Living Cost Support in Wales | Maintenance Grants

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Maintenance grants, worth up to £4,590 a year, are now available. You won't need to repay any money you receive. It isn't a loan.

Your household income and pace of study determine the amount you'll be awarded. For example, if you have an annual household income of up to £25,000 and study:

You will also be eligible to apply for a non-means-tested maintenance loan, should you need it, to 'top up' the financial support you've received from grants.

The tables below summarise the total amount of support you could receive.* To be eligible, you must have started your studies from September 2018.

Household income Household income	Maintenance grant Grant	Maintenance loan Loan	Total Total
£25,000 £25,000	£1,530 £1,530	£791 £791	£2,321 £2,321
£35,000 £35,000	£1,157 £1,157	£1,164 £1,164	£2,321 £2,321
£45,000 £45,000	£785 £785	£1,537 £1,537	£2,321 £2,321
£59,200 or more £59,200 or more	£255 £255	£2,066 £2,066	£2,321 £2,321

Household income Household income	Maintenance grant Grant	Maintenance loan Loan	Total Total
£25,000 £25,000	£3,060 £3,060	£1,583 £1,583	£4,643 £4,643
£35,000 £35,000	£2,315 £2,315	£2,328 £2,328	£4,643 £4,643
£45,000 £45,000	£1,569 £1,569	£3,074 £3,074	£4,643 £4,643
£59,200 or more £59,200 or more	£510 £510	£4,133 £4,133	£4,643 £4,643

Household income Household income	Maintenance grant Grant	Maintenance loan Loan	Total Total
£25,000 £25,000	£4,590 £4,590	£2,374 £2,374	£6,964 £6,964
£35,000 £35,000	£3,472 £3,472	£3,492 £3,492	£6,964 £6,964
£45,000 £45,000	£2,354 £2,354	£4,610 £4,610	£6,964 £6,964
£59,200 or more £59,200 or more	£765 £765	£6,199 £6,199	£6,964 £6,964

*All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1, and therefore, grants and loan amounts displayed in tables may not always add to the total support.

You should expect to receive your first maintenance payment approximately four weeks into your module. Student Finance Wales will make the payment into your bank account. To receive your first instalment, The Open University must confirm to Student Finance Wales that you are actively studying. Actively studying includes logging onto your module website, completing module activities, or submitting a Tutor-Marked Assignment (TMA).

To qualify for financial support, you must:

For more eligibility information, visit the Student Finance Wales website.

If you already hold an honours degree or higher-level qualification, you may be eligible for support for living costs to study a further honours degree as long as your second degree is in an approved subject and you meet the rest of the eligibility criteria.

For more information about eligibility criteria and available qualifications, visit our equivalent-level qualifications website.

If you have children or adult dependants and study at least 25% intensity, you may be eligible to apply for additional income-assessed grants from Student Finance Wales. The help available includes a Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance and Adult Dependants’ Grant.

If you claim means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, you can apply for a Special Support Grant from Student Finance Wales instead of the maintenance grant. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) should disregard the Special Support Grant as income when calculating your benefit entitlement. Further information can be found on the Student Finance Wales website.

Applications are made directly through Student Finance Wales. To submit your application, follow these simple steps.

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