If you are studying on a full-time undergraduate course, you are required to apply to your Local Authority for funding. If you receive a financial notification from them, you have met the residency criteria for a bursary. The residency eligibility criteria are defined in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2009.
If you are studying a postgraduate course, or a part-time undergraduate course, you must be ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the academic year. For the purpose of residency conditions, the academic year starts on:
- 1st September for courses starting in the autumn term; or
- 1st January for courses starting in the spring term.
If you have moved to England just to start your course, you will be considered to be ordinarily resident in the country where you have moved from. You would therefore not be eligible for a bursary.
In addition, you must satisfy both United Kingdom (UK) residency rules or one of the non-UK residency rules.