Student Finance explained!

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For the 2025-2026 academic year, tuition fees for undergraduates (who are students studying for their first degree) in England are £9,535 for full time students.

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International student fees vary by course and university, so be sure to check out individual fees on university websites. Support may be available from International students' own governments, so be sure to check out the support that is available to you as an International student.

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You can find the full student finance eligibility criteria on the government website here. Eligibility depends on the type of course you want to study, if you are studying full-time or part-time, if you've studied at university before, your age, and your nationality or residency status. You can check your eligibility using the Student Finance eligibility checker.

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Tuition fee loans🎓️- This loan helps you pay for your course tuition fees, so you don't have to pay them upfront. This covers the full cost of your tuition fees and is paid directly to your chosen university. This money does not go into your bank account, and is paid by the government to your university, so you don't need to worry about paying your tuition fees to your university. However, you will make repayments for this loan once you start earning a certain amount of money once you graduate, but we will get into this later!🤭

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Maintenance loan🏡🚘️🍲📚️⛹️🕺- This loan helps you to pay for your living costs if you decide to live away as a student in accommodation, or if you choose to stay at home and commute to university. Students also use this loan to help with the costs of living, to pay for food, travel, any study materials they may need which the university doesn't provide, or for going out, enjoying student life, societies or clubs. The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term, so you'll receive three instalments. You have to pay the loan back, and budgeting the loan is super important if you are living away in accommodation as you will have bills to pay!

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Tuition fee loans are not based on household income, however, Maintenance loans are! When applying for a maintenance loan you’ll need to know your annual household income (your parents’ or partner’s income plus your own). The amount you can get also depends on if you are living with or without your parents and where you are living. You can calculate how much maintenance loan you could get using this calculator, or visit the the government website for some figures.

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You may not get the full amount of maintenance loan, so you may have to find other ways of funding your living costs, for example through part-time work, bursaries, scholarships, or family contributions.

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There is lots of helpful advice on the UCAS website for students who may be estranged and the extra support they may be eligible for.

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Scholarships🚴🏆️🎸- Scholarships are awarded to students on merit. For example, there are academic scholarships for students who may have excelled in a subject, and scholarships for students with musical talents, or sporting achievements. For example, at Kent we have many scholarships, including sport and musical scholarships, as well as scholarships for students who may be estranged or have health conditions. Scholarships vary in each university, but be sure to check out what scholarships are on offer as scholarships do not have to be repaid, are not based on household income, and do not affect the amount of student loan you receive!

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Bursaries📝- Like scholarships, bursaries vary by university, so always check to see if you are eligible to apply for any. Bursaries do not have to be paid back, don't affect the amount of student loan you receive, but they often have eligibility criteria, and can be based on household income.

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There is a whole list of extra financial help on the government website💻️ which student may be able to apply for. For example, there is support for disabled students through Disabled Students Allowance, additional support for students on a low income, support for students who may have children or dependent adults, and for students studying social work, nursing, midwifery or medical courses. You can look through the extra support here, and as always check your eligibility before you apply.

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University support- Each university may also have their own extra support for students. At Kent we support students with the costs of living through a food bank and a range of emergency financial funding for students, you can view our funds here. Each university will offer different support so it's important to check whats available.

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Students who are eligible and wish to apply for student finance will need to set up an account, sign in and complete the online application, and ensure they provide their household income if needed, and proof of identity. Your parents/supporters or partner will be asked to confirm these details and will need to support your application. You can find out more about supporting an application here.

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Top tip!🗓️ - Make sure you apply when the application window opens because it may take some time for your application to be reviewed. Your supporters will need to fill out information too so this may also take time. It's best to get the application submitted as soon as possible to ensure you get your funding on time. Find out more about when to apply here.

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You'll need to reapply for Student Finance for each year of your course.

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You must keep your details up to date throughout your course because some changes can affect your loan payments, for example if your household income or bank details change.

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When you start repaying your student loan and how much you repay depends on your repayment plan. You can find out what repayment plan you are on by signing into your online account.

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The Tuition fee loan and Maintenance loan are added together and paid off as one.

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You’ll only repay your student loan when your income is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan.

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If you stop working or if your salary drops below the threshold, then your repayments will stop.

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For example, if your threshold is £25,000 per year, and you are earning over this amount, you'll repay 9% of your income above £25,000. You can find examples and break-downs of repayments on the government website. Remember, your repayments will be relative to how much you are earning, so as you earn more you will repay more of your loan. However, don't be scared or put off by this! Take some time to understand the repayments as they are not as scary as you might think, and don't be afraid to ask questions if you are still unsure! 🙂

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Your repayments will be taken out of your salary at the same time as tax and National Insurance if you’re an employee. Your payslips will show how much has been deducted.

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When your student loan gets written off depends on which repayment plan you are on. For example, Plan 5 loans are written off 40 years after the April you were first due to repay.