The Money Advice team can assist you to understand how your exam results and progression decisions will impact your student loan entitlement.
Please see below for general guidance to help you consider your options.
We run an open-door policy at our office in room 140, Founders East between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday if you would like to discuss any funding concerns that you have then please drop by.
If you'd like to book an appointment either in-person or via a video call on MS Teams, then please use our form below to select a time and date that suits you.
Book an appointment here
How your progression decision impacts your undergraduate student loan
In the first instance, we recommend that all students who have failed a module(s), discuss with their school helpdesk and personal tutor what the best option is for them (repeat or resit) from an academic point of view.
This guide provides a general overview of how your choice to repeat or resit as an undergraduate student will impact your student loan for the year that you resit or repeat and any future years of your course.
Resit in the Summer Vacation Assessment Period (SVAP)
If you are offered the opportunity to resit in the SVAP this will have no immediate impact on your student loan, and you won’t be charged an additional tuition fee. You will not be entitled to an additional amount of maintenance loan during the assessment period. If you are unable to progress to the next stage of your degree after the SVAP, you will need to consider the options below.
Resit not in attendance
As you will not be receiving any teaching or additional academic support, you will not be charged any tuition fees and will therefore not be eligible to receive the tuition fee loan. You will also not be eligible to receive a maintenance loan or any university bursaries to support your costs of living. If you choose to resit not in attendance, you may need to work to support your finances during this period or contact Citizens Advice to discuss your eligibility for state benefits.
Repeat in attendance
You will be charged a tuition fee for any chargeable module that you repeat in attendance. Modules are charged pro-rata and you can refer to Section 2 of the Tuition Fee Operational Guidelines or contact our Student Services Centre to understand the cost per module of any repeats you wish to undertake. You will be eligible for a means tested maintenance loan and any additional grants for any repeat year in attendance. You won’t be eligible for any university bursaries that you are receiving. You may be eligible for a tuition fee loan, provided you meet the basic eligibility criteria and have not exceeded the number of years for which you are eligible to receive one (see below).
Calculating your eligibility
All students eligible for a tuition fee loan from SFE, are entitled to receive that loan for the original length of their course plus 1 additional year and less any previous years of study on any course at undergraduate level.
Please note that SFE consider any time spent enrolled on a course during an academic as 1 full year for the purposes of calculating your eligibility. For example, if you enrolled on a previous course at Royal Holloway or elsewhere and then withdrew during that academic year, it will count as 1 full year of funding. Similarly, if you’ve interrupted your studies, any time spent studying during an academic year prior to the interruption will count as 1 full year of funding.
Use our tool below to answer questions about your personal circumstances and to check whether you will be eligible for a tuition fee loan for your repeat year in attendance.
Click here to use our tool and check if you are eligible for a tuition fee loan
If you’ve previously studied part of a different degree at RH or elsewhere, had a period of interruption or this is not your first year of repeating in attendance then we recommend you contact the Money Advice Team for support.
If you are not automatically eligible for a tuition fee loan for your repeat year because you’ve exceeded the number of years for which you can receive it, you will have 2 options.
- Apply to receive an additional year of tuition fee loan from SFE due to compelling personal reasons (CPR) – See below for further advice
- Self-fund or seek alternative means of paying your tuition fees
Important – You need to take action as soon as you receive your results and make a progression decision to either apply for CPR or find an alternative means of paying your fees for the repeat year.
If you’ve experienced personal or medical problems which impacted your studies either this year or during previous years and you are able to evidence this then you may be eligible to claim an additional year of tuition fee loan(s) beyond the standard eligibility.
You will need to provide SFE with
- A personal statement outlining the problems you faced, the impact this caused on your studies and the impact that not being able to receive a tuition fee loan would have on your ability to complete your course
- Independent evidence of the problems described in your personal statement. This could include, a letter from a GP or other healthcare professional or a letter from a university wellbeing or support service who you’ve previously engaged
These documents can be provided to SFE via your online account (uploading support evidence). Remember to quote your SFE Customer Reference Number on any documents you provide.
The Money Advice Team can help you to
- Understand whether you are likely to be eligible for an additional tuition fee loan(s)
- Draft a supporting statement
- Gather relevant documents that evidence your compelling circumstances
- Follow-up with SFE to ensure your application is considered in a timely fashion and where necessary advocate on your behalf
As the process for considering CPR can be quite lengthy, we recommend that students act immediately to either make their application and/or seek support from Money Advice.
If you are repeating a year other than your final year and are therefore expecting to continue your studies after passing your repeat modules, then it’s likely you will be automatically eligible to receive a tuition fee loan when you progress onto the next year of study. For example, if you are repeating year 2 and you progress onto year 3. That is because your total years eligibility will not change. You will still be eligible for funding for the original length of your course plus 1 additional year less previous years of study.
If you exceed that limit, it will always be the next year (s) study that you are left ineligible for. In your case, that would be your repeat year.
See below for example and refer to the tool above under ‘calculating your eligibility’ for a tuition fee loan to help you understand what further funding you can receive from SFE after completing your repeat in attendance year.
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Academic Year
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Course/Status
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Eligible for tuition fee loan
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2021/22
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Started a degree programme but withdrew at the end of year 1
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Yes
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2022/23
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Started a new 3 year degree programme and progressed onto year 2
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Yes – your eligibility for this course is original length of course + 1 additional year – the 1 year previous study.
3 + 1 – 1 = 3 years of funding
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2023/24
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Studied year 2 of the degree but didn’t pass some modules
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Yes
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2024/25
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You opted to repeat your year 2 modules with attendance.
You pass your repeats and progress to final year
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You’re not automatically eligible for a tuition fee loan because your repeats mean your course length is now 4 years. You can try for extra funding via CPR if applicable
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2025/26
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You study your final year and gain your degree
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Yes, this is 3rd and final year you are automatically eligible to receive a loan.
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This is an example only, other circumstances will provide different results.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible to receive a tuition fee loan for this or future years of your course, then please contact us by clicking on the 'Ask a Question' button below.
The university will report your change in status to Student Finance England. However, you also need to contact Student Finance England as soon as you are aware that you will be repeating or resitting in the next academic year.
You may also need to adjust the amount of the Tuition Fee Loan you have requested (if you applied before you knew your progression outcome). The Student Services Centre can tell you how much your fees will be.
If you are no longer eligible for a tuition loan and/or a maintenance loan (see above) then you should ensure that you make SFE aware. Overpayments as a result of you failing to inform SFE will result in the money being taken back either immediately or in future years.