Student finance if you started before 1 August 2016

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If your course started between 1 September 2012 and 1 August 2016

If you are a full-time student who normally lives in England, you can apply for:

  • a Tuition Fee Loan to help pay your course tuition fees
  • a Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs
  • a Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant for extra help with living costs

You must be continuing a course in either of the following academic years:

  • 2025 to 2026
  • 2026 to 2027

Depending on your nationality or residency status, you might only be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan.

Tuition Fee Loan

If you’re a full-time student, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan.

You can get up to:

  • £9,535 for the academic year 2025 to 2026
  • £9,790 for the academic year 2026 to 2027

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

Maintenance Loan

Students aged 60 and over cannot apply. You may have to give details of your household income - this can affect how much you get.

The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term. You have to pay the loan back.

You may not get the full amount, so you may have to find other ways to fund the rest of your living costs. This could include, for example, part-time work, local authority assistance, bursaries, scholarships, or family contributions.

You can use the student finance calculator to estimate how much Maintenance Loan you’ll get - it will also tell you if you’re eligible for extra grants or allowances.

You must report any changes to your living arrangements, including if you’re no longer studying abroad in your online account, so you get the correct amount of student finance.

How much you can get

The maximum amount you can get depends on where you live.

2025 to 2026 academic year 2026 to 2027 academic year
Living with your parents Up to £6,012 Up to £6,175
Living away from your parents, outside London Up to £7,559 Up to £7,764
Living away from your parents, in London Up to £10,547 Up to £10,833
You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad Up to £8,980 Up to £9,223

If you’re in your final year of study

You’ll get less money in your final year because SLC stops paying you after the last day of term.

2025 to 2026 academic year 2026 to 2027 academic year
Living with your parents Up to £5,523 Up to £5,673
Living away from your parents, outside London Up to £7,028 Up to £7,218
Living away from your parents, in London Up to £9,606 Up to £9,866
You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad Up to £7,806 Up to £8,018

Maintenance Grant

You have to give details of your household income and your course start date.

The grant is paid into your bank account at the start of each term. You do not have to pay it back, but any funds you get will reduce the Maintenance Loan you can get.

Maintenance Grant for 2025 to 2026

Full-time student – household income 2023 to 2024 Maintenance Grant for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
£25,000 or less £4,355
£25,001 to £42,737 £50 to £4,354
Over £42,737 No grant

Maintenance Grant for 2026 to 2027

Full-time student – household income 2024 to 2025 Maintenance Grant for the 2026 to 2027 academic year
£25,000 or less £4,473
£25,001 to £42,737 £50 to £4,472
Over £42,737 No grant

Special Support Grant

You may get a Special Support Grant instead of a Maintenance Grant if you get or qualify for:

  • Income Support
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Housing Benefit
  • the housing element of Universal Credit

The amount you get is the same as the Maintenance Grant, but it will not reduce the Maintenance Loan you can get.

You may get the Special Support Grant if, for example, you’re a lone parent or have certain disabilities.

You’ll be told if you can get the grant when you apply for student finance.

View a printable version of the whole guide

This page is Part of Get undergraduate student finance: step by step

  1. Step 1 Check if you're eligible for student finance

    1. If you’re from England or outside the UK, check if you're eligible

    There’s a different process if:

  2. Step 2 Find out how much loan you could get

    You may be able to apply for:

    • a Tuition Fee Loan to help pay your course tuition fees
    • a Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs

    Find out how much you could get if you're a:

    How much Maintenance Loan you get depends on where you'll study and your household income.

    1. Use the student finance calculator to estimate your Maintenance Loan

    You'll have to pay back any loan you get.

    1. Find out how much you'll repay
    2. Find out when you'll start repaying

  3. and Check if you can get extra help

    You might be able to get extra money if you:

    You might also be able to get other financial help, for example from your university or the government.

    1. Find out about extra help

  4. Step 3 Prepare your application

    1. Check when you can apply
    2. Check what ID you'll need
    3. Check if you need to give proof of your household income

  5. Step 4 Apply or reapply

    You can apply online or by post depending on the type of student finance you’re eligible for.

    If you apply in the wrong way, it could delay your application.

    1. Find out how to apply

    It takes 4 weeks to process your application. You might have to provide extra evidence.

  6. Step 5 Update your details if your circumstances change

    You must update your application if your circumstances change. For example if you:

    • change your course through clearing
    • change where you're going to live - for example with your parents instead of halls
    1. Find out how to update your application

  7. Step 6 Make sure you can be paid

    After you register at your university or college you'll usually get your Maintenance Loan paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term.

    Use your student finance account to:

    • update your bank details - for example if you open a student account
    • check how much you'll be paid
    • check when you'll be paid
    1. Sign in to your student finance account

    Tuition Fee Loans are paid directly to your university or college.

  8. Step 7 Check what to do while you're studying

    You'll need to reapply for student finance for each year of your course.

    You must keep your details up to date throughout your course because some changes can affect your loan payments, for example if your household income or bank details change.

    1. Check how to update your details
    2. Find out what to do if you suspend or leave your course

  9. Step 8 Check what to do when you stop studying

    When you stop studying the Student Loans Company (SLC) will create a student loans repayment account for you.

    The log in details will be the same as for your student finance account. You should check your contact details are correct.

    1. Sign in to your student loan repayment account

    You must update your employment details if:

    • you leave the UK for more than 3 months
    • SLC asks you to update them
    1. Update your employment details

  10. Step 9 Repay your loan

    The repayment plan you're on will determine when you start repaying and how much you repay.

    1. Check which repayment plan you’re on
    2. Find out how much you'll repay
    3. Find out when you'll start repaying
    4. Find out how to repay