What is the King's Living Bursary?

The bursary is available for home undergraduate students who have a household income of £42,875 per year or less, as assessed by Student Finance. The bursary is only available to students undertaking a full-time undergraduate degree or Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).

Students on postgraduate healthcare programmes leading to registration are not able to receive the King's Living Bursary.

For students on undergraduate Nursing or allied healthcare programmes, receiving the NHS training grants available this year, this will not affect your entitlement to the King's Living Bursary.

Student who are in receipt of the NHS bursary funding package (e.g. Medical/Dental students on an NHS-funded year) are not able to receive the King's Living Bursary.

The value of the bursary award will depend on which academic year you started at King’s and which household income bracket you fit into. You can find details of this on the King's Living Bursary webpage.

You don't need to apply for the bursary as you will automatically be assessed. However, to be assessed, students must have their household income means tested by Student Finance. Your household income is the total income of your sponsors, which is usually your parent(s)’ combined income. You must have your household income assessed every year of your course so that we can continue to assess your eligibility as your household income may change.

If you are taking out the income assessed maintenance loan this will happen automatically. However, please don't opt out of consent to share as we will not be able to see your household income information. To have your household income means tested, your parents or partner will be requested by Student Finance to provide information about their income, after you have made your application. They will be contacted directly by Student Finance.

They can provide the income information online, however there is also the option to complete a form from Student Finance, called PFF2.

Further information for parents and partners can be found on UK Gov: Support your child or partner's student finance application. 

If you want to check whether you have been means-tested or to check whether your information is being shared with King’s, please contact SFE.

You must have your household income assessed by 30 June. Remember you will need to consider the time it takes for Student Finance to carry out the assessment. Unfortunately, if your household income has not been assessed by 31 July, we will be unable to award you the King’s Living Bursary for that academic year. Eligibility is reassessed each academic year, so if you are ineligible one year, you may still become eligible in a subsequent academic year and vice versa.

The value of the bursary award depends on your household income as assessed by Student Finance. In the first instance, you should check with your parents or partner and Student Finance to confirm your assessed household income figure. If Student Finance reassess your household income and your household income changes, email the Funding team so we can review your bursary entitlement.

Your household income is assessed using earning from the tax year two years before the academic year you’re applying for (2023-24 tax year for the 2025-26 academic year). If your current household income has dropped by 15% or more since the 2023-24 tax year, then you can get your household income reassessed using the CYI form from Student Finance.

Yes, even if your parents do not or cannot provide financial support, Student Finance will still consider their household income when assessing your entitlement for maintenance loan support. However, if you fall into one of the below categories, their household income will not be included:

• you have supported yourself financially for at least 3 years
• you have been married or in a civil partnership at any time before the start of your course
• you spent at least 13 weeks in the care of your local authority before you turned 16 - in this case, you might be able to apply as a care leaver
• you’ve had no contact with your parents for over a year - in this case, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’

If you are a care leaver or estranged student, Student Finance will conduct an assessment and ensure this is reflected on your record with them, so that this is also visible to the Student Funding Office for the purpose of bursaries.
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Your household income will not include your parents’ income if you are over 25, as you will be classed as an ‘independent student’.

Your household income will include your partner’s income, if you are married or in a civil partnership or if you state you are living with a partner. If you are not married or in a civil partnership but declare that you are living with a partner, they will consider their household income as if you are married or in a civil partnership.

All students are eligible for a basic rate of maintenance loan, regardless of household income. Providing your household income means your child/partner will receive the maximum maintenance loan they are eligible to receive. Your household income can also be used to determine eligibility for internal scholarships and bursaries.

Your household income can be assessed by Student Finance even if your child/ partner opts to not take a loan (be this for religious reasons or otherwise). Your child/ partner can request a £0 loan from Student Finance purely for the purpose of being means-tested. Read the below section “I am not taking loans for religious reasons; can I still be considered?”

Your household income information is processed by Student Finance in accordance with their data protection policy. Likewise, your household income is processed in accordance with King’s Data Protection Policy. We will only use your household income to assess your child/partner’s eligibility for other financial support such as scholarships or bursaries. Neither Student Finance, nor King’s, will disclose your household income to your child/partner.

If you have your household income means tested by the beginning of the academic year, you will receive your bursary in two equal instalments - usually in mid-November and mid-February.

Once we have assessed your eligibility, if you are eligible, you will receive an email from the Student Funding Office confirming your award. This email will tell you the amount and how to claim the bursary.
You will need to log into your Student Records and confirm your bank details following these steps in order to receive the bursary:

1. Log into the King's Student Records Portal
2. Go to the My Bank Details – payments to students
3. Select the link Fund Payments, Expenses, Support Grants
4. Follow the instructions on screen carefully to enter/update your bank details

Even if you have confirmed your bank details previously you will need to re-confirm these details. Please ensure you click ‘exit’ once you have entered your details to ensure they save correctly.

Once you have provided your bank details, you should expect to receive your award within 7 working days. If you haven’t received your award after 7 working days, please contact the Funding team.

If you don't receive confirmation of your King’s Living Bursary award in November, check with Student Finance directly that your household income has been means-tested.
For students who have their household income assessed after November, we will conduct further eligibility checks regularly throughout the academic year up to 30 June and eligible students will be contacted automatically once this is complete.

If your household income is assessed after February, you will receive the full amount you have been awarded in one instalment.
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Your household income should automatically be assessed by Student Finance Wales when you make an application for your full funding entitlement. Once you have applied for student finance, your parents or partner will get an email with a link to provide their income details.

This is usually completed online, however if your parent or partner are having issues completing it online, they can also download the PFF2 form and complete it this way.

If you're not taking the full loan or not taking a loan due to religious reasons, please contact SFW directly to ensure your household income can be assessed.

If you are funded by SAAS, they calculate your household income as the combined income of you and your parents or legal guardians.

SAAS only requires you to provide your household income details if your income is less than £34,000 per year.
If your household income is more than £34,000, but less than £42,875, which is the threshold for the King’s Living Bursary, you need to contact SAAS directly and request to have your household income assessed by them because they do not automatically assess this household income bracket.

Your household income should automatically be assessed by Student Finance Northern Ireland when you make an application for your full funding entitlement. Your parents or partner will then be contacted and asked to provide information about their income. You may be asked to provide contact information for your parents or partner. Student Finance Northern Ireland will contact them directly with instructions to submit their income information.

If you are not taking a loan based on your household income or for religious reasons, contact Contact Student Finance Northern Ireland directly to have them assess your household income.