Undergraduate student loans

To help finance your education, student loans are available. Unlike scholarships or bursaries, you will need to repay loans after you graduate.

Depending on where you live, you will need to contact the right agency to apply for a loan. 

Changes to student funding from January 2027

Student funding in England is expected to change with the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). LLE is designed to give people more flexibility over how and when they study across their lifetime.

Full details are still being confirmed but if your course starts from January 2027 onwards, your funding may work slightly differently.

More guidance will become available nearer the time as the government confirms the arrangements. Visit the Student Finance campaigns page to find out more.

Students from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland 

Student Awards Agency Scotland

Student Finance Wales 

Student Finance Northern Ireland 

EU students outside the UK

If you are an EU student from outside of the UK, use the student finance calculator to check what funding you may be entitled to.

Students living in England 

You can apply to Student Finance England for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan.

What is available

Tuition fee loan – you can borrow up to £9,535 for a standard full-time year; £5,760 for a class-room based foundation year; and £1,905 for a placement year. This is paid directly to the university to cover the cost of your course, which means you won't be billed for your tuition fees.

If you do not take out a tuition fee loan, you will be sent a bill for your fees a few weeks after you start your course.

Maintenance loan – for students starting a course in the 2025/26 academic year, up to £10,544 is available per year if you live away from home while at university, or up to £8,877 if you live at home. The amount of maintenance loan you can receive will depend on your individual circumstances and your household income, this is determined by a means test.

The maintenance loan is paid directly to you, normally in three instalments throughout the academic year, to help with your living costs such as accommodation, food, travel, and course materials.

Use the student finance calculator to estimate the amount of money you could get.

Who can apply

Whether you qualify for a loan depends on

• your university or college
• your course
• your age
• your previous study
• your nationality or residency status

Other restrictions apply, for full details visit the student finance eligibility page.

When to apply

Applications open around April for students starting in September of that year. You do not need a confirmed place at university to apply – you can apply and then update your details later if needed.

Apply as soon as you can to make sure your loans are in place for the start of the academic year. You can still apply for a loan up to nine months after the first day of the academic year.

Look out for information from Student Finance England regarding the date you will need to apply by to ensure your loans are in place for the start of the academic year. This is normally towards the end of May if you are starting in September.

Repaying your loan

Repayments for both loans start from the April after you have completed/left your course and only if you are earning over £25,000 a year. This figure is subject to change and depends on what year you start your course.

Repayments are taken directly from your wages each month, just like tax and national insurance. The amount you pay back each month depends on how much you earn.

Use the loan repayment estimator to find out how much you are likely to repay per month.

For more information on how repayments work and how they are calculated, visit the student finance repaying your loan page.

Interest

Interest starts being added to your loan from when the first payment is made to you or to the university. Find out more about how interest is applied on the student finance repaying your loan page.

Additional funding

Depending on your circumstances you may also be eligible for:

• Disabled Students Allowance
• Parent Learning Allowance
• Childcare Grant
• Adult Dependants’ Grant

You can apply for these at the same time you apply for your loans.

Other sources of funding 

Bursaries and training grants are available for some teacher training, health and social care courses.

We offer a range of scholarships or bursaries you can apply for.

Get help

For help applying for a loan, please contact Student Finance England.

Please contact the NHS Business Services Authority for help applying for the NHS Learning Support Fund or Social Care Bursary.

For information and advice about teacher training courses and funding, please visit the Get into Teaching help and support page.