Imperial College understands that some Muslim students and members of other faiths may not take out the UK Government Student Loans, due to the interest that is added to the repayments which may be considered as Sharia non-compliant. 

The Department for Education have been working with the National Union of Students and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies to work towards a Sharia-compliant funding system for a number of years. Following the announcement of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will be coming into place sometime in 2026, the Department for Education are hopeful for an announcement to come out not long after the launch of LLE. When there is more information, we will update this page accordingly.  

Student Finance Wales (SFW)

SFW students are eligible for a partial Maintenance Loan and Maintenance Grant. Their household income assessment determines how much of this will be paid as a grant. SFW students are eligible to receive just their maintenance grant and not their loan if they choose to. You must communicate this with SFW directly if you only want to receive the grant.  

Imperial Bursary

The Imperial Bursary is assessed based on Household Income information, that we collect from the Student Loan Company system. Whilst you may not want to take out the full loans, you are able to get Household Income Assessed, without taking the maintenance loan. The Imperial Bursary is non-repayable and is therefore Sharia-compliant.

Scholarships

There are many different scholarships available for students to apply for, which are non-repayable. We have a number of scholarships on our Scholarship search tool for you to look into, as well as our External Scholarships page, where we list a number of trusted external organisations and search engines that host many scholarships for students. 

Student Support Fund

Our Student Support Fund eligibility does require students to have taken out all their funding opportunities available to them. If you have decided not to take out the loans that you are eligible for, including due to faith reasons, you are unlikely to receive financial support from this discretional fund. This is consistent with other UK universities’ policies in managing hardship funds.

Student Experience Fund

The Student Experience Fund enables students to take part in activities, events and socials at Imperial College Union which would otherwise pose a financial challenge. So far, it has been available for all students in receipt of the Imperial Bursary, and there are plans to expand it in upcoming years. More information can be found on the Student Experience Fund page.

Welfare benefits

If you are receiving welfare benefits as a student, even if you haven’t taken out the Government Loans, the office assessing your benefits will include the Government Loans as income. This may impact your entitlement.

Sharia-compliant banking and charitable funding

There are a few well-known Islamic banks and charities, that can offer appropriate facilities to students, to help them fund their studies. Across the Higher Education sector, these are the most commonly listed organisations:  

• AI Rayan Bank 
• The National Zakat Foundation (NZF) 
• United Bank UK (UBL) 
• Ansar Finance  

Please be aware that each organisation will have its own eligibility criteria and limits which may affect eligibility. Imperial College London do not have a partnership with any of these and cannot provide any support or guarantees for this funding.

Student bank accounts and interest-free overdrafts

Most UK Banks will offer student accounts, with a specified limit overdraft, dependent on Credit history and sometimes your level or year of study. However, some banks may want to see evidence of your Maintenance Loan and other sources of income for you to open this type of account. 

Further advice or support

If you find yourself needing specialised support or advice during your studies about what you can and cannot apply for funding wise, you may benefit from speaking with your Imam or other community leader for advice about Sharia law relating to your available student loans. 

Thank you to the Student Union (Welfare) and the Islamic Finance Council UK for their contributions to this page.