Am I eligible for a student maintenance loan?

Question

I have an unconditional offer to go to University from September 2013. However, when I was looking at the finance side of it, I found that EU students (so people from a country in the European Union but outside the UK) can't get maintenance loans. I'm not sure if I count as an EU student, though. I have a german passport, but I've lived in the UK for 15 years now (I'm 18). Can I get a maintenance loan, or if not, could I apply for a British passport and then get one?

Answer 1

Looking at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies, it says:

You can only apply if:

• you’re a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)
• you normally live in England
• you’ve been living in the UK for 3 years before starting your course

As you meet all three requirements I think you are counted as a English student in every respect. I would advise applying as soon as possible though to verify this.

EDIT: also, getting a British passport anyway might not hurt; it makes sense as you've spent almost all your life here, and it would insulate you against any issues that might arise if Britain ends up leaving the EU.