This guide outlines the tuition fees and financial support arrangements for UK students joining a PGCE or PGDE at Edge Hill University between August 2022 and July 2023.

We can help explain what student funding you may be entitled to receive and how to apply for it. You can also learn how to apply for postgraduate teacher training with Edge Hill.

Teacher training funding introduction

Please note, the information on these pages may be subject to change and excludes School Direct trainees for whom financial support arrangements may vary.

If you already hold Qualified Teacher Status and join a PGCE or PGDE, you will not be eligible for Government funding.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate and associated financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our dedicated guide to EU student finance for further information.

Overseas students should contact our International Office on +44 (0)1695 657122 or email [email protected] for further information.

PGCE and PGDE tuition fees

If you are a prospective UK student joining a PGCE or PGDE at Edge Hill University between August 2022 and July 2023, the tuition fee will be £9,250.

Eligible students will not have to pay up-front for their tuition and can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of the course fees.

Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) Scheme

If you have recently left the British Armed Forces, or are a serving member in the qualifying resettlement phase, you may be eligible to use Enhanced Learning Credits to receive financial support towards the cost of tuition fees.

Edge Hill University is an approved Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) provider, enabling eligible military personnel to potentially receive funding for up to three separate Ministry of Defence financial years (1 April – 31 March) while studying with us.

You can view a list of eligible Edge Hill programmes using the provider search on the Enhanced Learning Credits website. If a course you are interested in is not listed, please email [email protected] for clarification.

PGCE loans

Tuition fee loans

You will be able to borrow the full cost of your tuition fee from the Government in the form of a tuition fee loan (subject to eligibility).

PGCE maintenance loans

• Available to help with living costs such as food, accommodation and travel.
• The amount of maintenance loan you can apply for is determined by your household income, where you are going to live while you are studying, and additional criteria.
• Usually paid in three instalments, directly to your bank or building society account.

Maintenance loans are subject to different financial arrangements and eligibility criteria depending on whether you are domiciled in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. 

If you are domiciled in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you should refer to the website of the relevant funding body for loan amounts and eligibility criteria.

The standard maximum maintenance loan amounts for eligible students domiciled in England are as follows:

• A maintenance loan of up to £9,706 may be available if you live away from home.
• A maintenance loan of up to £8,171 may be available if you live with your parents.

The maximum amount you can receive as a maintenance loan may increase if you qualify for certain benefits.

If you are domiciled in England and qualify for the relevant benefits, you may be eligible for an increased maintenance loan as follows:

• A maintenance loan of up to £11,064 may be available if you live away from home.
• A maintenance loan of up to £9,640 may be available if you live with your parents.

Who is eligible for increased maintenance loans?

You may be eligible for additional means-tested weekly amounts if your course exceeds 30 weeks of study per academic year.

You may be eligible for an increased maintenance loan if you meet any of the following criteria:

• You are a lone parent who is responsible for a child or a young person aged under 20 who is a member of your household and who is in full-time education.
• You are a lone foster parent of a child or young person aged under 20.
• You have a partner who is also a full-time student and one or both of you are responsible for a child or young person aged under 20 who is in full-time non-advanced education.
• You have a disability and qualify for a Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium.
• You have been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks (two or more periods of incapacity separated by a break of no more than eight weeks count as one continuous period).
• You are deaf and qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowances.
• You are waiting to go back to a course having taken approved time out because of an illness or caring responsibility that has now come to an end for a period not exceeding one year.
• You are entitled to Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance.
• You are entitled to housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.

For those students entitled to benefits who qualify for an increased maintenance loan, the maintenance loan will consist of a special support element which will be disregarded as student income when calculating benefits. The maximum special support element of a maintenance loan will be £4,106 of the overall maximum maintenance loan amount. There is no special support element within the standard maintenance loan.

A breakdown of potential maintenance loan amounts, subject to eligibility, is available for English-domiciled students based on illustrative levels of household income.

Please note, a PGCE or PGDE is classed as a longer course for funding purposes so you may be eligible to receive an additional income-tested, weekly amount for extra weeks of study beyond the standard 30 weeks and 3 days.

Students aged 60 or over on the first day of the first year of their course may be entitled to a maintenance loan up to a maximum of £4,106.

View maintenance loan tables for full-time students

Loan repayments

You will not have to start repaying the total of your student loans until the April after you have completed your course and are earning above a certain threshold amount. The repayment threshold for students joining a course in the following academic year is reviewed in April each year and currently stands at £27,295 a year.

The amount you repay will be linked to your income. Each year you will be expected to repay 9% of your income that is above the repayment threshold. So, for example, if your salary is £30,000 a year, with a repayment threshold of £27,295 a year, the 9% repayment would only apply to £2,705, meaning you would repay just over £20 a month. If your income falls below the repayment threshold, for any reason, you will not have to make repayments until your income rises above this threshold again.

The Government will typically apply interest on your student loans at inflation (Retail Price Index – RPI) plus 3%, while you are studying, and up until the April you are due to start repaying. The interest rate will vary from the April you are due to start repaying, subject to your income level. A Government cap of 7.3% is currently in place until August 2023 on the maximum interest rate that can be applied to most student loans. Further information about student loan repayments is available on GOV.UK.

The Student Loans Company will work with HM Revenue and Customs to collect repayments. They will be taken by your employer and shown on your pay statement. If you are self-employed, the repayments will be collected through the tax self-assessment system. No early repayment charges will be made. Any monies still owed after 30 years will be written off.

If you leave your course early, you will still have to repay your student loans. Leaving a course during term time can result in the overpayment of a maintenance loan. In these circumstances, you should contact Student Finance England, or the equivalent funding body, about the option of completing a financial hardship application to move any overpayments to your graduate repayment plan.

Alternative funding

Religious faith may mean taking out student loans and paying the required inflation-based interest is an issue for some students and could be prohibited for religious reasons.

The Government is working towards an alternative Sharia-compliant student finance package for these circumstances. The suggested alternative financial product would result in identical graduate repayments to the current student loan system but would not be interest based.

Further details are awaited from the Government. In the meantime, you may find it useful to contact a local Imam to discuss Sharia-compliant finance if you have any concerns. Alternative sources of funding, while limited, are outlined on our money advice webpages.

Edge Hill PGCE bursaries

Department for Education bursaries

If you are joining selected secondary PGCEs, you may be eligible to receive a Department for Education bursary.

For academic year 2022/23, the bursary scheme is based on your teacher training subject and degree classification or highest relevant academic qualification achieved.

Eligible UK students can expect to qualify for a Department for Education bursary on Edge Hill University’s PGCEs as indicated below.

• Secondary Computer Science and Information Technology – £24,000 with a first class, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree, or if you have successfully completed a PhD or Masters award.
• Secondary Geography – £15,000 with a first class, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree, or if you have successfully completed a PhD or Masters award.
• Secondary Mathematics – £24,000 with a first class, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree, or if you have successfully completed a PhD or Masters award.
• Secondary Science (Biology) – £10,000 with a first class, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree, or if you have successfully completed a PhD or Masters award.

To receive a Department for Education bursary, you must be entitled to financial support under the Student Finance England criteria. Residents of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will need to be entitled for support as set out by the relevant funding body.

Please note, there are no Department for Education bursaries for students joining PGCEs in Primary Early Years, Primary Education, Primary Mathematics Specialist, Primary Physical Education Specialist, Secondary English, Secondary History, Secondary Physical Education or Secondary Religious Education in academic year 2022/23.

If you are awarded a bursary, payments will be distributed in ten equal monthly instalments from October to July.

To find out more about this bursary scheme, please visit the Get into Teaching website.

Institute of Technical Education (ITE) bursaries

If you are joining our PGDE Post-14 Education, you may be eligible to receive an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) bursary.

For academic year 2022/23, the bursary scheme is based on your intention to teach a designated priority subject in the further education sector, as well as relevant qualifications or professional experience.

The bursary amounts available to eligible UK students in academic year 2022/23 varies according to your choice of subject specialism.

• Computing – £26,000
• Engineering and/or Manufacturing – £26,000
• English – £12,000
• Mathematics – £26,000
• Science (including Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics) – £26,000
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) – £15,000

Funding will not be provided for any subjects that are not included in this list.

To be eligible for a bursary, you must qualify to receive student finance (for example, a tuition fee loan) and intend to seek a teaching post in further education in England on completion of the PGDE.

You must also have:

• GCSE English and GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent).
• An A Level (or equivalent or higher qualification) in your subject of training or appropriate professional experience.

You must not:

• Already be in possession of, or be simultaneously undertaking, a diploma in education and training (DET) or a DET-compliant qualification (or equivalent).
• Already hold, or be eligible to receive, Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status, or Advanced Teacher Status (ATS).
• Already have received a full Institute of Technical Education bursary or grant from a previous course.
• Be undertaking paid teaching work which contributes to your training when in receipt of the bursary.

ITE bursaries are awarded from a finite pot of funding on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of subject specialism. The number of bursaries that can be awarded is therefore limited. It is possible that not every candidate who meets the eligibility criteria will be able to receive a bursary.

The number of bursaries available for students whose subject specialism is English are additionally capped for academic year 2022/23 at a maximum of 100 awards between all providers.

If you are awarded a bursary, payments will be distributed in ten equal monthly instalments from October to July.

To find out more about this bursary scheme, please visit the Department for Education website.

Grants for PGCE and PGDE students

• Adult Dependants’ Grant – means-tested support of up to £3,263 a year if you have to care for an adult dependant, who is not your grown-up child, while studying (subject to eligibility).
• Childcare Grant – means-tested support designed to contribute up to 85% towards your childcare costs if you have a dependent child/children in the care of an Ofsted-registered childcare provider while you study. Childcare grants for academic year 2022/23 are worth up to a maximum of £183.75 per week for one child only or up to £315.03 per week for two or more children (subject to eligibility).
• Disabled Students’ Allowance – support tailored to your individual needs if you have a disability or specific learning difficulty. Disabled Students’ Allowances are worth up to £25,575 for eligible students in academic year 2022/23. These allowances are designed to help with the cost of specialist equipment (such as computer software), extra travel costs due to a disability, or other support necessary to enable you to study. You should be aware that £25,575 is the maximum amount and most students get less.
• Parents’ Learning Allowance – means-tested support of up to £1,863 a year if you have children who are wholly or mainly financially dependent on you.

PGCE and PGDE scholarships

Edge Hill University offers scholarships which reward excellence from prospective full-time PGCE and PGDE students.

• Excellence Scholarships, worth £1,000, celebrate determination, commitment and achievement in any area beyond your studies, for instance in creativity, enterprise, ICT, performance or volunteering.
• Sports Scholarships, worth up to £1,000, reward talent, achievement and dedication in sport and are designed to enhance your sporting performance.

You can also make the most of your student experience and take advantage of career enhancing opportunities by applying for financial support from our Student Opportunity Fund.

For more information on the full range of scholarships, including eligibility criteria for each award, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships.

Teacher training scholarships

If you are a UK student joining a PGCE in Secondary Computer Science and Information Technology or Secondary Mathematics in academic year 2022/23, you may be eligible to apply for a Teacher Training Scholarship from the relevant professional body.

These prestigious awards are aimed at outstanding graduates who are passionate about their subject and have the potential to be inspirational teachers.

BCS, Chartered Institute for IT Scholarship

• Course: PGCE Secondary Computer Science and Information Technology with QTS (11-16)
• Value: £26,000
• Eligibility criteria: To be considered for a BCS Scholarship, you will need a first class, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree, or be likely to achieve this degree classification, in computing or computer science. If you don’t have a degree in computing or computer science, you will need to undertake a computing subject knowledge enhancement course, have a degree with an extensive amount of computing content, or have a degree and significant professional experience as part of the computing industry.
• Further Information: Visit bcs.org for full information about this scholarship.

Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) Scholarship

• Course: PGCE Secondary Mathematics with QTS (11-16)
• Value: £26,000
• Eligibility Criteria: To be considered for an IMA Scholarship, you will need a first class or 2:1 honours degree with significant mathematical content. If you have a 2:2 honours degree with significant mathematical content, you are still encouraged to apply if you can also demonstrate relevant professional experience. If you have a degree in another subject but are looking to complete a subject knowledge enhancement course in mathematics, you are also welcome to submit an application.
• Further information: Visit teachingmathsscholars.org for full information about this scholarship.

To receive a Teacher Training Scholarship, you must be entitled to financial support under the Student Finance England criteria. Residents of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will need to be entitled for support as set out by the relevant funding body.

Please note, trainees who are awarded a Teacher Training Scholarship by a subject association group will not be eligible to also receive a Department for Education bursary.

How to apply

Loans and grants

You must have submitted a GOV.UK teacher training application before you can apply for loans and grants from the Government but you do not need to have a confirmed place on a course. We strongly recommend applying for financial support as early as possible to ensure your application is received and processed in good time.

The funding application process for English-domiciled students is as follows:

• Applications are made online to Student Finance England at www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance. Please note, for PGCE or PGDE student finance purposes, please apply as if you were an undergraduate student rather than for postgraduate funding.
• After you have applied for student funding, you will be able to manage your account online.
• Once your application has been assessed, you will receive a Student Finance Entitlement Letter outlining the support you have applied for and can expect to receive. The Student Finance Entitlement Letter can also be viewed online. If the financial support outlined in your Student Finance Entitlement Letter is not what you anticipated, you are welcome to contact us for advice.

The funding application process is different if you are a student domiciled in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. You should consult the website of the relevant funding body for further information on the application process you will need to follow:

• Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• Student Finance Northern Ireland
• Student Finance Wales

Department for Education bursary

There is no formal application procedure for a Department for Education bursary for Secondary PGCEs in Computer Science and Information Technology, Geography, Mathematics, or Science (Biology).

All eligible students with full registration will be asked to provide nominated bank account details and National Insurance number at enrolment. You will be advised on your level of bursary entitlement and scheduled payment dates and asked to accept the Department for Education’s terms and conditions for receipt of the bursary.

Candidates with overseas degrees may be asked to formally recognise any overseas qualifications through UK NARIC.

Institute of Technical Education (ITE) bursary

The University is required to bid for funding for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) bursaries. We will put forward all eligible students for consideration for funding.

Students with full registration who are awarded a bursary will be asked to provide nominated bank account details and National Insurance number at enrolment. You will be advised on your scheduled payment dates and asked to accept the Department for Education’s terms and conditions for receipt of the bursary.

Teacher training scholarships

Applicants for Teacher Training Scholarships are subject to a competitive process. Further information on how to apply for each award is available via the website of the relevant professional body.

• BCS, Chartered Institute for IT Scholarship
• Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) Scholarship.

Please note, if you are awarded a scholarship by a subject association group, you will need to notify the University by 1 September 2022 to enable us to confirm this with the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

Excellence Scholarships and Sports Scholarships

The deadline for applications for Excellence Scholarships and Sports Scholarships is Wednesday 15 June 2022.

Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) Scheme

Further information about making a claim is available at www.enhancedlearningcredits.com. You will need to quote our provider number (2871) on your claim application form.

If your claim application is successful, you will need to present your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN) at enrolment.

Contact us

If you have any queries about tuition fees, bursaries or scholarships, you can email Academic Registry.

• Academic Registry
• Email [email protected] with any tuition fees or bursaries queries.
• Email [email protected] with any scholarships queries.

If you have any questions about your eligibility for financial support, or if you wish to receive advice and guidance on applying for funding (including support in completing funding applications), you can get in touch with the Money Advice Team.

• Money Advice Team
• Email: [email protected]

Alternatively, you can contact the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre.

• Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre
• Email: [email protected]

Please note, all advice and guidance provided by the University is subject to any information which you choose to impart to us, about your individual circumstances, being correct.

The advice and guidance you receive will be based upon current eligibility criteria from external organisations, such as the National College for Teaching and Leadership and Student Loans Company. However, if any changes are made to this eligibility criteria by an external organisation, the University cannot be held responsible.

All staff will treat any information you share with them in the strictest confidence.

Further Information

Our Student Services webpages includes money advice, including useful tips on how to increase your income and reduce your expenses while at university, together with advice about keeping track of your finances and managing your money effectively.

Student finance resources and information, including a popular discussion forum, for English-domiciled students can be found on The Student Room website.

FAQs

How do people afford a PGCE?

PGCE students are often eligible for student finance, meaning many people can borrow the full cost of their tuition fee. 

Can I get student finance for teacher training if I already have a degree?

Students studying for PGCEs and PGDEs are eligible for student finance even if they already have a degree, making them easier to fund than some other postgraduate courses.