Applying to Student Finance in England, as a British Student based in the EU

These notes are based on the experience of applying for Home Country Student Finance in 2021, from Student Finance England, for a British student resident in the EU, starting university in the UK in the autumn of 2021.

Note: Different rules and processes may apply in other regions of the UK, such as Scotland.

Post-Brexit Rule Change

Following Brexit, British nationals resident in the EU for more than 3 years prior to 2021 are now eligible for Home Country student financing (fees + maintenance) in the UK for courses starting before 2028. Refer to the "Studying in the UK" section on the UK Gov Living in Europe page for more details.

University applications are processed as usual via UCAS. Similarly, applications for student financing are done through Student Finance England (SFE).

All British citizens who meet the criteria should be assessed as Home Country by each university. If not, an appeal should be made to the university.

The Tricky Bit: National Insurance

The main hurdle in obtaining student finance is securing a National Insurance Number (NINO), which is required to receive a maintenance loan (though not for fees).

Typically, the student will be accepted for student finance but will need to provide a NINO before funds are released. This process is initiated by SFE but often fails initially because SFE requests a UK address. A UK address is required by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who handle new NINO applications.

Using a friend or relative's UK address might be tempting, but applying for a new NINO may require an interview at a local Job Centre (experiences vary).

NINOs are usually issued automatically to children on their 16th birthday if they are UK residents. If not, they won't receive a number, although this doesn't necessarily mean a number doesn't exist.

The Good News

If the child was born in the UK and received either Child Benefit or a Child Trust Fund, they should have been issued a NINO, although it may not have been called that at the time.

A NINO has the format: XX000000X (e.g., AB123456C).

For the Child Trust Fund, the Unique Reference Number is the same as the child's future NINO (confirmed with HMRC). This should be detailed on any correspondence related to the Child Trust Fund.

For Child Benefit, some sources report that the Child Reference Number is the same as the NINO, though this hasn't been universally confirmed. It's worth checking any documentation.

Even if a NINO exists, it may not be fully activated if the child wasn't resident in the UK at 16. Activating it can be unclear, but some have succeeded by calling the HMRC helpline (+44 191 203 7010 from outside the UK) and requesting activation. Others have used form CA5403. It's unclear if further action is needed once the student resides in the UK. Note, however, even though a NINO may exist, it may not be fully activated if the child was not resident in the UK at 16.

UPDATE August 2021: In my daughter's case, after a second call to HMRC, the NINO was automatically activated without returning the form. The activation might depend on the HMRC representative, the initial call, or a policy change. The NINO was then acceptable to SFE.

The Less Good News

If the student does not have a NINO, the process is more complex. A NINO can only be applied for once the student resides in the UK. The DWP indicates this can take up to 16 weeks, though some have expedited this with SFE's help, potentially setting up a Job Centre interview upon arrival in the UK.

Details of the application process are available on the UK Gov website.

Further Information

For further information beyond the UK Gov pages, try the following: