Travel and bursary information is now available on our Travel & Bursary Hub. Please read our Start of Year Guide to find out more about start dates, College Ready sessions and submitting your GCSE results online.
Student finance
If you’re studying a University Centre course with us, you may be eligible for a number of funding options to help with your tuition and living costs. Students will be assessed by either Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance NI or Student Awards Agency of Scotland (SAAS) to determine eligibility for means testing and how much financial support would be available. Finance assessments depend on the income of both the student and their legal guardian or spouse’s/partner’s income.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for new students starting in September 2026 are as follows:
- Foundation Degrees and HNC/HND: £9,535 per year
- Honours degree level 6 top up (1 year): £9,535 per year
In line with government policy, fees will increase each year with inflation. Full time fees for all courses will be £9,790 from September 2027.
Additional costs may need to be considered depending on your course, such as: travel to placements, the cost of materials you might choose to use, if you choose to purchase your own personal equipment or the cost of any optional study trips.
Eligible full-time and part-time undergraduate students will not have to pay fees before they start their course or while they are studying, as they can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover these costs. Fees will be paid directly to the University or College by the Student Loans Company. Students of any age can apply and loans will only need to be repaid once a student has left their University programme and is earning over £25,000.
Help with living costs may be available for the duration of a student’s University programme in the form of a Maintenance Loan that attracts a low rate of interest. First and second year students can apply for up to £10,757 when living at home or £12,345 for students living away from home and outside of London. Maintenance Loan money is paid directly into the student’s bank or building society at the start of each term, in three instalments. Visit gov.uk for further information or contact our friendly admissions team for advice.
All students are encouraged to apply for the UCTP Bursary to support with study costs and materials. Please contact the University Centre’s Student Support team to start your application.
We use the Student Finance England household income assessment to determine the level of payment you will receive. For students whose household income is less than £25,000 the payment for a full-time student is £720 per year. For all other full-time students, the payment is for £320 per year. For all part time students, the bursary is £225 per year. In all cases, the bursary is paid in three termly instalments.
The bursary will be paid providing we have received your tuition fees from either yourself or Student Finance and that you are actively registered at the time of payment.
Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans will be repayable after the student has finished the programme and is earning more than £25,000 per year. If earnings fall below the £25,000 threshold the repayments will stop until their earnings rise above the threshold again. Deductions are usually made through the PAYE tax system by the employer in the same way as Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. The amount paid back is determined by how much is earned, not by how much is owed, and is 9% of earnings above £25,000 a year.
Funding through the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) is available for eligible students with an illness, disability, medical condition or learning difficulty (including dyslexia) to help cover additional costs incurred as a direct result of their disability. Students of all ages can apply for DSA on the government website and the money does not need to be paid back.
The UK Government has identified that there are some areas within the county in which fewer than expected people go to university. Those areas in Cornwall are Camborne, Pool, Redruth, St Austell and the Claybelt country. After extensive student feedback the University Centre is offering a £300 Travel Bursary to all eligible students who live in these areas. Visit our Travel Bursary page for more information.
Adult Nursing, Mental Health Nursing and Operating Department Practitioner students can apply for the £5,000 LSF bursary each year, with Nursing Associate students entitled to £1,000. Additional funding is available for programmes with skill shortages, in line with NHS need, alongside additional funding for students with children under 15. This funding is in addition to the University Centre Truro & Penwith Bursary. To confirm your full funding eligibility and for support with your application please contact the University Centre Admissions team.
More info: NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) | NHSBSA
Nursing and Healthcare students who attend a placement as part of their course may be entitled to claim back additional costs of travel, compared to usual daily journey costs to University and the cost of any temporary accommodation to attend a placement. The University Centre will provide support to students who are entitled to make a claim.
Our Higher Education Student Support Advisor can help with funding:
Email: hestudentsupport@truro-penwith.ac.uk
Telephone: 01872 305747