Maintenance Loan

How much you can get depends on when you started your course, where you live and your household income.

It’s important you let us know if there are any changes to your living arrangements as it will affect your student finance. This is so we can make sure you get the right amount of student finance. You can update any changes in your online account.

Courses starting from 1 August 2016

If you’re studying the final year of your course you’ll get less Maintenance Loan.

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’ Allowances,
• 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.

Estranged students

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  

If you apply as an estranged student you won’t need to send your parents’ financial information, and it could affect how much Maintenance Loan you can get.

You may also be assessed as estranged if you later stop contact with your parents or meet any of the estrangement criteria later in the academic year. Each estrangement application is looked at on a case by case basis.

If you think you may be estranged then you can read the Stand Alone student finance guide.

If you’ve been in the care of a local authority since the age of 16 you might be able to apply for student finance as a care leaver. This would mean you don’t need to send us your parents’ financial information. Learn more about how students may qualify as a care leaver.