The Imperial Bursary: generous support for Home undergraduates

If your household income is under £70,000 a year, you could receive up to £5,000 every year throughout your course.

*Eligible care leavers and estranged students get an extra £500 (£5,500 per year) and can choose to receive their first payment two months early.

Use the funds for food, accommodation, or any other expenses.

Bursary stats

Non-repayable

The Imperial Bursary is paid on top of any government funding you're eligible for and you don’t have to pay it back.

Up to £5,000 per year

The Imperial Bursary gives you between £1,000 and £5,000 each year, depending on your household income.

Qualify automatically

If you’re a Home undergraduate student and your household income is below £70,000, you'll automatically qualify.

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What you'll get

The amount you’ll get is based on yours or your family’s household income.

For courses starting in autumn 2025 and 2026, the bursary amounts are:

  • £5,000/year if your annual household income is between £0 and £16,000
  • £4,400/year if your annual household income is between £16,001 and £50,000
  • £3,300/year if your annual household income is between £50,001 and £55,000
  • £2,200/year if your annual household income is between £55,001 and £60,000
  • £1,000/year if your annual household income is between £60,001 and £70,000

We may need to adjust our bursary offer if the UK government changes the levels of fees or the associated arrangements for supporting students, for example, following the ongoing Higher Education Review. We will publish any changes on this webpage.

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Check if you're eligible

To qualify for the Imperial Bursary each year, you must:

  • Be an undergraduate student at Imperial
  • Qualify for the Home rate of tuition (see our fee status page)
  • Have a household income under £70,000
  • Apply for a means-tested government loan, even if you don't plan to take it (e.g. Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England)

The Imperial Bursary is not available for:

  • Students with Overseas fee status
  • Postgraduate or higher-level students
  • Students resitting or repeating part of the year

Other things to note:

  • If you study abroad for a year, you get 15% of the bursary for that year. 
  • If you spend a year in industry, we assess your bursary case-by-case. 
  • If you repeat a full year, you get the bursary if you qualify for government funding for your 'plus one' year or a Compelling Personal Circumstances year. 
  • If you are a Home student spending an intercalated year at Imperial, you get the bursary at the rate of your start year.  

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How to apply

There is no separate application form or process for the Imperial Bursary.

To be considered, you must apply for a means-tested government loan from your regional funding body e.g. a Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England for students from England.

You should apply for this funding even if you do not intend to take it out. We encourage you to submit your application for funding as soon as possible so we can confirm what support you will be eligible for.

With your consent, the information you provide on this application is shared with us and we use it to assess your eligibility for the Imperial Bursary.

We must receive your household income information by 31 May after the start of the academic year, e.g. 31 May 2026 for students starting in October 2025.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is responsible for paying grants and loans on behalf of the Government after you’ve applied through your regional funding body. SLC will write to you in the summer to tell you how much funding you’ll get in the next academic year.

We will then email you to confirm the Imperial Bursary amount that you will receive from Imperial. This is normally after A-level results day.

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When you're paid

You get your first payment in your bank account on 7 November. After that, you'll receive equal monthly payments until 7 June each year. 

Provide your bank details securely in the My Personal Details section on My Imperial. 

If you want to use your Imperial Bursary for accommodation or tuition fees, you can request this when you get your award letter. 

Care leavers and estranged students can choose to get their bursary two months earlier than the usual first payment date. 

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Medicine (Graduate Entry) Bursary

Funding is available for eligible students commencing on our MBBS Medicine (Graduate Entry) course in partnership with Cumbria School of Medicine (CSM).

What you'll get

The amount you'll get is based on yours or your family's household income.

For MBBS Medicine (Graduate Entry), the bursary amounts are:

  • £2,500/year if your annual household income is between £0 and £16,000
  • £2,200/year if your annual household income is between £16,001 and £50,000
  • £1,700/year if your annual household income is between £50,001 and £55,000
  • £1,100/year if your annual household income is between £55,001 and £60,000
  • £500/year if your annual household income is between £60,001 and £70,000

How to apply

To apply, please follow the guidance in our How to apply section.

Care leaver and estranged students

The Imperial Bursary (Cumbria School of Medicine) for care leavers and estranged students for 2025–2026 entrants will be £3,000.

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Medicine students: choose how to receive your bursary

  • Standard payment option: receive your full bursary each year in equal instalments. 
  • Six-year spread payment option: get more of your bursary in years 5 and 6, with less in years 1 to 4.

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Care leaver and estranged students

*Eligible care leavers and estranged students get an extra £500 (£5,500 per year) and can choose to receive their first payment two months early.

Look out for an email from Student Financial Support and follow the instructions to confirm your payment preferences.

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