Finance for International Students

We welcome all European students and appreciate that you may have questions about how Brexit has affected the application process and study fees in the UK.

Online Open Days

We understand that applying to study abroad is a big step so can support you all the way. We run a number of Online Open Days throughout the year to give you opportunities to engage with our staff, current students and alumni, find out more about the range of degree programmes offered at Trinity Laban, and ask any questions you may have about funding, fees and finances.

Tuition Fees

Following the Withdrawal Agreement, EU students are required to pay overseas fees as international students. You can find a full list of our current and past course fees here. EU Students who meet the UK residency requirements are eligible for student loans. You can find out more about whether you qualify here.

Republic of Ireland

There have been no changes in funding for students from The Republic of Ireland, who are still eligible for UK Home fees.

EEA, EFTA and Swiss citizens

The UK has made separate agreements with the EEA EFTA states (Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein) and Switzerland. Further guidance regarding study fees for EEA, EFTA and Swiss citizens can be found on the UKCISA website.

Funding Options

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to support the talent of our international applicants.

Submitting your application

For most programmes, initial applications are made online through  UCAS Conservatoires.

Once you have submitted your application via UCAS Conservatoires, you will also be required to pass an audition. You can either audition in-person at one of our European audition locations or in London. For most of our programmes, we also offer the option to submit a Recorded Audition. you can find out more about how to submit a successful recorded audition here LINK

Once you have attended an audition in person or submitted your recordings, our Admissions Team will be in contact with you to notify you of the result. If you come from a non-English speaking country, you will also be required to submit your English Language test results before you enrol. The English Language Requirements are listed on the individual course pages.

Visa Requirements

EU applicants without a Settled or Pre-Settled status will now need to obtain a  Student Visa to complete a further or higher education course in the UK.

Our dedicated and experienced Admissions Team will guide and support you throughout your application process.

The UK Government announced a Graduate Immigration Route in 2021 to enable international students to stay in the UK for up to two years after completing their studies. After completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the UK, successful applicants will be able to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for two years after they graduate.

Studying in the UK is a fantastic opportunity and there are many ways in which you can fund your studies with USA loan schemes.

US Federal Loans

We accept US Federal Loans (FAFSA) and Sallie Mae Student Loans.

What type of loan can I apply for?

Direct Subsidized
Available to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need; no interest is charged while a student is enrolled at least half-time at Trinity Laban , during the grace period and during the deferment period.

Direct Unsubsidized
Available to undergraduate and postgraduate students; not based on financial need; interest is charged during all periods, even during the time a student is at Trinity Laban and during grace and deferment periods.

Direct PLUS
Unsubsidized loans for the parents of dependent students and for graduate/professional students; PLUS loans help pay for education expenses up to the cost of attendance minus all other financial assistance. Interest is charged during all periods. PLUS loan borrowers must not have an adverse credit history.

Direct Consolidation
Eligible federal student loans can be combined into one Direct Consolidation Loan.
Student borrowers are not required to begin making payments until after they drop below half-time attendance.

How much can I borrow through Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans?

Visit the US Federal Loan Scheme (FAFSA) website for more detailed breakdown of available loans.

You may borrow an amount that is equal to the cost of attendance (COA). The COA consists of two different elements:

Tuition fees (the cost of your course fees)
Living costs (the amount that you may reasonably be expected to live on during your study)

The living cost will vary depending on whether you are living in private rented accommodation or in the Trinity Laban Halls of Residence. It is best to make an application based on a realistic and reasonable budget. You should put together a monthly budget for yourself prior to your application.

Please find below a recommended maximum cost of attendance below:

Costs: (Weekly/ Weeks / Total)
Accommodation 300 x 44 £13,200
Utilities (gas, electricity, water) 14 x 44 £616
Food 94 x 44 £4,136
Clothing 15 x 44 £660
Household Goods/Miscellaneous 25 x 44 £1,100
Course Costs (books, stationery etc.) 20 x 44 £880
London Travel 43 x 44 £1,892
Entertainment 20 x 44 £880
Student Visa fees £490
NHS Charge (for a 1 year course) £1,035
Sub Total £23,364

Please note: The Direct Stafford Loans by themselves may not cover your total Cost of Attendance. Should you require further funding you will need to apply for a PLUS Loan.

What is a PLUS Loan?

Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loans are applied for in the same way as Stafford loans. Unlike the Stafford Loan, however, the Graduate and Parent PLUS loans are subject to an adverse credit history check.

Parent PLUS loans are federal loans taken out by a parent on behalf of a student and are only available to students under age 24 who are studying at undergraduate level. If the parents are denied on their application for a Parent PLUS loan, their child (the student) is eligible to be considered “independent” for Stafford loan purposes. Please alert us as soon as possible if your PLUS loan is denied and provide us with the relevant supporting paperwork so we can adjust the Stafford loan amounts accordingly.
While Parent PLUS loans generally go into repayment immediately, a parent borrower can request to defer repayment during the student’s studies and/or for an additional 6 months after the student graduates. Parents must request to have their loan deferred directly through the lender.

Graduate PLUS loans are available to postgraduate/professional students (MA, PhD or Postgraduate degree courses only) and are borrowed by the student. Graduate PLUS loan borrowers must apply for the maximum Stafford loan available to them before being allowed a Grad PLUS. This loan, like the Parent PLUS, can also be deferred during your studies but you must request this yourself, with the lender, otherwise the loan will go into repayment immediately.

Do I need a credit check?
When you apply for a Direct PLUS Loan, the Department will check your credit history. To be eligible to receive a PLUS Loan, you must not have an adverse credit history. If it is determined that you have an adverse credit history, you may still receive a Direct PLUS Loan if you obtain an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct PLUS Loan if you do not repay the loan.

If you are a parent borrowing on behalf of your dependent student, the endorser may not be the student on whose behalf you (the parent) obtain a Direct PLUS Loan. In some cases, you may also be able to obtain a Direct PLUS Loan if you document to our satisfaction that there are extenuating circumstances related to your adverse credit history.

What is a Master Promissory Note?
To take out a Direct Loan, you must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN). The MPN will be provided either by your school or the Department. You can complete the MPN online at the Student Aid website. The MPN is a legal document in which you promise to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to the Department. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan(s).
To complete an MPN online, you will be required to use your Department of Education-issued PIN. If you do not have a PIN, you may request one from the official PIN site. A parent borrower must also request a PIN number from the PIN site to use when completing a PLUS MPN.

In most cases, once you’ve submitted the MPN and it’s been accepted, you won’t have to fill out a new MPN for future loans you receive. Unless your school does not allow more than one loan to be made under the same MPN, you can borrow additional Direct Loans on a single MPN for up to 10 years. If you are applying for a Direct PLUS Loan as a graduate/professional student, you’ll need to complete and sign a PLUS MPN that is separate from the one that you use for your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans.
You’ll receive a disclosure statement that gives you specific information about any loan that the school plans to disburse under your MPN, including the loan amount, fees, and the expected disbursement dates and amounts.

How do I apply for Direct Federal Loans – Stafford, Parent PLUS, Graduate PLUS?

STEP 1: Check your eligibility
Please note that to be eligible for a Federal loan, you must have completed a secondary school credential or its equivalent. You are not eligible for Title IV loan funds if you do not have a high school diploma, an equivalent such as a GED, or a certificate proving completion of secondary school in a homeschool setting.

Unfortunately, students enrolled in the following programmes are not eligible for Title IV Federal Loans:

Graduate Diploma
Professional Diploma
Artist Diploma
Distance Learning programmes (including MEd Music Education, Creative Music Making)
CertHE Foundations of Musical Theater

Title IV Federal Loans are only available to students enrolled in our Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Research (MPhil/PhD) degree programmes.

Please be aware that outgoing exchanges are not available to US students taking Title IV loans, unless the host institution is authorized to provide Federal Student Aid and is located outside the USA.

Additionally, it is not permitted to undertake any part of your course of study within the USA. You must also ensure that you are not in default on any previous student loans.

STEP 2: Complete the Trinity Laban US Loan Online Form as soon as you are able after you have confirmed your place at Trinity Laban.

STEP 3: Complete the FAFSA, which can be done online through the FAFSA.

After the U.S. Department of Education processes your FAFSA, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). You will need the school code when filling out the FAFSA and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance’s code is G10520. Once you have completed the FAFSA, your FSS will be sent to you. It is crucial that you read the FSS thoroughly and carefully to ensure all your data is correct and to identify any potential issues that could affect your loan eligibility.
Please notify us by sending an email to Admissions@trinitylaban.ac.uk once you have received the FSS, so that we can start processing your loan applications and avoid any delays.

STEP 4: Complete your PLUS loan application (if applicable)
If you are intending to apply for a PLUS loan in addition to the Subsidized and/or Unsubsidised loan, you will need to complete a separate application through Student Aid‘s website.

STEP 5: You must complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) electronically through Federal Student Aid. The MPN is the contract between you and the lender and we need one of these for any federal loan you wish to borrow. Please note you will need one contract for each of your loans (one for Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and one for Direct PLUS).
Please note that as a student at a foreign school you are required to complete new MPN’s for each loan for every year of study.

STEP 6: Complete your Entrance Counselling only if you are new to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. This is a requirement of the US Department of Education and can be completed at Federal Student Aid. Counselling must only be submitted by students borrowing Stafford loans or Graduate PLUS loans.

STEP 7: Complete a Cost of Attendance (CoA) calculator form by using the appropriate link below.

9 Month Postgraduate Programmes – MUSIC ONLY
12 Month Postgraduate Programmes – DANCE ONLY
9 Month Undergraduate Programmes – MUSIC & DANCE

The CoA will allow you to see how much you are entitled to borrow and to indicate to us how much you wish to borrow. You will need to have your Student Aid Index contribution (SAI) (previously known as ‘EFC’) to hand in order to complete it. Download the form, complete it and attach it to an email as a PDF or Excel Spreadsheet and send us a copy at admissions@trinitylaban.ac.uk.

STEP 8: Trinity Laban will then approve your loan on the disbursement system and issue an award letter, confirming your loan. There will be three disbursement dates for the loan, shortly after the start of each academic term (in October, January and April for 2024/25), and the total loan will be split into three equal amounts in accordance with the Federal loan regulations.

Notes:
UK Student visa: The award letter is in the correct format if you need to use it for your Student visa application. You may wish to check with the GOV.UK whether you are from a “differential evidence requirement” countries and so may not be required to provide evidence of adequate funding on applying for your visa.

Tuition fee balance: All new students will receive an invoice from Finance for your upcoming term’s tuition fees, usually in August. Please note that you are not obligated to make the tuition fee payment at that point, especially if you plan to use your loan funds to cover those fees. Should there be any outstanding balance related to unpaid school fees, you may receive an updated invoice or notification from Finance after each disbursement requiring payment.

Please note that loans cannot be disbursed prior to the beginning of term and that students should budget to be able to live for the first month of study without access to their loan.

Gainful Employment Disclosure
Trinity Laban is required by the US Federal Loan Regulations to publish information regarding those courses that do not lead to a recognised award but are still eligible for US Loans.

Federal Disclosure Requirements (MUSIC)

Student Withdrawal and Return of Title IV Funds Policy
If a student who receives Title IV funding withdraws, interrupts for more than 180 days or drops below half time attendance, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance will follow the requirements of returning funds as defined by the US Department of Education and is applied alongside the College’s Withdrawal and Refund Policy. The Finance Office will use the worksheets provided by the US Department of Education to determine how much of the loan may be retained and how much must be returned. The US Department of Education is the “Lender”.

Return of Funds by Trinity Laban
A student “earns” aid on a daily basis and therefore if a student withdraws, any unearned aid for that payment period needs to be returned to the lender. Once the conservatoire has determined the amount of unearned aid, funds will be returned to the lender and the student notified if he or she needs to return any funds to the lender.

Loans are returned in the following order.
Federal Unsubsidised Stafford
Federal Subsidised Stafford
PLUS Loan

Loans must be repaid in accordance with the terms of the borrowers Promissory Note.
There are some Title IV funds that students are scheduled to receive that cannot be earned once a student withdraws because of other eligibility requirements. For example, a new student receiving aid for the first time who withdraws within the first 30 days of a programme will be deemed not to have earned any aid.

Trinity Laban will determine any adjustments to the loan within the 30 days of the students’ withdrawal and will return funds within 45 days of that calculation.

Students should note that this policy uses a different calculation from Trinity Laban’s withdrawal policy which may mean that the student owes Trinity Laban once money has been returned to the lender. Students will be notified if this is the case.

Determining the date of Withdrawal
The date of withdrawal from a programme will be determined by the Registry in discussion with the relevant Head of Programme once the student has determined an intention to withdraw. In the case of the students withdrawing without notifying Trinity Laban, the date of withdrawal will be the date on which the student was last known to have attended.

Return of Funds by Student
If the student is notified that there are loan funds that must be returned by the student, the student should repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note signed by the student at the time of making the application for funds.

Veterans Affairs
The US Department of Veterans Affairs offers education and training benefits to eligible veterans through various GI Bill programmes. However, because of the revised VA regulations and requirements, we will no longer be processing Veterans Affairs Benefits and you should find an alternative source of funding for your studies.

Who do I contact if I have any problems?
If you have additional questions after reading the information provided on our website, please contact us as soon as possible.
admissions@trinitylaban.ac.uk
Phone: (0044) 208305 4402

Your own country may be able to offer financial assistance to you if you choose to study overseas. To start with, contact your own government’s education department to check what funding and loans are available for study in the UK.

The British Council provides information on funding opportunities and sponsorship that you may be able to apply for.

Trinity Laban also has some funding opportunities available and provides a variety of scholarships and bursaries to students every year.