Other sources of funding

Can I work and study?

• Yes! Some students may require another source of income, but it can also give you valuable work experience.
• You will need to find a good work/study balance to ensure you still do well in your studies and don’t wear yourself out.
• If you are an international or European student, there may be visa or other regulations which affect your employment. Find out more visa regulations.

Where can I find jobs?

Our Careers and Employability Service is one place to start looking for part-time and vacation jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and more.

• Find opportunities promoted by the University’s Career and Employability service through TARGETconnect
• Check out our advice on gaining experience through part-time work on Canvas
• There are many other employment websites out there, some have options to only search for suitable employment alongside integrated application submission

National Minimum Wage

• More information on National Minimum Wage rates
• How to get a National Insurance number
• An overview of employment rights

Get more information on part-time, seasonal and vacation employment through our Careers and Employability service. 

If you're a full-time student, you're not usually eligible to claim benefits. However some benefits are currently unaffected by studying; these include Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) as DLA is now known. The UK benefit system has changed, and some of these benefits have now been replaced by Universal Credit. 

Full-time students

• Most full-time students will not be eligible for benefits. The main exceptions will be lone parents and students with disabilities.
• CPAG provides a factsheet for benefits for disabled students
• Full-time students are eligible for council tax exemption - find out more about council tax exemption.

Part-time students

• You can still be eligible for most benefits. This includes Universal Credit so long as you meet the availability for work requirements. Find out more eligibility.
• Some part-time students are eligible for council tax exemption. It depends on the number of credits you are studying.

Find out more

• Information from the Government on Universal Credit and students
• Check the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) website for information on all benefits. You can also start applications for many benefits from there.
• You can use the Entitled to website and the government benefits site to calculate the benefits you may be entitled to. But they may not give accurate results if you are a full-time student and they do not take into account eligibility for non UK students.
• Benefits regulations are complicated, please speak to a Student Money Adviser or other agency, e.g. CAB (Citizens' Advice Bureau), for more information.

If I'm a student, do I have to pay tax?

• It depends on how much you earn. Everyone can earn a certain amount before they pay tax or national insurance. This is known as your 'personal allowance'. If you have more than one job, you still have one personal allowance. Read more about personal allowances.
• If you work in semester time and vacations, the normal tax rules apply to you. See the HMRC website for more information.

How can I make sure I don't pay too much income tax?

• If you start a job and you haven't got a P45 (a statement from your previous employer about your earnings and tax), ask to fill out a P46 instead
• If you leave a job, make sure your employer gives you a P45 to hand on to your next employer
• If you are clearly earning less than your personal allowance or if your tax code ends in 'BR' (that means you do not have any personal allowances) you can ring a tax office to sort things. Find out your employer's PAYE tax reference number and then telephone the relevant tax office. Find the telephone number.
• You could use HMRC's online checker if you think you may have paid too much. That site has information on what to do next.

The work I'm doing is classed as self-employment, what should I do?

• You will have to sort out income tax and National Insurance for yourself. Here's some guidance from HMRC.
  • Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax web pages for students. Get the information straight from the people who tax you!
  • Student Tax Checker - Think you've overpaid tax and are due a repayment? You can use this checker to find out.

Grants are available from a wide range of charities and trusts. Amounts may vary, they probably won't be large but they can make a difference.

Trusts give grants for many different reasons including:

• where you live,
• you/your parents' occupations,
• whether you have been looked after in local authority care,
• disability,
• religious background,
• ethnicity,
• lifestyle (eg vegetarian),
• surname
• and for specific purposes like postgraduate study, rent deposit, small business grants and so on.

This section gives you information on where to look for trusts and charities, how to apply and some individual trusts

Where to look for Trusts and Charities

• Family Action's Educational Grants search.
• turn2us - a charity which helps with accessing funding from trusts and charities. A-Z and categorised lists of charities.
• Scholarship Search - a mix of trusts, scholarships, commercial and university funding.
• SAAS's Register of Educational Endowments - Scottish trusts - useful if you are Scottish or studying in Scotland.
• One Parent Families Scotland produces factsheets on a range of topics including educational trust funds and trusts for individual and family needs.

The Times list of funds that will help current and past members of trades and professions and their dependants

Directory of Grant Making Trusts - available in the Library at Stirling and Highland Campuses.

General Trust Funds

Thomas and Margaret Roddan Trust

Applications forms are available from the 1st April and the closing date is usually in June. Applications can be collected from the Student Services Hub in Campus Central.

Who can apply?

You must be an undergraduate who has completed at least one year of study OR be a postgraduate (taught or research).

You must also:

• Have an ordinary residence in Scotland, or
• Have an ordinary residence outside of the UK but be studying in Scotland

For study at Stirling, check out the University's scholarship finder.

Or go to specific information for:

• English, Welsh and Northern Irish (RUK fee status) undergraduates starting in 2018
• EU and International undergraduates
• Postgraduates