Bachelor's & Master's, fully funded.
Open to UK and EU nationals eligible for Student Finance England. Tuition is paid in full by the SFE Tuition Fee Loan, and a Maintenance Loan of £11,000-£17,000 a year covers your living costs. Study part-time around your job, no upfront payment, repay only when you earn over the threshold.
Two loans. No upfront cost.
Student Finance England (SFE) pays your tuition straight to GBS, then drops your living-cost loan into your bank account each term. You only repay once you earn over the threshold - and the loan is written off after 40 years.
Tuition Fee Loan
Covers your full course fees - up to £9,535 per year for the 2025/26 academic year. Paid by SFE directly to GBS. You never see the money.
Maintenance Loan
Up to £13,762 a year (London full rate), paid into your account in three termly instalments. Use it for rent, bills, food and travel.
Extra grants if eligible
Childcare Grant (up to 85% of childcare costs), Parents' Learning Allowance up to £2,024 and Adult Dependants' Grant up to £3,545 - none of these are repayable.
Repayment only over the threshold
Plan 5 (undergraduate, courses 2023+): 9% of earnings over £25,000. Postgraduate Loan: 6% of earnings over £21,000. Comes out of payroll like tax.
Bachelor's pathways - three routes in one funded pathway.
Three routes in one funded pathway. Pearson HND if you want a vocational entry, full BA / BSc Honours with optional Foundation Year if you have no recent qualifications, or a one-year Level 6 Top-Up if you already hold an HND or equivalent.
HND Diploma
Two-year vocational qualification awarded by Pearson - Level 4 and Level 5 combined. The standard route into a 1-year Top-Up to graduate with a full Honours degree.
- HND in Business
- HND in Health and Social Care Practice
- HND in Digital Technologies (Cyber Security)
- HND in Construction Management
Honours with Foundation Year
Full BA / BSc Honours degree with a built-in Foundation Year so you can start without A-levels or recent qualifications. Awarded by GBS's university partners.
- BA (Hons) Global Business (Business Management)
- BA (Hons) Global Business and Entrepreneurship
- BSc (Hons) Computing
- BSc (Hons) Accounting & Financial Management
- BSc (Hons) Construction Management
- BSc (Hons) Business & Tourism Management
- BSc (Hons) Health, Wellbeing & Social Care - Oxford Brookes
- BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling - Bath Spa
Top-Up degree
One-year Level 6 entry if you already hold an HND, Foundation Degree or recognised Level 5 qualification. Graduate with a full BA / BSc Honours in just 12 months.
- BA (Hons) Business and Management Top-Up
- BSc (Hons) Construction Management Top-Up
- BSc (Hons) Health, Wellbeing & Social Care - Oxford Brookes (Direct Level 6 entry)
One year. Postgraduate Loan funded.
Single Postgraduate Loan up to £12,858 (2025/26 academic year) covers tuition and contributes to living costs. Repayable only when earning over £21,000, at 6% of the amount above the threshold.
MSc Global Business
GBS award
MSc Project Management
Bath Spa University
MSc Counselling and Psychotherapy
Bath Spa University
The honest objections answered.
Most people who could access this funding never apply because they assume they don't qualify, can't afford it, or can't fit it around work. Almost every common worry has a clean answer.
Most courses run two days a week with the rest delivered online. Many of our applicants keep a full-time job and study evenings and weekends.
Mature-entry routes accept work experience instead of recent qualifications. There is no maximum age limit and no requirement to have done A-levels.
There are no upfront fees. SFE pays the university directly. Living costs are covered by the Maintenance Loan paid into your bank account each term.
You only repay once you earn over £25,000 (Plan 5) or £21,000 (postgraduate). Repayments are 9% of earnings above the threshold and the loan is written off after 40 years - it does not affect your credit score for mortgages or other lending.
You may also qualify for the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance and Adult Dependants' Grant on top of your Maintenance Loan. These are grants, not loans - you do not pay them back.
Funding rules are tighter, but you can usually still access a Master's via the Postgraduate Loan even if you hold a Bachelor's. We confirm your specific eligibility before you apply.
SFE Maintenance Loan and grants
- Maintenance Loan (London full rate)Up to £13,762 / year
- Maintenance Loan (Outside London)Up to £10,544 / year
- Maintenance Loan (Parental home)Up to £8,877 / year
- Childcare GrantUp to 85% of childcare costs
- Parents' Learning AllowanceUp to £2,024 / year
- Adult Dependants' GrantUp to £3,545 / year
Maximum amounts shown reflect 2024/25 and 2025/26 SFE rates. Your actual entitlement depends on household income and where you study (London / outside London / parental home).
Who qualifies for SFE funding
- UK national, Irish citizen or settled status (Indefinite Leave to Remain)
- EU pre-settled status with 3 years' UK residence
- Refugee status or Humanitarian Protection
- Aged 18+ on the first day of the course
- Studying for a higher qualification than any you already hold
- Have lived in the UK / EEA / Switzerland for the 3 years before the course start
International students on a Student visa are not eligible for SFE funding. We will check your status with you on a free WhatsApp call before you apply.
Four start dates a year.
Miss one intake? The next is never more than three months away. We recommend filing 6-8 weeks before your preferred start date to clear SFE processing.
All Bachelor's and Master's pathways
Selected Bachelor's routes (HND and Top-Up)
Bachelor's with Foundation Year and Top-Up
All Bachelor's and Master's pathways (main intake)
It is not a bank loan.
You pay nothing until you earn over the threshold. Repayments come straight out of payroll at 9% of earnings over £25,000 (Plan 5) or 6% over £21,000 (Postgraduate). The loan is not on your credit file, does not affect mortgage affordability the way a bank loan does, and is written off after 40 years.
Illustrative amounts only. Actual monthly deductions depend on your taxable earnings at the time. Source: GOV.UK repayment thresholds 2025/26.
Six reasons it is our only UK partner.
OfS-registered HE provider
On the Office for Students register with Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) oversight of academic standards.
Degrees from UK universities
Your final parchment is awarded by the University of Suffolk, Oxford Brookes, Bath Spa or Canterbury Christ Church - not GBS alone.
Ten campuses, four cities
Choose the campus nearest your job or home. London campuses qualify for the higher Maintenance Loan rate.
Built for adult learners
Two days a week taught on campus, the rest online. Weekend and evening timetables on most pathways.
Designated for SFE funding
Only OfS-registered providers that clear SFE's financial and quality checks can have their courses designated for full Tuition Fee Loan funding.
Foundation Year for no-qualification entry
No A-levels or recent qualifications? A Foundation Year is built into most Honours pathways so you start without prior study evidence.
Two different routes. Know which one is yours.
If you already have UK residence rights, the SFE-funded GBS pathway is usually the better route. If you are applying from overseas on a Student visa, our country pages (UK, USA, Canada, Australia and 13 more) are the right starting point.
| Dimension | SFE funded (this page) | International Student visa |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | UK, Irish, settled, EU pre-settled with residence, refugees | Non-UK nationals on a Student visa |
| Tuition | Paid by SFE Tuition Fee Loan (up to £9,535 / year) | Paid upfront or via private finance; typically £12k-£20k+ per year |
| Living costs | SFE Maintenance Loan up to £13,762 / year + grants | Not funded; bank-balance requirement of ~£12,000+ / year |
| Right to work | Unlimited - per existing UK right to work | 20 hours / week in term, full-time in holidays |
| Post-study route | Not applicable - already UK resident | Graduate Route 2 years (3 years for PhD) |
| CityGrip fee to student | Free - paid by GBS as a referral fee | Free - paid via university commission where applicable |
From eligibility check to first payment.
Free 30-minute eligibility check at our London E10 office or on WhatsApp
We help you choose a Bachelor's or Master's pathway with GBS
We support your full SFE application: residency proof, evidence, and the course attachment
GBS issues your offer; SFE confirms your funding entitlement
First payment lands a week into term, and continues every term
Global Banking School (GBS).
Our current UK partner. GBS is an Office for Students-registered higher education provider with 10 campuses across London (Greenford, Bow Road, Stratford and Canary Wharf), Birmingham (Brindleyplace and Norfolk House), Manchester (Universal Square) and Leeds (St George House and Wellington Place). Degrees are awarded in partnership with the University of Suffolk, Oxford Brookes University, Bath Spa University and Canterbury Christ Church University. HND diplomas are awarded by Pearson.
- University of SuffolkBA / BSc Honours awards
- Oxford Brookes UniversityBSc Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
- Bath Spa UniversityBSc Psychology with Counselling, MSc Project Management, MSc Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Canterbury Christ Church UniversitySelected validated degrees
- PearsonHND awarding body (Levels 4 and 5)
- LondonGreenford · Bow Road · Stratford (GEDU House) · Stratford (Cam Road) · Republic - Canary Wharf
- BirminghamBrindleyplace · Norfolk House
- ManchesterUniversal Square
- LeedsSt George House · Wellington Place
Questions before you apply.
If your question is not here, message our London E10 office on WhatsApp. We do free 30-minute eligibility checks before any application is filed.
Find out if you qualify in 10 minutes.
Send your residency status, last qualification and preferred campus to our London office on WhatsApp. We come back the same day with a yes / no on funding and a course shortlist.