If you are a student from England, there are grants available from the Government and City St George’s, University of London to help support your living and course costs.
Eligibility depends on your personal circumstances and household income. Grants and bursaries do not need to be paid back.
City St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant 2025/26
The City St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant is our bursary for students who are ordinarily resident in England. By offering this extra funding we aim to support students from lower income backgrounds to access and progress on their first Higher Education course. Eligible students will receive this support from City St George’s in addition to their student finance. Please note that previous study at Higher Education level may affect entitlement.
Assessment Process
Students will be assessed for the City St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant using the information given on their Student Finance England application. There is no separate application form to complete. Please ensure that you (and your parent(s)/partner/spouse, if applicable) give permission on the student finance application for the household income details to be shared with the University.
Student Finance England (SFE) make the bursary payments to eligible students on behalf of the University. A notification of entitlement letter will be sent via email and will appear on eligible students’ SFE online accounts later in the autumn term once all students are registered and enrolled.
City St George’s appreciates that, for religious or cultural reasons, some students may not be in a position to take out a student loan on which interest is payable. In order to be considered for the City St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant, all students will need to make an application to Student Finance England for a financial assessment. If you do not wish to take out the tuition fee or maintenance loan please specify zero on the Loan Request part of the application.
Care Leavers
Care leaver students are those who have been looked after by a Local Authority before coming to University. Care leavers in full-time education usually have a Local Authority Personal Adviser until the age of 25. Care leaver students are a priority group for the City St George’s Opportunity Fund Grant and, subject to meeting the usual eligibility criteria, will receive the maximum award for their year of study regardless of their household income.
If you are a care leaver please email us at studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk to make us aware of your circumstances and we will get in touch to discuss further support and advice available to you at City St George’s.
Opportunity Fund Grant rates for 2024-2025
This table below shows bursary amounts for the 2024/25 academic year:
| Household income band | Bursary amount in first year of study | Bursary amount in subsequent years of study |
|---|---|---|
| £0 - £16,000 | £1,700 | £1,000 |
| £16,001 - £25,000 | £1,250 | £500 |
| £25,001 - £30,000 | £750 | £500 |
Grants for dependants 2025/26
If your course is supported by Student Finance England and you have dependants, you may be eligible for additional grants while you study. All grants for dependants are income assessed so the household income will affect eligibility and entitlement.
Click each heading below to find out more about the different types of support available.
Childcare Grant
Full-time higher education students using a registered childcare provider can apply for a Childcare Grant of:
- up to £193.62 a week for one child
- up to £331.95 a week for two or more children.
The grant helps with childcare costs for children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs, and can meet up to 85% of the actual cost.
Parents' Learning Allowance
Full-time students with children can apply for a Parents' Learning Allowance of up to £1,963 to help with their learning costs.
Adult Dependants' Grant
Full-time students with an adult who depends on them financially can apply for an Adult Dependants’ Grant of up to £3,438.
Disabled Students' Allowance
You can apply for a non-means tested Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if you are studying a Higher Education course, usually live in England and have a:
- specific learning difficulty
- mental health condition
- physical disability
- sensory disability
- long-term health condition.
DSAs can help you pay the extra costs you may have because of your disability. DSAs don’t have to be repaid. The support you get depends on your individual needs and not on household income.
NHS funding for Medicine MBBS
Our Medicine programmes are partially funded by NHS Student Bursaries.
Our Medicine programmes are partially funded by NHS Student Bursaries.
Medicine MBBS (5- year) students can apply for NHS support from their fifth year of study.
Medicine MBBS (4- year graduate entry) students can apply for NHS support from their second year of study. For years two, three and four of the MBBS4 course the tuition fee funding is split between NHS Student Bursaries and Student Finance England.
For the relevant year(s) of study, Medicine students can apply to NHS Student Bursaries for a partial/full tuition fee grant plus a non-income assessed £1,000 grant for living costs and an income assessed bursary for living costs. NHS Student Bursaries also offer additional support to students who have a disability and to students with dependants.
Please visit our NHS bursary page and the NHS Student Bursaries website for more details.
Students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales
If you normally live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, please visit your local student finance website for information about any government grants you may be eligible for.
Notice for 2026/2027 applicants:
The arrangements and potential funding amounts outlined here relate to academic year 2025/26 only. For the 2026/27 cohort of undergraduates and onwards, the grant offer at City, St George's will be integrated across all campuses, this will include changes to the eligibility criteria and bursary value.