Student Finance, Loans and Grants
You apply for Student Finance online through the body for where you live (Student Finance England, SAAS in Scotland, Student Finance Wales or Student Finance NI), and it comes as two parts: a tuition fee loan paid straight to your university, and a means-tested maintenance loan paid to you for living costs. Student Finance is the single biggest piece of money you will ever receive in one go as a student, and most people apply for it without knowing what they are signing up for. Maintenance loan amounts, tuition fees, repayment thresholds and eligibility rules all change year by year. This pillar pulls together everything you need: from how to apply, to calculating what you will actually get, to grants and scholarships that are not loans and never need to be repaid.
The one-page explanation
Student Finance England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each run separate schemes with different rules. The biggest split is tuition: Scottish students studying in Scotland pay no tuition; everyone else pays up to the English cap. Maintenance loans are means-tested against household income and scale with where you live during term. Repayment kicks in the April after you graduate, at a fixed percentage of anything you earn above the Plan 2 or Plan 5 threshold.
Work out your repayment. Drop your salary into the UK Student Loan Repayment Calculator and you will see your monthly deduction, total cost, and how long until the balance is written off.
What this pillar covers
Apply Student Finance walks through the online application, the single biggest source of missed first-term loan payments every year. Maintenance Loan Breakdown shows how the maximum figure is built, and why most households get less than the sticker amount. Grants, Scholarships and Bursaries lists the non-repayable money most applicants forget to apply for. Finance Eligibility covers borderline cases (part-time, mature, EU-settled, second-degree). The Tuition and Maintenance Loan guide explains what each loan actually pays for.
What changes year by year
Maximum maintenance loan figures, the Plan 2 and Plan 5 repayment thresholds and the interest rate for borrowers already in repayment all change in April and September. Every guide in this pillar is on a 90-day refresh cadence so the numbers match the current SFE tables. The 15 May on-time guarantee date for 2026/27 has passed, but applications stay open: applicants who get a clean form submitted well before the autumn term usually still see money close to enrolment, while those who leave it to late summer regularly miss first-term payments. Apply as early as you can and plan a small cash bridge for the first weeks.
Applying and eligibility
Student Finance Overview
Securing funding forms the biggest administrative task before you start university.
How to Apply for Student Finance
Applying for Student Finance can seem daunting, but this guide simplifies the process for 2026. Learn when and how to apply, what documents you'll need, and how to ensure your funding arrives before term starts.
Student Finance Eligibility
Your passport and your address history dictate your funding status, and student Finance England requires you to meet specific residency criteria to qualify for
Student Finance 2026/27: Apply Now So You're Paid by September
Student Finance England reopened its 2026/27 window on 23 March 2026. The practical deadline for English students to guarantee money on time is 15 May 2026. Here is exactly what changed, how much you can borrow, and what to sort today.
Modular student finance from 2027: a school leaver's guide
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) opens for student finance applications from September 2026, for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards.
Part-Time Undergraduate Student Finance 2026/27: How It Differs From Full-Time
Part-time undergraduate student finance applications opened on 11 May 2026 for courses starting this September.
Tuition and maintenance loans
Tuition and Maintenance Loans Explained
Tuition fee loans cover the exact cost of your university course.
Maintenance Loan Breakdown
This article breaks down the 2026/27 Maintenance Loan, detailing maximum payouts for students living away from home, including higher amounts for London. Learn how household income affects your eligibility and the £25,000 repayment threshold.
Maintenance Loan Calculator
Use our Maintenance Loan Calculator to estimate your 2026/27 student finance. Understand how household income impacts your loan amount and key application dates.
Weekend Student Maintenance Loans: The U-Turn Explained, and What to Do If You Are One of the 22,000
The government U-turned on demands for 22,000 weekend students to repay maintenance loans early, but those students still lose future funding. Here is what changed at the 15 affected universities and what to do this week.
When will your student finance be paid in 2026/27? Maintenance loan instalment dates, explained
Here is the short version, because it is the thing everyone actually wants to know.
Maintenance loan vs rent in 2026: how much of the loan rent really takes
In 2026 the maximum maintenance loan is meant to cover your living costs.
Care leavers and the maximum maintenance loan: what you are entitled to in 2026/27
If you have been in care, the student finance system is often the part of going to university that feels most stacked against you: forms that assume a family
UK student money statistics 2026
The key UK student money figures, from what students borrow to what graduates go on to earn, each linked to the official release it came from.
Grants, scholarships and repayment
Grants Scholarships and Bursaries
Free money exists to help you pay for university. Unlike your maintenance loan, you never repay grants, scholarships or bursaries.
Student Loan Repayment Explained
When do student loan repayments start in the UK? Understand the 2026 repayment thresholds for Plan 2 and Plan 5, monthly deductions, and what happens if you never earn enough.
Student Loan Repayment Plans
Let us be honest. Opening that annual statement from the Student Loans Company (SLC) can feel overwhelming.
Student Loan Interest Rate 2026: What Plan 2 Borrowers Need to Know
If you took out a Plan 2 student loan anywhere in England or Wales, your interest rate sits at 6.2 percent right now. That rate is not fixed.
Why Plan 2 and Plan 3 Student Loan Interest Is Capped at 6% From September 2026
From September 2026, Plan 2 and Plan 3 (postgraduate) student loan interest is capped at 6% for the year.
Why Is Plan 5 Taking That Much From My Payslip? (2026 Cohort Guide)
If you started a UK undergraduate course in or after August 2023, you are on Plan 5. The maths is harsher than it was for the Plan 2 graduates ahead of you.
The 51% Marginal Rate Hitting Plan 2 Graduates at £50,270
There is a graduate salary band where each pay rise delivers less than it should. With a Plan 2 student loan, that band starts when your earnings cross £50,270.
Moving abroad with a UK student loan? How repayment actually works in 2026
Yes, you still have to repay your UK student loan if you move abroad.
Latest in this category
- UK student money statistics 2026
- Gap year operator collapses: how to protect your money
- Care leavers and the maximum maintenance loan: what you are entitled to in 2026/27
- When will your student finance be paid in 2026/27? Maintenance loan instalment dates, explained
- Maintenance loan vs rent in 2026: how much of the loan rent really takes
- Moving abroad with a UK student loan? How repayment actually works in 2026
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