Services
Make sense of student finance
Tuition and living costs are different things. We explain both and coordinate application support with our partners, taking account of your course, circumstances and start date.
Find a course and startThe essentials in 30 seconds
Study without paying your fees upfront, and with money to live on
Student Finance England is the government body that lends you the money to study a degree in England. These are the figures for 2026/27.
a year. Student Finance pays it directly to the university: you pay nothing upfront.
a year if you study in London, into your account, depending on your situation and your household income.
a year. Only then do you repay 9% of whatever you earn above that figure, and anything left is written off after 40 years.
How it works
The loan, in three arrows
This is how the money moves. You never touch the tuition fees, you receive the money to live on in your account, and you only repay when you earn enough.
Calculate an indicative reference
We do not ask for personal details or documents. These answers are not sent or saved.
Tool 2
How much would you repay each month?
Move the slider to the salary you think you'd earn after your degree. This is how the loan is repaid (Plan 5) in England.
What you'd repay each month, by salary
View as a table
| Salary a year | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
For every £100 you earn above £25,000 a year, you repay £9. The rest is yours.
- You start repaying at the earliest in the April after you finish, and only if you're above the threshold (£2,083 a month).
- If your income drops below the threshold, you stop paying automatically.
- It comes straight out of your payslip: you don't have to make any payments yourself.
- Interest: currently 4.1% (it follows inflation). Whatever you haven't repaid is written off 40 years after the first April you were due to repay.
Check your funding
We do not ask for personal details or documents. These answers are not sent or saved.
Step by step
How you apply, and what we do with you
From your first question to your first payment, with us by your side at every step.
- With youYou choose a course
We find a degree that suits you and an intake that's open.
- The universityOffers you a place
We prepare your application and admission documents with you.
- You, with our supportYou apply for Student Finance
You apply online on GOV.UK. We're with you so nothing is missing.
- Student FinanceConfirms the amount
You get a letter with what you're entitled to and the payment dates.
- YouStart studying
Once you enrol, the tuition fees go to the university and the money to live on goes into your account.
Myths and facts
What you've been told about the loan
Tap each card to turn it over.
GOV.UK figures for 2026/27, checked on 25 October 2026: how much you can get, how it's repaid, who can apply and extra help. The final decision always rests with Student Finance England.
Indicative funding
For courses starting before 1 January 2027, the Tuition Fee Loan has no upper age limit. If you are 60 or over at the start of the first academic year, eligible full-time living-cost support is up to £4,582 in 2026/27, depending on household income.
Most courses starting on or after 1 January 2027 use the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). You must be under 60 on the first day of the course to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. At 60 or over, an additional living-cost loan may be available: we review this with you.
If the course has not been confirmed as LLE-funded, check it with us.
Student Finance England makes the decision. We help you check.
Rules, dates and official sources
For courses starting before 1 January 2027, the Tuition Fee Loan has no upper age limit. If you are 60 or over at the start of the first academic year, eligible full-time living-cost support is up to £4,582 in 2026/27, depending on household income. Official source
Most courses starting on or after 1 January 2027 use the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). You must be under 60 on the first day of the course to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. At 60 or over, an additional living-cost loan may be available: we review this with you. Official source
The usual total LLE tuition entitlement is up to £39,160. Previous public tuition funding is normally deducted. Some qualifications, such as medicine, nursing or social work, may receive additional funding; this is not an automatic exception to the age limit. Official source
British or Irish citizens and people with settled status, a home in England and 3 years of qualifying continuous residence can normally apply for tuition and maintenance support, subject to course and age conditions. The reference date depends on the scheme. Living in the UK alone does not establish eligibility. Official source
With pre-settled status, tuition support may normally be available subject to residence and course conditions. Maintenance normally requires a qualifying EU migrant worker route: you, your partner or an eligible family member, with genuine work that is not marginal and continues during study. Student Finance also assesses exceptions and the family relationship. Official source
Maintenance normally requires regular in-person weekday attendance. Weekend-only or online attendance is not enough; we check applicable exceptions, including disability exceptions. Official source
Previous study does not rule you out: it depends on what you studied, whether you received UK funding and the course. We review it with you. Official source
Postgraduate study has different funding, such as the Postgraduate Master’s Loan. It normally requires you to be under 60 at the start of the first academic year. An integrated master’s, PGCE or postgraduate healthcare course may follow other rules: the course needs checking. Official source
Checked: 2026-10-25
