Free tuition for Scottish students, living cost loan up to £7,750/yr, Young Students' Bursary up to £2,000/yr
Calculate your estimated SAAS living cost loan and bursary entitlement for 2025/26.
Amounts are estimates. Exact awards determined by SAAS based on your individual application.
| Funding Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition fees (Scottish students in Scotland) | Free | Paid by SAAS to university |
| Living cost loan (max, away from home) | £7,750/yr | Income-assessed, repayable |
| Living cost loan (max, at home) | £5,750/yr | Income-assessed, repayable |
| Young Students’ Bursary (max) | £2,000/yr | Non-repayable, income under £34,000 |
| Outside Scotland Supplement | £1,000/yr | If studying outside Scotland |
Scottish students at Scottish universities are in a uniquely favourable position in the UK. With zero tuition fees, the maximum debt at graduation from a 4-year Scottish degree is typically only the living cost loan — around £25,000–£31,000 for 4 years, compared to £50,000–£65,000 for an English student at an English university.
The trade-off is that the living cost loan maximum in Scotland (£7,750) is lower than the English maintenance loan maximum (£13,022 for London students). However, students from lower-income households receive the non-repayable Young Students’ Bursary of up to £2,000/yr to partially offset this gap.
Scottish students who choose to study in England must pay English tuition fees (£9,535/yr) and would typically apply for English maintenance loans — potentially accumulating much higher debts than staying in Scotland.
Scottish-domiciled students studying at a Scottish institution pay no tuition fees. Fees are paid by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) directly to the university. This applies for the duration of a first undergraduate degree (up to 4 years for most courses, 5 years for some medicine and engineering degrees).
SAAS (Student Awards Agency Scotland) is the body that provides student funding for eligible Scottish students. It covers tuition fee payments and provides living cost loans and bursaries. SAAS is broadly equivalent to Student Finance England but with different rates and a more generous bursary system for lower-income students.
For 2025/26, the maximum living cost loan from SAAS for students living away from home is £7,750 per year. Students living at home receive a lower amount. The loan is income-assessed and reduces for students from higher household income families.
The Young Students’ Bursary (YSB) is a non-repayable grant of up to £2,000 per year for students under 25 from lower-income households. Students whose household income is under £34,000 receive the full bursary. The YSB reduces on a sliding scale up to a household income of approximately £34,000 (above which it is £0).
Scottish students at Scottish institutions pay no tuition fees (vs £9,535/yr in England). The Scottish living cost loan maximum (£7,750) is lower than the English maintenance loan maximum (£13,022 for London students). However, the non-repayable bursary (up to £2,000) partially compensates lower-income students. Scottish graduate debt is typically much lower than English graduate debt.
For 2025/26, the Young Students’ Bursary starts reducing when household income exceeds approximately £17,000 and is fully withdrawn at around £34,000. The exact thresholds are updated annually by SAAS.
Yes. Scottish-domiciled students studying at English, Welsh, or Northern Irish universities can still get SAAS living cost loan support. However, you will need to pay tuition fees at that institution’s rate (up to £9,535 in England) and may need to take out a separate tuition fee loan through that country’s system.
The Independent Students’ Bursary provides up to £875 per year for students who have been looked after by a local authority, are care leavers, or are estranged from their families. The bursary is non-repayable and helps support students without family financial support.
Apply online at saas.gov.uk. You will need your National Insurance number, proof of identity, and your offer of a place at university. Applications can be made as soon as you receive a conditional or unconditional offer.
SAAS recommends applying by 30 June for most students to ensure funds are available for the start of the academic year. Late applications can cause payment delays at the start of term. SAAS typically opens applications in March/April for the following September start.
No. The graduate endowment fee was abolished in Scotland in 2008. Scottish graduates pay no graduation charge — this is sometimes confused with older arrangements.
Scottish graduates who took living cost loans through SAAS repay under Plan 1 (if they started before 2012) or Plan 4 (for Scottish students). Plan 4 threshold is £31,395 (2025/26). Repayments are 9% of income above this threshold.