Student finance

BradleyH44

How to claim student finance

Reply 1

normaw

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post

by BradleyH44

How to claim student finance

Applications for SFE will open around early March for Sep/Oct 2026 entry. When you apply, put in your best guess as to which uni you will be studying at - it can be changed easily later. You start your application here:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance

You can apply for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan. The amount of maintenance loan you get is based on household income so your parent(s) will be required to provide details of their annual income if you want to apply for more than the minimum. There is a soft deadline for applications - usually around May - but you can apply later. The soft deadline ensures that your application will be processed and your funding will be in place by the start of uni.

Both the loans are paid in three instalments. The tuition fee instalments are paid directly to your university. The maintenance loan is paid around the start of each term and will be paid into your bank account. You can use your maintenance loan for anything but you should use it to pay your accommodation fees and for food, transport, social activities, etc.

Repayments start the April after you graduate if you are earning over the threshold of £25k per year. The repayments are 9% of anything you earn over £25k and you will repay until you clear the loan or for 40 years - whichever comes first.

I recommend that you read the following article:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/st...ngland-plan-5/