Find out what Maintenance Loan support is available and how it’s paid
| This article has been written by the experts at Student Finance England (SFE), who regularly review and update the information here. |
Starting a course between 31 August 2026 and 31 December 2026
If you're starting a full-time undergraduate course between 31 August 2026 and 31 December 2026, you can apply for student finance from late March 2026.
Starting a course on or after 1 January 2027
If you're starting a higher education course on or after 1 January 2027, you can apply for student finance from September 2026.
In this article...
You can get student finance to help towards your living costs while you’re at university or college.
It can help pay for things such as rent, food, books, travel and other costs.
Any loan you borrow has to be paid back, but usually not until you’ve finished or left your course and your income is over the repayment threshold.
Maintenance Loan for full-time undergraduate students
If you're eligible for a Maintenance Loan, you can apply for the maximum amount, that’s based on your household income.
How much you can get depends on when you started your course, where you live and your household income.
If you're a care leaver, we won't use your household income when calculating how much Maintenance Loan you can get. You'll be eligible for the maximum amount depending on where you are living and studying.
| Maximum Maintenance Loan for the 2026 to 2027 academic year | Maximum Maintenance Loan for the 2025 to 2026 academic year | |
| Living with parents | Up to £9,118 | Up to £8,877 |
| Studying in London and not living with parents | Up to £14,135 | Up to £13,762 |
| Studying outside of London and not living with parents | Up to £10,830 | Up to £10,544 |
| Living and studying abroad as part of your UK course | Up to £12,403 | Up to £12,076 |
If you’re studying the final year of your course you’ll get less Maintenance Loan. This is because student finance usually covers the breaks between each year, but you’re no longer entitled to funding once your course has ended.
| Maximum final-year Maintenance Loan for the 2026 to 2027 academic year | Maximum final-year Maintenance Loan for the 2025 to 2026 academic year | |
| Living with parents | Up to £8,579 | Up to £8,353 |
| Studying in London and not living with parents | Up to £13,096 | Up to £12,750 |
| Studying outside of London and not living with parents | Up to £10,242 | Up to £9,972 |
| Living and studying abroad as part of your UK course | Up to £11,103 | Up to £10,810 |
It’s important to update your online account with any changes to your living arrangements as it will affect your student finance. This is so you get the right amount of student finance.
If your course is longer than 30 weeks and 3 days, you might be able to get a Long Courses Loan.
Long Courses Loan
If your course lasts longer than 30 weeks and 3 days, you might be able to get a Long Courses Loan as well as your Maintenance Loan.
How much you can get depends on your household income and where you’re living while studying. You’ll be able to get a Long Courses Loan if you’re getting a Maintenance Loan that’s based on your household income.
You don’t need to complete a separate application – Student Finance England will work out whether you can get a Long Courses Loan when you apply for your main student finance.
Your Long Courses Loan will be paid to you at the same time as your Maintenance Loan.
This table shows the maximum weekly amount you can get:
| Where you’re living while studying | Maximum amount per additional week | |
| 2026 to 2027 | 2025 to 2026 | |
| Living with parents | £77 | £75 |
| Studying in London and not living with parents | £149 | £145 |
| Studying outside of London and not living with parents | £116 | £113 |
| Living and studying abroad as part of your UK course | £161 | £157 |
It’s important you update your online account with any changes to your living arrangements as it will affect your student finance. This is so you get the right amount of student finance.
Additional Maintenance Loan funding
You might be able to get extra Maintenance Loan if any of the following apply while you’re on your course:
- you’re a single parent or single foster parent of a child or young person under 20 who is in full-time education below higher-education level or on an approved training course,
- you have a partner who is also a full-time student and one or both of you is responsible for a child or young person under 20 who is in full-time education below higher-education level or on an approved training course,
- you have a disability and qualify for the Disability Living Allowance, Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium,
- you qualify for Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment,
- you’re deaf and qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowance,
- you’ve been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks,
- you have a disability and qualify for income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
- you’re waiting to go back to a course having taken agreed time out from that course due to an illness or caring responsibility that has now ended.
For more information on how much you can get, visit the student finance calculator at www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator. You’ll need to provide some information about your course and your household income.
On the Gov.uk website, you can find a guide that explains how you're assessed and paid (external link), and how the amount you can get is worked out.
For guidance on what you can do to help with the pressures of the cost of living while studying at university or college, the Gov.uk site has a guide at www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-student-finance-support.
How to apply for student finance
The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. If you apply late, you may receive the minimum amount of student finance to begin with to make sure you have some money for the start of your course.
We have an article that explains in more detail how to apply for student finance.
How your Maintenance Loan is paid
You need to register at your uni or college before your first payment can be made to you. You’ll usually do this in the first week of your course and you may have to show them your Notification of Entitlement.
Any Maintenance Loan you can get is paid directly into your bank account, in three instalments, usually near the start of each term.
You can find your expected payment dates in your online account, but some banks take longer to clear funds. If your money isn’t in your account in three working days, you should contact your bank – they should be able to let you know when your money will arrive.
Maintenance Loan for part-time undergraduate students
You can get a Maintenance Loan as a part-time student.
If you're studying on a distance learning course you won't be eligible unless you’re distance learning due to a disability.
You must be studying at a course intensity of at least 25% to get a Maintenance Loan.
You’ll also need to know the number of module credits you will gain in the academic year when you apply. If you’re not sure of your module credits or course intensity, you should check with your university or college.
How much you can get depends on when you started your course, where you live and your household income.
The following table shows the maximum amount you can get based on where you live while studying, and your course intensity.
For the 2026/27 academic year:
| Study intensity | Living with parents | Studying in London and not living with parents | Studying outside of London and not living with parents | Living and studying abroad as part of your UK course |
| 100% | £9,118 | £14,135 | £10,830 | £12,403 |
| 75% | £6,838.50 | £10,601.25 | £8,122.50 | £9,302.25 |
| 66.6% | £6,072.59 | £9,413.91 | £7,212.78 | £8,260.40 |
| 50% | £4,559 | £7,067.50 | £5,415 | £6,201.50 |
| 33.3% | £3,036.29 | £4,706.96 | £3,606.39 | £4,130.20 |
| 25% | £2,279.50 | £3,533.75 | £2,707.50 | £3,100.75 |
For the 2025/26 academic year:
| Study intensity | Living with parents | Studying in London and not living with parents | Studying outside of London and not living with parents | Living and studying abroad as part of your UK course |
| 100% | £8,877 | £13,792 | £10,544 | £12,076 |
| 75% | £6,657.75 | £10,321.50 | £7,908 | £9,057 |
| 66.6% | £5,912.08 | £9,165.49 | £7,022.30 | £8,042.62 |
| 50% | £4,438.50 | £6,881 | £5,272 | £6,038 |
| 33.3% | £2,256.04 | £4,582.75 | £3,511.15 | £4,021.31 |
| 25% | £2,219.25 | £3,440.50 | £2,636 | £3,019 |
It’s important to update your online account with any changes to your living arrangements as it will affect your student finance. This is so you get the right amount of student finance.
Estranged students and care leavers
You could apply as an estranged student if:
-
you haven’t had any contact with either of your parents for 12 months or more; or
-
your relationship with your parents has broken down within the last 12 months and you don’t expect this to change in the near future
Learn more about applying as an estranged student (external link).
You might be able to apply for student finance as a care leaver if you’ve been in the care of a local authority since the age of 16. This would mean you don’t need to send your parents’ financial information to SFE. Learn more about how students may qualify as a care leaver.
