Students · free for everyone
What studying actually costs, and who is still hiring
Course fees and living-cost support for 2026/27, side by side across the four UK nations, then the employers running apprenticeships, internships and part-time work in your area. Every figure comes from a government source you can open yourself.
Official 2026/27 rates checked 14/09/2026
Cheapest tuition
£1,820
Scottish student at a Scottish university
Highest cap
£9,790
A gap of £7,970 a year, or £23,910 over a three year degree.
Apprentice wage floor
£8.00
An hour from April 2026 in year one. After that it is your age rate, up to £12.71.
Course fees, cheapest first
These are the maximum a university can charge for a standard full-time undergraduate course in 2026/27. Where you live and where you study both change the number.
| Who you are | Per year | Three years | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
Scotland Scottish student at a Scottish university | £1,820 | £5,460 | Scottish-domiciled undergraduates pay £1,820 a year, and SAAS pays it for eligible students. Higher National level courses are £1,285.Scottish Parliament Information Centre |
Northern Ireland NI student studying in Northern Ireland | £4,985 | £14,955 | The cheapest tuition anywhere in the UK outside the Scottish home rate. Staying local is the single biggest saving available.nidirect, student loans |
England Studying at an English university | £9,790 | £29,370 | £9,790 a year at providers with a Teaching Excellence Framework award and an access plan. Accelerated degrees can charge up to £11,750, part-time up to £7,335. Lower cap of £6,350 where the provider has no TEF award and no access plan.GOV.UK, Department for Education |
Wales Studying at a Welsh university | £9,790 | £29,370 | Wales raised its limit from £9,535 to £9,790 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026, matching England. Private providers cap at £6,525.GOV.WALES, student support rates 2026/27 |
Scotland Rest of UK student at a Scottish university | £9,790 | £29,370 | Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay up to £9,790 a year at Scottish universities.Scottish Parliament Information Centre |
Northern Ireland NI student studying elsewhere in the UK | £9,790 | £29,370 | Leaving Northern Ireland to study raises the fee cap from £4,985 to £9,790, a difference of £4,805 a year.nidirect, student loans |
Living costs: what you can get
Fees are only half of it. This is the most each nation will lend or grant you towards rent, food and travel in 2026/27. Wales and Scotland give part of it as money you never repay.
England
Maintenance Loan, means tested. The figures below are the maximum you can borrow.
- Living at home£9,118
- Away from home, outside London£10,830
- Away from home, in London£14,135
- Studying overseas as part of a UK course£12,403
Wales
Grant and loan combined, means tested. Part of it is a grant you do not repay, and every student gets at least £1,020 of grant.
- Living at home£10,685
Up to £7,020 of it as grant
- Away from home, outside London£12,590
Up to £8,260 as grant
- Away from home, in London£15,720
Up to £10,325 as grant
Scotland
Loan plus a bursary that is not repaid. Lower household income means more bursary and less loan.
- Young student, maximum loan£9,400
Plus a bursary of £500 to £2,000 if household income is under £34,000
- Independent student, maximum loan£10,400
Plus a bursary of up to £1,000
- Care experienced student bursary£9,000
Non-repayable, on top of loan entitlement
Northern Ireland
Maintenance Loan. Around three quarters is paid regardless of household income, the rest is means tested.
- Living at home in Northern Ireland£6,471
- Away from home, elsewhere in the UK£8,352
- Away from home, in London£11,699
- Studying overseas£9,956
Who is still taking people on
Filter by your area and the kind of work you want. Each one links straight to the employer's own live openings, so you are never applying through a middleman.
16 employers listed
NHS
Health and careUK wide · Apprenticeship
Hundreds of roles from healthcare support worker to nursing degree apprenticeships, recruited locally by each trust.
See openingsTesco
RetailUK wide · Apprenticeship
Store and distribution apprenticeships nationwide. Tesco states a full-time apprentice wage of £23,662.08, pro rata.
See openingsAldi
RetailUK wide · Apprenticeship
Store and warehouse apprenticeships across the store network.
See openingsAmazon
Logistics and techUK wide · Apprenticeship
Engineering, software and operations apprenticeships at sites across the UK.
See openingsBT Group
TelecomsUK wide · Apprenticeship
Field engineering, cyber and software apprenticeships, including openings outside big cities.
See openingsNetwork Rail
Rail and infrastructureUK wide · Apprenticeship
Track, signalling and engineering apprenticeships wherever the network runs.
See openingsBalfour Beatty
ConstructionUK wide · Apprenticeship, Internship
Site and office apprenticeships plus industry placements for students mid-degree.
See openingsLloyds Banking Group
BankingUK wide · Apprenticeship
Banking, data and technology apprenticeships, with hubs in Halifax, Leeds, Bristol and Edinburgh.
See openingsPwC
Professional servicesUK wide · Apprenticeship, Internship, Graduate
School leaver and degree programmes, plus summer internships and insight weeks.
See openingsKPMG
Professional servicesUK wide · Apprenticeship, Graduate
Audit, tax and technology apprenticeships from school leaver level upwards.
See openingsRolls-Royce
EngineeringMidlands and 11 UK sites · Apprenticeship
Engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships across eleven UK sites, Derby included.
See openingsJLR
AutomotiveWest Midlands and Merseyside · Apprenticeship
Manufacturing, engineering and business apprenticeships at Solihull, Coventry and Halewood.
See openingsBAE Systems
Defence engineeringUK wide · Apprenticeship
One of the largest apprenticeship intakes in the country, strongest in Lancashire, Cumbria and on the Clyde.
See openingsAirbus
AerospaceWales and South West · Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships at Broughton in north Wales, Filton near Bristol and Portsmouth.
See openingsDyson
Engineering and designSouth West · Apprenticeship, Internship, Graduate
Internships, graduate roles and degree apprenticeships at Malmesbury, Hullavington and Bristol.
See openingsGCHQ and the Civil Service
Government and securityCheltenham and UK wide · Apprenticeship, Internship
Apprenticeships, bursaries and summer placements. The Civil Service cyber degree apprenticeship states pay of £28,050 in London or £24,327 nationally.
See openingsThe official vacancy services
Free to use, no sign-up needed to browse, and they carry the small local employers the big brand pages never show.
England
Find an apprenticeship
The government vacancy service. Search by postcode and travel distance.
Scotland
Apprenticeships.scot
Live Modern and Graduate Apprenticeship vacancies across Scotland.
Wales
Careers Wales apprenticeship search
Welsh Government apprenticeship vacancies, bilingual.
Northern Ireland
nidirect apprenticeship search
Apprenticeship vacancies through JobApplyNI. Part-time jobs are on jobapplyni.com.
What part-time work has to pay you
Minimum hourly rates from April 2026. If a job offers less than your age rate, it is breaking the law.
£8.00
Apprentice, under 19 or in year one
£8.00
Under 18
£10.85
Aged 18 to 20
£12.71
Aged 21 and over
While you are studying
A term of food for less than the loan assumes
The weekly shop, priced line by line at three supermarkets, and a salary sorter that tells you what a part-time wage leaves you after tax.
Figures are the published maximums for the 2026/27 academic year, checked on 14/09/2026. What you personally get depends on household income, your course and your provider. Always confirm with your university and your national student finance body. Employer schemes open and close through the year, so check the linked page for current vacancies.