Food, drink, books, skydiving society membership, vintage costume for heroes and villains night — these student essentials won’t pay for themselves.

The student loan will go some way to cover basics but not far enough to fund the lifestyle that most students now expect to enjoy. From the luxury en suite accommodation to the Starbucks-fuelled library session, being a student has never been more expensive. Even if the Bank of Mum and Dad is still open for business, it’s unlikely to provide cash with no questions asked.

Free money is hard to come by, especially in a recession, but not if you know where to look. Depending on the institution, everyone from children of Gurkhas to Welsh poetry enthusiasts can benefit from bursaries, which, unlike loans, don’t need to be paid back.

Universities in England offer bursaries ranging from £319 to as much as £3,150 a year for anyone on a full household income-based maintenance grant (£2,906 in 2009-10) who is paying the full top-up fee rate (£3,225 in 2009-10).

Multimedia

• The Times University Guide table

Multimedia

• Good University Guide Map

So it really does pay to look into what different places have to give away. http://bursarymap.direct.gov.uk/ A typical award is about £900 a year and usually based on household income. Many are given to students who went to schools affiliated to their university, so it is worth looking close to home. Other bursaries are reserved for particular groups of people including those who have been in care, those with an affiliation to a particular region or country, organ players and even students with a proven entrepreneurial streak.

Certain courses also offer subject-specific grants and some universities give out dollars dedicated to overseas travel. In some cases it doesn’t matter where you are going or what you plan to do there so long as you write a short report when you get back.

Contacting universities directly about their student finance schemes will give you a head start in discovering how packages differ.

The money is paid directly to eligible students but universities can make the offer of a bursary only if they are allowed to see personal financial information on the individual’s Student Finance Application form. Consent is given via the form itself but if you have ticked the box denying universities access to this information by mistake then ring the appropriate number. (English students — 0845 3005090; Welsh students — 0845 6028845; Northern Ireland students — 0845 6000662.) Money is paid either annually or in termly instalments but must be reapplied for each academic year via the SFA form in case financial circumstances change. Even if you aren’t eligible for any form of bursary you will nevertheless be able to get two different loans when you start university in England as a full-time undergraduate: one to cover tuition fees in full (up to £3,225 in 2009-10) and one to help with living costs including accommodation, books and fun. Up to £4,950, or in London £6,928, a year. These loans are repaid in instalments only once you have graduated and are earning more than £15,000 a year.

Depending on your financial situation, you may also be eligible for a Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant which you don’t pay back. Those with household incomes of less than £50,000 a year are entitled to some amount, up to £2,906, in maintenance grant.

Emerging from university with debt of some kind is almost inevitable but there are those who manage to avoid it and even those who come out in profit. Lyndi Smith raised more than £26,000 to fund her course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art through writing to grant-making trusts, holding garage sales, appealing to MPs and charitable donors and hosting fundraising events. She didn’t have anything to pay back when she graduated and her book, Free Degrees, could help you to do the same.

Steve Burford, editor of Wealthystudent.co.uk , says if you manage your budget and take advantage of offers for students, it is possible to leave university with at least £5,000 in the bank.

Whichever way you choose to pay for university, it doesn’t come cheap but is worth every penny.

Scottish students studying in Scotland will have their tuition fees paid by the Student Support Agency for Scotland and they do not need to pay them back. They are also eligible for a student loan for living costs of up to £4,625. Students in Scotland with a household income of less than £34,195 are eligible for a bursary of up to £2,640 for 2009-10. Scottish students studying elsewhere in the UK are also eligible for the same level of income-based bursary.

Welsh universities charge top-up fees which can be covered by a top-up fee loan repayed at the end of the course, up to £3,225 in 2009-10. But Welsh students who study in Wales are entitled to receive a non-means tested fee grant of up to £1,940 a year, which does not have to be repaid.

A means-tested grant of up to £2,906 in 2009-10 is available to Welsh students with a household income of less than £37,793.

Case Study

Duffy, the recent Ivor Novello winner, took advantage of a bursary while studying performing arts at the University of Chester. The Welsh singer took a university mission committee bursary to go to Costa Rica and help with turtle conservation.

She stayed with a Costa Rican family and took part in a community development project. The bursary is designed to help students to develop their character and can be used to do anything anywhere in the world. Duffy had to write a report on her return, detailing what she had done during the trip and how it contributed to her personal development. The bursaries are between £100 and £700, depending on the application, and aim to help students to use their education for the benefit of others.

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