Eligibility
Your tuition fees and any other bursary or financial support depend on your status as a home, European Union (EU) or overseas student. Find out more information about EU or overseas status. All grants and bursaries are subject to conditions and you are not guaranteed funding, but you may be eligible for financial support.
Tuition fee loan
If you are on a postgraduate ITT course, you will have to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees vary depending on the course and the higher education institution (HEI) or SCITT provider. You should contact the HEI or SCITT provider of the course or programme you are interested in directly.
For full details of available courses and providers, you can search for a postgraduate course. In most cases, you need to apply for SCITT courses through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR), although some SCITT providers require direct applications. See a list of SCITT providers.
Home and EU students may be eligible for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of tuition fees charged. This is available through Student Finance England. More information on the tuition fee loan can be found on Directgov.
You can calculate an estimate of your loan repayments by visiting the Directgov website and selecting 'Teacher' from the list of careers.
Training bursaries
In 2011 the Government consulted on a new ITT strategy, which proposed a new system of financial incentives for trainees with good degrees in shortage subjects.
Bursaries are available for trainees on eligible postgraduate courses in England who are not employed as a teacher. Bursary amounts will vary depending on teaching subject and degree class.
Teaching is a prime career choice for high-quality graduates. To encourage the best people to enter the profession, from 2012/13 trainees will need at least a 2:2 to be eligible for a training bursary.
The 2012/13 bursary scheme recognises exceptional achievement outside of degree results and allows flexibility in some cases. In exceptional circumstances trainees may receive a higher bursary than their degree class would otherwise allow. This allows the scheme to take account of, for example, trainees with a 2:2 and a PhD or proven exceptional subject knowledge gained from another career. Find out more about this scheme in the bursary document about the consideration of exceptional achievements (PDF, 174KB).
The table below summarises the standard training bursaries available in 2012/13:
| ITT specialism |
|---|
| Physics, mathematics, chemistry, modern languages | Other priority secondary specialisms1 and primary | General science and non-priority secondary specialisms2 |
|---|
| Training bursary 2012/13 | Trainee with first |
£20,0003 |
£9,000 |
£0 |
|---|
| 2:1 |
£15,0003 |
£5,000 |
|---|
| 2:2 |
£12,000 |
£0 |
|---|
1Art and design, design and technology, economics, engineering, English, dance, drama, geography, history, information and communications technology (ICT), computer science, classics, music, biology, physical education, primary, and religious education mainstream post-graduate ITT courses attract £9,000 bursaries for trainees with a first and £5,000 for trainees with a 2:1.
2General science, business studies, citizenship, applied science, health and social care, leisure and tourism, media studies, psychology, social sciences (except economics) ITT courses attract no bursary.
3Physics trainees with a 2:1 or first are able to apply for an Institute of Physics scholarship. The scholarship is worth £20,000. Trainees who hold the scholarship will not also be eligible for the standard Department for Education (DfE) bursary. Physics trainees who are not awarded the scholarship will continue in 2012/13 to be eligible for the standard £20,000 bursary for those with a first, and £15,000 bursary for those with a 2:1.
The TDA commissioned a grade comparison exercise, carried out by UK NARIC, of all international awards that are considered comparable to British Bachelor (honours) degree standard. To help determine postgraduate bursary eligibility, trainees with a degree from outside the UK should consult their chosen training provider or refer to the equivalency table (PDF, 1.1MB).
School Direct bursary top-up
In 2012/13 a new scheme called School Direct will enable more trainees to choose training that is linked to a particular school.
Trainees on School Direct places may be eligible for an additional payment worth 25 per cent of their standard bursary. To qualify for this payment, trainees will need to be based in a school where more than a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
The School Direct bursary top-up is only available in combination with a standard bursary, and will be paid on top of the standard bursary amount the trainee is eligible for. Schools are not required to offer free school meals to participate in School Direct.
If you are interested in the School Direct scheme, register with the TDA and we will send you more information when it becomes available.
Physics teacher training scholarships
Physics trainees with a 2:1 or first class degree can apply for an IOP Teacher Training Scholarship.
The scholarship will be worth £20,000 and be instead of the standard bursary. It will have additional benefits such as membership of the Institute of Physics and mentoring support. Any graduate with a 2:1 or first who is intending to do a mainstream physics ITT course will be able to apply.
The IOP will award scholarships to candidates with exceptional subject knowledge, enthusiasm for the study of physics, and outstanding potential to teach. In 2012/13 there will be up to 100 available, and the IOP will begin assessments during autumn 2011. Further details are available on the IoP website.
Physics trainees who are not awarded the scholarship will continue to be eligible for the standard bursaries in 2012/13.
Student loan for maintenance
Home students in England may also be eligible for a student maintenance loan to help towards accommodation and other living costs. This is available through Student Finance England. More information on the student loan for maintenance can be found on Directgov.
Maintenance grant
Home students in England may also be eligible for a non repayable maintenance grant. This grant will be means tested and you can apply through Student Finance England. More details about these grants and the funding arrangements for trainees from the EU can be found at Directgov.
Next steps
Call the Teaching Information Line for more information about becoming a teacher:
Freephone: 0800 389 2500 (0800 085 0971 for Welsh speakers)
Fax: 0117 915 6578
Visit the National Academic Recognition Centre website to find out whether your qualifications are of an equivalent level to UK GCSEs, A-levels and an undergraduate degree.