Estimate your 2026/27 student finance
Enter your details to see the maintenance loan and tuition fee loan you could receive. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Rates: official 2026/27 figures for full-time undergraduates in England. Estimate only, not financial advice.
Student finance in England comes in two parts, and only one of them is means-tested. The calculator above estimates both for the 2026/27 academic year. Below, the rates and the rules behind them, so you can see exactly why you get what you get.
What student finance actually covers
- Tuition Fee Loan. Covers your course fees, up to £9,790 a year for a standard full-time course in 2026/27. It is paid straight to your university, never to you, and it is not means-tested. Everyone eligible gets the full amount.
- Maintenance Loan. Money for living costs, paid into your bank account in three instalments across the year. This one is means-tested: how much you get depends on your household income and where you live while studying.
Maintenance loan rates for 2026/27
Maximum amounts apply where household income is £25,000 or less. The minimum is what you receive once your household income is high enough that the taper has run its course.
| Where you live | Maximum | Minimum | Minimum applies from |
|---|---|---|---|
| At home with parents | £9,118 | £4,013 | £58,387 |
| Away from home, outside London | £10,830 | £5,048 | £62,410 |
| Away from home, in London | £14,135 | £7,039 | £70,131 |
How household income reduces your maintenance loan
Household income usually means your parents' combined income before tax, plus any income of your own. If your parents are separated, it is the income of the parent you live with, plus their partner's if they have one.
- Up to £25,000: you get the full maintenance loan.
- Above £25,000, the loan tapers. It falls by £1 for every £6.54 of income above the threshold if you live at home, every £6.47 if you live away outside London, and every £6.36 if you live away in London.
- The taper stops at the minimum. However high your household income, you still receive at least £4,013, £5,048 or £7,039 depending on where you live.
A worked example: a student living away from home outside London, with a household income of £45,000, is £20,000 above the threshold. Divide that by 6.47 and the loan is reduced by about £3,091, leaving £7,739 instead of the full £10,830.
The living cost gap nobody mentions
The maintenance loan is not designed to cover all your living costs, and for most students it does not. Rent alone frequently consumes the majority of it. The system quietly assumes parents will make up the difference, which is precisely why the loan shrinks as household income rises. If your parents cannot or will not contribute, you may need part-time work, a university bursary, or both. Check your university's own bursary scheme, since these are grants you never repay and they are routinely under-claimed.
What happens when you graduate
Both loans are added together into a single balance, and you repay 9% of everything you earn above the repayment threshold, not the whole salary. Anyone starting a course from September 2023 onwards is on Plan 5, which is written off after 40 years. You can model what that actually costs you with our student loan repayment calculator.
Frequently asked questions
When should I apply for student finance?
Applications usually open in the spring before your course starts, and there is a deadline around late May. Apply before you have a confirmed place or firm offer. You can amend the details later, and applying early is the single best way to have the money arrive on time.
Does a student loan affect my credit score?
No. UK student loans do not appear on your credit file and do not affect your credit score. They can affect affordability checks for a mortgage, because lenders see the repayment coming out of your payslip, but the debt itself is invisible to credit reference agencies.
Do my parents have to pay anything?
There is no legal obligation. But because the maintenance loan falls as household income rises, the system assumes a parental contribution to fill the shortfall. Your parents do have to declare their income for you to be assessed for anything above the minimum loan.
What if my household income drops after I apply?
You can ask for a Current Year Income assessment. If your household income has fallen by at least 15% compared with the tax year normally used, Student Finance England will reassess you on the current year instead, which can increase your maintenance loan.
Is the tuition fee loan means-tested too?
No. Every eligible student gets the full tuition fee loan regardless of household income. Only the maintenance loan is means-tested.
Figures are the published 2026/27 rates for full-time undergraduates in England. Rates differ for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for accelerated or part-time courses. This is an estimate, not financial advice.