Student finance if your course starts on or after 1 January 2027
Studying more than one course in a year
You can study more than one course or module between 1 January 2027 and 31 July 2027 (this is known as your ‘course year’). There are limits on how much student finance you can get within the same course year.
You can only get student finance for up to 180 credits in a course year.
This total includes all your courses combined. If one or more courses would take you over 180 credits, you will not get funding for any of those courses.
Example
You study a 120-credit course and apply for another 120-credit course.
You will not get funding for the second course, because it would take you over 180 credits.
Combining with other student finance
You cannot get undergraduate student finance for a course that started on or before 1 January 2027 at the same time as Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) funding.
You can get postgraduate student finance or an Advanced Learner Loan and LLE funding at the same time.
Choosing how your loan is assessed
You can choose whether your Maintenance Loan is either of the following:
- income assessed (based on household income)
- non income assessed (a fixed amount)
If you study more than one course in a year, your choice applies to all of them.
If you choose:
- income assessed for one course - all your courses will be income assessed
- non income assessed - all your courses will be non income assessed
You can change your choice during the year. If you do:
- it will apply to all your courses
- your future payments will be updated
- you may get extra payments or have your loan reduced
You do not need to resend your eligibility information if you start another course in the same course year.
How much you can get
The amount you get can be different for each course.
It depends on:
- where you live while you study, such as with your parents, in London or abroad
- when each course starts and ends
Your student loan is worked out separately for each course, based on its start and end dates.
Example
You’re studying a foundation degree in London. Two months later, you start a module in another city. You’re living away from your parents when you start both courses.
You will get the London Maintenance Loan rate for your foundation degree and the rate for elsewhere for the module.
Four months after starting your studies, you move back in with your parents. Both loans change to the home rate from the date you move.
If your courses overlap
You can get Maintenance Loans for more than one course, but you will not get double funding for any time period in which your courses overlap.
If your courses overlap, your funding is based on one course at a time. This is usually the course that started first.
If your courses also have different loan amounts, you’ll get the higher amount during the overlap.