Fees and Funding

The Student Fund has been developed to support and relieve some of the financial pressures students face, making it possible to enrol and remain on our courses. It is open to any registered student whether undergraduate, postgraduate, home or overseas status.

How do I apply?

If you are applying to study with us to start in 2025/26, further information and an application form for The Student Fund will be sent to you after an offer is made. Any funds awarded will only be transferred once you have accepted your place and have formally registered with us.

Can I only apply for the Student Fund once?

No, once you are enrolled as a student you are able to apply to the Student Fund at any point in the year. If you were unsuccessful in your first application you can re-apply as we are aware financial situations can change. All students are invited to apply to the Student Fund for each subsequent year of their studies.

In 2021 - 2022 The Student Fund supported 93 students to the amount of around £150,000.

The LCDS bursary is an income assessed bursary available to UK undergraduate students whose household income is under £42,000.

If you wish to be considered for a LCDS Bursary you need to complete an application to Student Finance England (or its equivalent) as early as possible in order to be income assessed. The bursary is awarded on a sliding scale and you could be awarded between £500-£1,500 per year for each year of training.

You can apply to Student Finance for income assessment even if you are not eligible for a loan, or do not wish to apply for a loan.

Global South Access Scholarship for MA Dance: Participation, Communities, Activism course

We offer two full fee scholarships for those living and working in the Global South.

You apply for the scholarship through the online application form for the MA Dance: Participation, Communities, Activism course.

Each scholarship covers the overseas course fee in full (£21,300).

The course is free for two GSS scholars each year. Students are responsible for their own travel costs to London and also for accommodation in London and visa applications (if necessary). London Contemporary Dance School has a fund to support students in financial need which you may be able to apply to if you are awarded the scholarship. We cannot, however, guarantee that you would be awarded funds for your travel, accommodation and visa costs, so you are asked to engage in other fundraising activities to support these elements of your studies.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must live and work in one of the countries of the Global South, either permanently or regularly, and intend to complete at least part of your MA course living and working in that country.

If offered an interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of an existing artistic practice with communities in the country.

It does not have to be your official place of residence.

To be eligible for a Global South Access Scholarship, you must live and work on a regular basis in one of the countries on the list from the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation: Organization in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations. (Please note: For the purpose of this scholarship, China is not included).

Decisions on scholarships will be made based on two factors:

1) Financial need - this will be assessed at the point of your application to the course. There will be a series of questions that will help us evaluate your financial need.

2) The quality of the submissions and interview in the application process

The scholarship cannot be combined with other fee-waiver scholarships (the student must be self-funding).

The scholarship can be combined with other scholarships which support travel or living costs.

The student must enroll on MA Dance: Participation, Communities, Activism before the funding is released.

*Our definition of countries of the Global South is drawn from the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation: Organization in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations.

If you’re starting a master’s degree and from England, you could get a Postgraduate Master’s Loan to help with course fees and living costs. Visit the government website, where it also outlines loans available to you if you are from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Tuition fee loan

If you are living in England and this is your first degree you can apply for financial support from Student Finance England.

You can apply for:

• A tuition fee loan
• A maintenance loan (to help with living costs)

You will need to reapply for each year of your course.

Maintenance loan

All English students can apply for a basic student loan to help with living costs, no matter what their household income. Students living away from home in London may borrow up to £12,382 depending on the family income.

Loan repayments

If you take out a tuition fee loan and/or a maintenance loan from Student Finance England, you will not have to repay anything until after you have graduated and are earning a minimum salary.

Key facts about repayments:

• You will only repay 9% of what you earn above the repayment earnings threshold
• Student loans are not recorded on your credit rating file.
• The current repayment thresholds are £524 a week or £2,274 a month (before tax and other deductions). They change in April every year.

For more information, visit the Student Finance page on repaying your student loan.

The MoneySavingExpert website has a useful summary of how student loans work.

For more information and to apply for financial support, visit the Student Finance England website.

Students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales

If you are a student from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales you can apply for financial support from the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive.

Click on the links below for information for:

• Students from Northern Ireland
• Students from Scotland
• Students from Wales

Care leavers or estranged students can access additional support, and may be eligible to receive a cash bursary of £1,000 per year of study. Students can self-identify as a care leaver or estranged from their family and can disclose this at any point during the application process or during their studies.

This bursary is available to eligible home fee students on the undergraduate higher education course.

For any questions or further information please email Student Support

Student Guide to Direct Loans from the US Department of Education

We participate in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. These downloadable guides below outline the types of loans available, how to apply for them and when and how they are disbursed.

Direct Loan Program offers loans from the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), lending the money directly to you through us.

There are also some differences in the names of the loans.

• The FFEL Program’s Federal Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) are called Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans
• The FFEL Program’s Federal PLUS Loan is called a Direct PLUS Loan in the Direct Loan Program.

Please note that students studying at schools outside of the USA can apply for Direct Subsidised, Direct Unsubsidised and Direct PLUS loans but are not eligible for PELL or Teach Grants or Perkins loans. Additionally, please be aware that LCDS is currently unable to complete 1098T tax forms for US students.