Financing your studies

Graduates are likely to earn on average up to 30% more in their careers than those who enter employment straight from school or college, but you must be realistic about how much going to University will cost you. Most students graduate with some form of debt.

Things to be aware of:

• Pre-planning: discuss finances as early as possible with your parents, guardians or partner and work out a budget to ensure that you can pay for the necessities such as accommodation, travel, food or study materials.
• Part-time work: many students undertake part-time employment but remember that you are at University to study and part-time work should not impact to the detriment of your academic career. You will find that there are a number of part-time employment opportunities in Dumfries, some of which are advertised through the University's Job Shop, based in Student Services.
• Fees: see Tuition Fees on the Registry website for information about fees or download the Annual tuition fees information. Tuition fees for eligible Scottish domiciled/EU students will normally be paid to the University by the Students Award Agency for Scotland, provided you apply for this through the SAAS website. Applicants from England,Wales and Northern Ireland should note that the University does not charge Top Up Fees. Students domiciled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland may be liable to pay all or part of their tuition fee due. You will need to apply to your Local Education Authority (LEA) if living in England and Wales, or Education and Library Board (ELB) if from Northern Ireland, in order to assess how much of the tuition fee, if any, you may be required to pay and to determine eligibility for a student loan and any non-repayable grants to which you may be entitled.
• Maintenance income: Students apply to SAAS for Student Loans and bursaries; thereafter the University has Discretionary Funds / Childcare Funds which students can apply for. Forms are available from Student Services. There may be other Funds which you can apply for and you can arrange to meet with the Funding Adviser for help to work out what to apply for.
• Loans and overdrafts: remember that any loans taken out with commercial banks to fund your studies or credit card purchases will have to be paid back and although you may be offered attractive payment terms when you are a student, once you graduate these terms may change. Ensure that you know what your lender is going to charge you. This is also the case for borrowing on overdraft facilities offered to you by your bank.