Find out how much it costs to study and live in Leeds and what financial support is available.
Open DaysThe information below will help you to see what's available from Government sources. This information applies to students from England only - if you are from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, please see the links below:
UK students are entitled to Maintenance Loans to help pay for essential expenses such as accommodation, food, books and travel. This is a contribution to living costs to help cover your essential expenses.
The amount you can get depends on:
All eligible students can receive the minimum amount of loan.
The rates given below are estimated and are subject to confirmation from the government. The maximum and minimum loan rates for 2025 entrants are:
|
|
Amount available to all eligible students |
Maximum amount available subject to income assessment |
|
Student living with parents |
£3,907 |
£8,877 |
|
Student living away from parental home |
£4,915 |
£10,544 |
An additional amount is available, which depends on your household income.
This table shows the amount of funds available for living costs for a single student studying at Leeds Conservatoire, and living away from home, according to household income level (as determined by the household income assessment) for 2025 entry. The rates are estimated and are subject to confirmation from the government.
Residual Household Income: £25,000 or less |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£10,544 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£800 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£11,344 |
Residual Household Income: £30,000 |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£9,791 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£400 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£10,191 |
Residual Household Income: £35,000 |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£9,037 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£400 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£9,437 |
Residual Household Income: £40,000 |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£8,284 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£400 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£8,684 |
Residual Household Income: £45,000 |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£7,530 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£0 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£7,530 |
Residual Household Income: £50,000 |
|
|
Maintenance Loan |
£6,770 |
|
Leeds Conservatoire Bursary |
£0 |
|
Total amount available for living costs |
£6,770 |
*The criteria for independent assessment for those aged under 25 are very specific – simply not living with your parents is not enough to claim independent status. You can find out more information about independent status here.
Loans are paid directly into your bank account in three instalments, at the start of each term.
You can apply for a maintenance loan and a tuition fee loan at the same time. Please see our 'Applying for Student Finance' guide for more information about how to apply.
The application process depends on where you live.
England
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
0300 100 0607
Scotland
http://www.saas.gov.uk/
0300 555 0505
Wales
http://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/
0300 200 4050
Northern Ireland
http://www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/
0300 100 0077
You can apply for all of the support listed above, in one online application. You will need to provide your:
If you decide to apply for the full income assessed finance (advised if your household income was below around £63,000 in 2023-2024), your parent(s) will also need to supply their personal details and income information, which will be verified by HMRC. They will not usually be required to supply paper evidence. Once you have applied and set up a Student Finance account, you will have a unique customer reference number and will be able to log back in and change details where necessary, and view all the correspondence relating to your Student Finance.
You can apply for student Finance from around February prior to the start of the course. You do NOT need to wait until your place on the course has been confirmed- Apply early and if any of your details change, you can log back into your account and update them. The deadline for on-time applications is the end of May.
Students who are entitled to certain DWP benefits, such as Income support, Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, or certain disability benefits, may qualify for an increased loan for living costs.
Students in this category would include single parents or student couples with a dependent child, students who have been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at last 28 weeks, and students who are entitled to a disability premium, PIP or DLA.
A proportion of the increased loan, known as the Special Support element, which is a contribution towards the cost of books, equipment and travel, is disregarded when benefits are calculated.
Students with dependent children can apply for a Parents Learning Allowance and a Childcare Grant.
Students with an adult dependant can apply for an Adult Dependants Grant.
Students with a disability or a specific learning difficulty can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance to help with any extra costs incurred whilst studying, as a direct result of a disability.
If you have a disability and wish to discuss your application for Disabled Students Allowance, please email disability@lcm.ac.uk
An accommodation start up voucher worth £150 is available to applicants, starting their course in September 2025, who have been receiving benefits or are estranged from their family. Students starting in September 2025 will be able to apply for this on the online applicant portal.
Your living costs will vary according to your circumstances and your lifestyle expectations, but for students in year one, living away from home, the following is a guide.
The rates below are based on living costs for the 2024/25 year, as rent costs have not yet been released for 2025/26.
|
Essential Items |
|
|
Rent in Joseph Stones House (single en-suite room) |
From £192 to £256 per week (most rooms are £198) (for 43 weeks) |
|
Rent in other student accommodation in Leeds |
£265 per week (for 42 weeks) |
|
Rent in shared student house |
£110 per week, not including bills (for 52 weeks) |
|
Food |
£35 per week |
|
Utilities (gas, electricity and water are included in halls, but not usually in shared houses). |
£20 to £30 per week (but could vary widely) |
|
Mobile phone contract |
£12 per month |
|
Daily travel to conservatoire |
Nil if within walking/cycling distance, otherwise budget for about £3 per day. Check https://www.firstbus.co.uk/leeds/tickets/student-bus-travel/university-single-fare. |
|
Travel to home once per term |
The train/coach fare - depends where you live! |
|
Miscellaneous costs (toiletries, laundry, hairdressing, clothes) |
£40 per week |
|
Course costs (stationery, memory devices, instrument maintenance, concerts/gigs) |
£5 per week average |
As a student, it's important to manage your money carefully to avoid unnecessary overdraft charges and even worse - big credit card bills. Below are some resources which may be useful when it comes to managing your money:
Inflationary Increases
Fees, loans and grants may be subject to annual inflationary increases. Figures quoted here apply to new entrants in the academic year 2024/25.
Eligibility
In order to be considered eligible for maintenance support, you will need to meet the residence requirements.
You can apply if:
Previous Study
Eligibility for Student Finance will be affected if you have been in Higher Education before, regardless of the amount of support you received, even if you had no loan or grant. For further advice about the effect of previous study, please contact us.
If you already hold an equivalent level qualification, from any country, you will not be entitled to Student Finance, other than possibly the specialist support for disabled students or those with dependants. For further advice on this matter please contact the Student Funding Team.
If you are an EU national and have Pre-Settled or Settled Status under the EU settlement scheme and have been living in the UK for 3 years prior to 1st September 2025 you may be eligible for student finance. The financial support you will receive will depend on how long you have lived in the UK or EEA, and /or whether you or a family member have been working in the UK.
If you came to the UK primarily to work and intend to carry on working whilst you study, you may be classed as a migrant worker and be able to claim help for living costs. For the latest information on which EU/EEA nationals may qualify for the ‘Home’ fee rate and Student Finance, please read up-to-date information on the GOV.UK and UKCISA websites. Student Finance England will ask you to provide evidence in order to be awarded further education financial support.
Irish citizens are covered by the Common Travel Area arrangement and do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
To get in touch with the Student Funding team you can:
Email: studentfunding@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
Telephone: 0113 222 3508 / 0113 222 3419
Find out what it's like to study at Leeds Conservatoire by coming along to one of our Open Days.
As well as talks and tours specific to the courses you're interested in, you can also chat to our staff and students.
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