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Student Funding Estimate
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Answer a few quick questions and we'll calculate exactly what you're likely entitled to, for courses starting in 2026/27.
What are you applying for?
Student finance, in plain English.
What it is: Student Finance England (SFE) is the government scheme, run through the Student Loans Company, that funds tuition fees and living costs for eligible students at English universities. It isn't a bank loan and it isn't assessed like one, eligibility comes down to your course, nationality and residency history, not a credit check.
Why it exists: the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan exist so that cost isn't the reason a qualified adult doesn't apply. You only start repaying once you're earning above a set threshold, repayments are a fixed percentage of income above that threshold rather than a fixed monthly bill, and whatever's left is written off after a set number of years. It behaves more like a graduate contribution than a conventional loan, and it doesn't affect your credit score.
Why it matters if you're older: the Tuition Fee Loan has no upper age limit and isn't means-tested at all. For most learners over 25, the real test is residency and previous-study rules, not income, and not age.
Loans, grants and allowances for 2026/27.
Seven types of funding, grouped by what they actually are, what each one covers, and how much you could get. Figures are for the 2026 to 2027 academic year, always confirmed against your actual entitlement before you commit to a course.
Tuition Fee Loan
Covers your course fees in full, paid directly to your university. Not means-tested. Household income makes no difference.
Maintenance Loan
Towards rent, food and everyday costs. Up to £9,118 living with parents, £10,830 away outside London, £14,135 away in London.
Postgraduate Master's Loan
One loan covering both fees and living costs on a master’s degree. Not means-tested, paid directly to you.
Childcare Grant
Covers 85% of registered childcare costs, £199.62/week for one child, £342.24/week for two or more.
Adult Dependants' Grant
For full-time students who financially support a partner or other adult. Not available alongside a Postgraduate Loan.
Disabled Students' Allowance
Covers study-related costs from a disability, long-term health condition, or specific learning difficulty. Based on need, not income.
Parents' Learning Allowance
Extra help toward books, travel and specialist equipment for full-time students with children. Won’t affect benefits or tax credits.
All amounts above are set by Student Finance England and the Student Loans Company for the 2026/27 academic year, and are correct at time of publishing. Thresholds, caps and grant rates are reviewed and can change each year, so always confirm your exact entitlement directly with Student Finance England, or through your personalised funding report, before making a decision based on these figures.
Who gets funded, and who doesn't.
Funding eligibility is more specific than most people expect. Here's what generally qualifies, and what generally doesn't.
You're likely eligible if...
- ✓You're a UK national, Irish citizen, or hold settled status, with your home in England.
- ✓You've lived in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man continuously for 3 years before your course starts.
- ✓This would be your first full higher education qualification.
- ✓Your course is a recognised qualifying course, full-time, or part-time at 25% intensity or more.
- ✓There's no upper age limit for the Tuition Fee Loan or grants, 21 or 61, it makes no difference.
You may not qualify, or only partly, if...
- ✕You already hold an equivalent or higher qualification (the "ELQ" rule), outside specific top-up or healthcare exceptions.
- ✕You hold pre-settled status without 3 years' continuous UK residency before your course starts. It isn't automatic like full settled status.
- ✕You're doing a degree apprenticeship. These are funded differently, not through Student Finance England.
- ✕Your part-time course has a course intensity below 25%.
- ✕You moved to England mainly to study, rather than already living and working here.
Different nationality or live outside the UK? You may still qualify for tuition-fee-only funding rather than full support, the exact answer depends on your specific residency history, which is what your personalised funding report is for.
What repaying your loan actually looks like.
Grants and allowances are never repaid. Only the loans are, and repayment is based on what you earn, not what you borrowed. Here's how it actually works.
It comes out automatically
If you're employed, it's deducted straight from your pay, the same way tax and National Insurance are, there's no manual payment to make. Self-employed borrowers pay it through Self Assessment instead.
Based on income, not on what you owe
Borrow £9,000 or £60,000 across your degree and your monthly repayment is identical, 9% of whatever you earn above £25,000. Someone on £30,000 repays around £37.50 a month either way.
It doesn't touch your credit score
Student loans aren't reported to credit reference agencies and have no impact on your credit score or ability to get a mortgage. Lenders may factor the deduction into affordability checks, but it isn't treated as debt.
Stop earning, stop repaying
Drop below the £25,000 threshold, redundancy, a career break, reduced hours, and repayments pause automatically. Nothing to apply for, no penalty.
Whatever's left gets written off
40 years after the April you first become due to repay, any remaining balance is cancelled outright, regardless of size. Most graduates never clear the loan in full, that's how the system is designed to work.
Only the loans, never the grants
The Childcare Grant, Adult Dependants' Grant, Disabled Students' Allowance and Parents' Learning Allowance are never repaid. Only the Tuition Fee, Maintenance and Postgraduate Master's loans are.
Figures shown are for Plan 5, the loan plan covering undergraduate courses in England starting from August 2023 onward, including most mature learners. Repayments for the first Plan 5 borrowers begin April 2026.
How Fuchures gets you funded.
Applying to Student Finance England yourself is straightforward but slow to get right. Here's what changes when Fuchures does it with you.
Know your number before you apply to anything.
Answer three questions, where you'll live, what you're studying, and whether you support any dependants, and we build a personalised report covering your likely Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan and any grants worth applying for. It's free and takes about a minute.
Tuition Fee Loan
Paid direct to your university, not means-tested.
Maintenance Loan
Based on where you'll live and your household income.
Questions people actually ask.
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