher training adviser can support you with understanding the qualifications you have and whether these are recognised or require some additional work.
Call Get into Teaching for support from a specialist adviser 0800 389 2500
Council Tax Concessions
Full time students can apply for council tax reduction / exemption. This is dependent on who lives in your household. You will need to provide you local authority with an official letter. This can be provided upon request.
Universal Credit
You may be eligible to claim Universal Credit if you have children under 16 (or under 20 in approved education or training).
Student Finance Calculator
This calculator will help you to estimate the funding that you may be entitled to. Click here to access