- in full time higher education
- studying abroad as part of their course
- receiving student finance that depends on their household income (e.g. Maintenance Loan or Maintenance Grant)
Travel grants are allocated to students studying abroad for at least 50% of any academic term; the period of study can either be compulsory or optional. The grants are not available to students working abroad.
Money
The amount given depends on your household income, covering reasonable (economy flights etc.) costs incurred on travel expenses during an academic year. You have to pay the first £303, meaning you will be reimbursed the total spent, minus £303.If you are eligible for the Travel Grant, you can be reimbursed up to 3 return journeys from the UK to your overseas university town during a whole academic year abroad. Medical insurance and visas are also covered. If travelling by car, reimbursement is calculated at 24p per mile.
Students who are responsible for a child may have their child’s travel fare reimbursed, should it be necessary for you to take them abroad.
Apply
To apply for the grant, students and their home universities need to fill out two forms, available on the Student Finance section of the DirectGov site:1) The SFE Course Abroad Form, to be completed by your university or college to confirm the length of time spent abroad.
2) The SFE Travel Abroad, to be completed by you.
Receipts and proof of purchase
You will need to send photocopies of receipts and proof of payments to receive full reimbursement of your travel expenses.When can you get a Travel Grant
Student Finance allocates grants on an ad-hoc basis, meaning you will receive payment as of when you incur travel expenses and apply for the grant, regardless of whether or not your student finance installment has come through. There is no limit to how many travel forms you wish to submit.More information is available about Travel Grants on the Student Finance DirectGov website.
