Maintenance loan - UC

Why is maintenance loan classed as an income when you’ll have to pay it back? How much uc am I going to lose? Am I better off leaving the maintenance loan if that’s the case because if I lose all my UC because of the maintenance loan then I’ll still have to pay it all back?

How often would my maintenance loan give me deductions on my UC, every month or just when I get the maintenance payment?

The following page is a good resource for students on benefits:
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/full-time-students-and-benefits/who-is-a-full-time-student-for-benefit-purposes