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1. What is Student Finance England?

Student Finance England (SFE) is a service provided by the Student Loans Company. We provide financial support on behalf of the UK Government to students from England entering higher education in the UK.

We鈥檙e here to help and can offer you financial support during your studies.

To apply for student finance, go to聽www.gov.uk/student-finance

2. What鈥檚 this guide about?

This guide explains how an application for student finance for undergraduate full-time, part-time and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) students will be assessed and paid. It provides guidance only and doesn鈥檛 cover every circumstance.

This guide applies to you if you normally live in England and are starting or continuing a higher education course, anywhere in the UK in academic year 2025 to 2026.

The legal position is as set out in The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (as amended).

Depending on your circumstances, your course and where you study, you may be able to get a range of financial help and support.

You could get grants and bursaries (which you don鈥檛 have to pay back) and loans (which you do). There鈥檚 also extra help if you have children or adult dependants, or a disability, including a long-term health condition, mental-health condition or a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia.

Most students won鈥檛 have to pay any tuition fees up front.

3. How to apply

4. Do I qualify?

4.1 Your nationality and residency status

Your nationality, residency status and address history may affect if you can get funding and how much you can get. If you鈥檙e eligible for student finance you may be able to get funding to help with the costs of either:

• your tuition fees and your living costs (full support)
• your tuition fees only

Find out聽how much Tuition Fee Loan聽you could get.

4.2 Who can get tuition fee and living costs (full support)

To apply for full support, the following must apply to you:

• you鈥檝e been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course
• England is your home, for example, you live and work in England and have not moved there solely for the purposes of study

And you鈥檙e one of the following:

• a UK national or Irish citizen
• settled under the EU Settlement Scheme
• granted settled status for other reasons

If you鈥檙e a UK national who was living in the EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland, you may be able to apply for full support.

You can also apply for full support if you鈥檝e been living in the UK, the EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for the past 3 years and you鈥檙e:

• the child of a Swiss national and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• an EEA or Swiss worker, or the family member of an EEA or Swiss Worker and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• a family member of a UK National, both you and your family member have to have lived in the UK, the EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for the past 3 years. You also must have been living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31/12/2020 or in the UK having returned from the EEA or Switzerland after 31/12/2017
• the child of a Turkish worker

If you have one of the following Home Office statuses, you also can apply for full support:

• Humanitarian protection or the family member of someone with this status
• Stateless status or the family member of someone with this status
• Refugee status or the family member of someone with this status
• You or your family member have been granted leave under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)
• Calais leave or leave in line as the dependent child of someone with Calais leave
• You or your parent have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain as a bereaved partner
• You or your parent have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain as a victim of domestic violence or abuse (DVILR)
• Leave to remain under section 67 of the Immigration Act or leave in line as the dependent child of someone with this status
• You or your family member have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

If you鈥檝e been living in the UK and Islands for the past 3 years and are:

• under 18 on the first day of your course and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years
• 18 or over on the first day of your course and have lived in the UK for at least half your life or at least 20 years

You must also have:

• been ordinarily resident in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years in a row before the first day of the first academic year of your course
• held a form of leave to enter or remain issued by the Home Office throughout that 3-year period.

Use the聽student finance calculator聽to see what finance you can get.

4.3 Who can get tuition fees only

You can apply for tuition fee funding if you鈥檝e been living in the UK, the EEA, Switzerland or the overseas territories for the past 3 years and you:

• have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or have temporary protection under the Withdrawal Agreements which may be evidenced through a certificate of application, and are an EU national or a family member of an EU national
• have Irish Citizenship and were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, or are a family member of an Irish Citizen or Person of Northern Ireland and you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• have resident status in Gibraltar as an EU or UK national or a family member of an EU or UK national
• are a person with settled status in the UK and you鈥檝e been living in the UK, Islands and the British overseas territories for the past three years, with at least part of that time spent in the British overseas territories
• are a person of Chagossian descent and have British citizenship
• are a person with settled status in the UK and have been living in the UK, Islands or Ireland for the past three years with at least part of that time spent in Ireland
• are a family member of a person with settled status in the UK and you have been living in the UK and Islands for the past three years
• are an Irish Citizen and you have been living in the EEA and Switzerland before 31 December 2020 and in the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA and Switzerland for the past three years
• are an EEA or Swiss worker, a family member of an EEA or Swiss worker, a child of a Swiss national or the child of a Turkish worker and you do not qualify for full support as you have lived in the overseas territories (other than Gibraltar) at some stage in the three years prior to the start of your course

You will not be eligible for funding to help with living costs.

4.4 What you鈥檒l be asked for when you apply for student finance

Depending on your residency status, when you apply you may be asked to provide:

• UK passport details
• EU Settlement Scheme share code
• the date your status was granted and/or expires
• the addresses of places you have lived

4.5 Age

Product	Age Limit
Tuition Fee Loan	There are no age limits for Tuition Fee Loans.
Loans for living costs	If you started your course before 1 August 2016 you must be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course to be eligible for a Maintenance Loan. If you鈥檙e 60 or over and starting your course on or after 1 August 2016 you may be eligible for a Special Support Loan.
Grants	There are no age limits for grants.

4.6 Previous study

Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Grants

You鈥檒l only be able to get a Maintenance Grant if you started your course before 1 August 2016.

This support isn鈥檛 available if you hold an equivalent or higher-level qualification to the one you intend to study. If you hold a lower-level qualification or have previously studied in higher education but not achieved a qualification, support may be available, but that support will depend on the number of years that you鈥檝e previously studied.

Full support is available if you already have a first degree but you鈥檙e studying:

• an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course, not exceeding 2 years and you don鈥檛 hold qualified teacher status
• a Nursing, Midwifery or Allied Health Professional course (excluding dental hygiene and dental therapy) in England that started on or after 1 August 2017
• a dental hygiene or dental therapy course that started on or after 1 August 2018

Maintenance Loans

A Maintenance Loan is available if you don鈥檛 have an equivalent or higher-level qualification, or if you are on a course leading to a professional qualification, such as a medical doctor, dentist, veterinary surgeon or architect.

Part-time students

You can usually only get student finance for your first higher education course. If you鈥檝e already studied a higher education course, you might not get help for a second course.

You can only have a maximum of 16 years of part-time funding. You will have to self-fund anything over this amount.

Additional grants

Dependants鈥� Grants and DSA are still available if you have previously studied in higher education.

For more information visit聽www.gov.uk/student-finance

4.7 Your course

To be eligible for financial support, you must be studying at an eligible university or college. The course must lead to:

• a degree (for example, Foundation, or a BSc or BA, with or without Honours)
• a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) - or a Higher National Diploma (HND)
• a Higher National Certificate (HNC) - or a Certificate of Higher Education - or an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course
• a postgraduate qualification in pre-registration healthcare
• a course in preparation for a professional examination of a standard higher than that of examination for advanced level GCE, or the examination at higher level for the Scottish Certificate of Education, or the examination for the National Certificate or National Diploma of BTEC or SQA, and not being a course for which a first degree (or equivalent qualification) is a normal entry requirement
• a course providing education, the standard of which is higher than that of examination for advanced level GCE, or the examination at higher level for the Scottish Certificate of Education, or the examination for the National Certificate or National Diploma of BTEC or SQA, but not higher than that of a first degree course and not being a course for which a first degree (or equivalent qualification) is a normal entry requirement
• a Level 4 or 5 qualification with Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) approval e.g., a Level 4 or 5 Certificate, Diploma or NVQ.

To find out if your course is HTQ approved and qualifies for Higher Education undergraduate student finance speak to your university or college.

If you鈥檙e studying a Level 4 or 5 qualification that is not HTQ approved or does not qualify for Higher Education undergraduate student finance, you could still be eligible for an聽Advanced Learner Loan.

Some courses are extended beyond their normal length to include a foundation year. These courses are designed to prepare students for study in their chosen subject if their qualifications or experience are acceptable for entering higher education, but aren鈥檛 appropriate for normal entry to their particular course.

Foundation year students are eligible for help if the following apply:

• the foundation year is an integral part of the course, and the course as a whole is designated by, or under, the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (as amended), and
• when first enrolling, you enrol for the full length of the extended course.

The following courses do not qualify for Higher Education undergraduate student finance:

• most postgraduate courses except postgraduate courses of Initial Teacher Training, and postgraduate healthcare courses starting on or after 1 August 2018
• pre-registration nursing and midwifery diploma courses, and any nursing or midwifery course for which you鈥檙e eligible to apply for a non-income assessed DHSSPS/NHS bursary or award under the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968
• access or conversion courses or foundation years which prepare students to take a higher-education course
• most courses of further education

If you鈥檙e studying or thinking of studying a course and you鈥檙e not sure whether it鈥檚 eligible for student finance, ask the university or college you鈥檙e hoping to go to. They should be able to help you.

4.8 Part-time students (including distance learning)

If you鈥檙e a new part-time student or a continuing part-time student who started a course on or after 1 September 2012, you must be studying at a rate equal to 25% or more of an equivalent full-time course. This means you must be able to complete your course in no more than 4 times the amount of time it would take to complete the equivalent full-time course, up to a maximum of 16 years. You will be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to 拢7,145.

Some universities and colleges have a points or credits system for their courses. A course of 30 points or credits in any academic year is usually equivalent to 25% of a full-time course.

4.9 Support for students studying full-time distance learning courses

If you鈥檙e studying on a full-time distance learning course that started on or after 1 September 2012, you鈥檒l be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to 拢9,535 or up to 拢11,440 for a full-time accelerated degree course starting on or after 1 August 2019.

If you鈥檙e studying a full-time course by distance learning because you have a disability and your disability prevents you from physically attending a course, you may be eligible for the full-time package of support and extra help in the form of聽Disabled Students鈥� Allowance.

You may also be eligible if you鈥檙e:

• a spouse or civil partner living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas
• a child, step-child or adoptive child living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving overseas

From 1 August 2018, if you鈥檙e studying a distance learning course you鈥檒l also be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan if you鈥檙e:

• a member of the UK Armed Forces who usually lives in England but is serving in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland
• a relative living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

4.10 Leaving your course or transferring to a new course

If you withdraw, suspend or transfer to a new course before your course starts you can update your information online.

If your course has started, you should contact us and ask your university or college to let us know.

It鈥檚 important to remember the rules about previous study if you鈥檙e thinking about leaving your course or transferring to a new course, as this could affect the student support you can get if you take another course in the future.

If you鈥檙e continuing on a course that started before 1 August 2021 and you transfer more than once, you may be asked to prove your continuing eligibility for student finance by providing evidence of EU Settlement Scheme status where relevant.

It鈥檚 very important if you want to transfer courses or withdraw from your course that you talk to your university or college as soon as possible. You should also let us know, to minimise the risk of you being overpaid your student finance.

If the fees are higher than those you pay on your current course, you may be able to apply for an additional amount of Tuition Fee Loan up to a maximum of 拢9,535.

If you transfer course during the academic year a percentage of your Tuition Fee Loan will still be paid to your previous university/college. Please go to聽Section 5.4 鈥楶ayment of your tuition fees鈥�听补苍诲听Section 5.5 鈥楥hanging your course鈥�聽for further details.

If you withdraw, transfer or suspend your studies you鈥檒l still be liable for any percentage of Tuition Fee Loan paid to your university or college.

If you suspend your studies due to illness, you can still get full student finance for the first 60 days of this period. Your entitlement may be affected if you suspend your studies for reasons other than illness, or if the illness exceeds 60 days.

If you withdraw from your course during the academic year, we鈥檒l reassess your entitlement and contact you to confirm what you鈥檙e entitled to.

If a change to your details results in you being overpaid, you鈥檒l need to repay any money you鈥檙e not entitled to. In this case, the repayment threshold won鈥檛 apply and you might have to repay the amount you鈥檝e been overpaid earlier.

5. Assessing how much student finance you can get

This section tells you how we use the information you give us to work out how much student finance you can get.

We鈥檒l look at your household income which includes:

• your parents鈥� income if you鈥檙e a dependent student
• your expected unearned income during the academic year, such as dividends from investments/shares or income from property lettings
• your husband, wife or civil partner鈥檚 income (or your partner鈥檚 income if you鈥檙e 25 or over) if you鈥檙e an independent student

Tuition Fee Loans and Disabled Students鈥� Allowance don鈥檛 depend on household income.

5.1 General information about income for all students

Some of the grants, and part of the Maintenance Loan, depend on your household income. When applying for financial support that depends on your household income, you鈥檒l need to give us some financial information.

5.2 NHS bursaries

If you鈥檙e eligible to apply for NHS bursaries that depend on your household income, and you meet the student finance eligibility requirements, you can apply for a reduced rate Maintenance Loan that doesn鈥檛 depend on your household income.

If you鈥檙e eligible to apply for NHS bursaries that don鈥檛 depend on household income you can鈥檛 apply for student finance from us.

You can get more information about NHS bursaries by visiting聽聽or calling 0300 330 1345.

5.3 Your income

We鈥檒l ask you to estimate your total income for the coming academic year.

You should include details of any taxable unearned income you expect to get from the following sources:

• bank or building society gross interest
• property, lettings or rent
• dividends or investments
• trusts or sponsorships
• any other payment received for attending the course

You should only include payments from an employer if you鈥檙e being released from your employment by your employer to attend your course.

Income from earnings during an academic year of your course (including holiday, evening or weekend work) doesn鈥檛 need to be declared.

We鈥檒l ignore the following:

• pension payments made by your sponsor that qualify for certain specified tax relief
• the first 拢1,130 of income for any child who is totally, or mainly financially dependent on you or your husband, wife or civil partner or your partner (if you鈥檙e 25 or over)

Your household income 鈥� parents

We鈥檒l assess your parents鈥� income, including the income of a relevant partner of your parent unless:

• you鈥檙e an independent student (see section 4.11)
• you choose not to provide details of your parents鈥� income because you鈥檙e applying for support that isn鈥檛 assessed on your household income

If your parents don鈥檛 give these details, you will not get the full amount of Maintenance Loan available. For academic year 2025 to 2026, we鈥檒l usually look at your parents鈥� household income for the financial year 2023 to 2024. But if your parents鈥� household income has dropped by 15% or more, they can ask us to look at their likely income for the current financial year. Your parents鈥� income will be added to yours to work out the total household income. Using your total household income, we鈥檒l then work out what support you鈥檙e entitled to and if there should be any household contribution.

To understand how your household income may affect your Maintenance Loan, check out our聽understanding living costs page.

Parental income

Depending on their income, parents may have to contribute towards your living costs while you鈥檙e studying. If you鈥檙e a dependent student (go to section 4.11 to see whether you鈥檙e a dependent or an independent student), the income of your parents will be assessed. If your parents are separated or divorced, we鈥檒l use the income of whichever parent you鈥檙e financially dependent on, including the income of your parent鈥檚 partner, if they have one. This means we will not need income details from the parent that you鈥檙e not dependent on or have less contact with.

A parent鈥檚 鈥榩artner鈥� means one of the following:

• a spouse (husband or wife)
• a civil partner
• a person ordinarily living with the parent as their spouse
• a person ordinarily living with the parent as their civil partner

If your circumstances change during the academic year, this may affect your assessment.

5.4 Which section applies to you?

The way we assess your household income depends on whether you are a dependent or independent student and when you started your course.

If you鈥檙e a dependent student and you started your full-time course:

• between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2016 鈥� go to section 4.6
• on or after 1 August 2016 鈥� go to section 4.7

If you鈥檙e a dependent student and you started your part-time course:

• between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2018 - go to section 4.8
• on or after 1 August 2018 - go to section 4.9

5.5 Dependent students who started their full-time course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2016

Assessing the household contribution

We鈥檒l work out your parents鈥� residual income (which includes the income of your parent鈥檚 partner, if they have one) by taking their gross income (before tax and National Insurance) and taking off allowances for the following:

• payments into private pension schemes, additional voluntary contributions and employment related costs
• 拢1,130 for any child other than you who is totally or mainly financially dependent on them
• 拢1,130 if the parent is also a student

Once we鈥檝e taken off the relevant amounts and worked out your parents鈥� residual income, we鈥檒l add this to your income and assess a household contribution as follows:

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢42,875
• 拢1 for every 拢7.30 of the total income over 拢42,875, until 65% of the full Maintenance Loan remains

	Full year		Final year
Support covered	Household residual income	Household contribution	Household residual income	Household contribution
Full-rate Maintenance Loan or maximum rate final year Maintenance Loan	拢42,875	拢0	拢42,875	拢0
65%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying in London	拢69,827	拢3,692	拢67,424	拢3,363
65%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying outside London	拢62,162	拢2,642	拢60,819	拢2,458
65%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living with parents	拢58,235	拢2,104	拢56,986	拢1,933

*Same percentage as final year

Assessing Maintenance Grant entitlement

You may be entitled to get a non-repayable Maintenance Grant of up to 拢4,355 a year. If your household income:

• is 拢25,000 or less, you may be entitled to the full Maintenance Grant of 拢4,355
• is between 拢25,000 and 拢42,736, the amount of grant you can get will decrease by 拢1 for every 拢4.249 of household income above 拢25,000
• is 拢42,737, you may be able to get the minimum Maintenance Grant of 拢50
• is more than 拢42,737 you won鈥檛 be able to get any Maintenance Grant

Maintenance Loan entitlement if you get a Maintenance Grant

If you apply for a Maintenance Grant, you can also apply for a Maintenance Loan. However, if you鈥檙e eligible for a Maintenance Loan, the maximum amount may be reduced by 拢0.50 for every 拢1 of Maintenance Grant you get.

If you鈥檙e living with your parents and get the full Maintenance Grant of 拢4,355 and you qualify for a Maintenance Loan, your Maintenance Loan entitlement will be reduced by 拢2,177.

Household income	Maintenance Grant	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying outside London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying in London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living with parents
拢25,000	拢4,355	拢5,382	拢8,370	拢3,835
拢30,000	拢3,142	拢5,988	拢8,976	拢4,441
拢40,000	拢715	拢7,202	拢10,190	拢5,655
拢42,737	拢50	拢7,534	拢10,522	拢5,987
拢55,000	拢0	拢5,899	拢8,887	拢4,352

Special Support Grant

Special Support Grant replaces the Maintenance Grant in certain circumstances. You may get the Special Support Grant if any of the following apply while you鈥檙e on your course:

• you鈥檙e a lone parent or lone foster parent who 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 partner who is also a student, and one or both of you are 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 Premium or Severe Disability Premium
• you鈥檙e 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
• you鈥檙e deaf and qualify for Disabled Students鈥� Allowance
• you鈥檝e 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
• you鈥檙e aged 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you鈥檙e entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• you鈥檙e entitled to Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• you鈥檙e entitled to Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)

If you can get a Special Support Grant, you won鈥檛 be able to get a Maintenance Grant as well. However, the Special Support Grant won鈥檛 affect the amount of Maintenance Loan you can get.

Other students in your household

Different rules apply if you have a brother, sister or parent who is also getting student finance. We鈥檒l work out your household contribution before it鈥檚 shared between you and the other students in your family. In normal circumstances, it鈥檒l be shared out equally. However, in certain circumstances it may be shared differently to make sure that the amount of contribution reflects whose income has been included in the income assessment.

If your circumstances change during your course, (for example, if one of your parents loses their job), we鈥檒l assess the household contribution again.

5.6 Dependent students starting a full-time course on or after 1 August 2016

If you鈥檙e starting a course on or after 1 August 2016, you鈥檒l be able to apply for a higher amount of Maintenance Loan, as Maintenance Grants are no longer available for new students.

Assessing your income

We鈥檒l work out your parents鈥� residual income (which includes the income of your parent鈥檚 partner, if they have one) by taking their gross income (before tax and National Insurance) and taking off allowances for the following:

• payments into private pension schemes, additional voluntary contributions and employment-related costs
• 拢1,130 for any child other than you who is totally or mainly financially dependent on them
• 拢1,130 if your parent is also a student

Once we鈥檝e taken off the relevant amounts and worked out your parents鈥� residual income, we add this to your income and do an income assessment as follows:

Students living with parents

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• Maintenance Loan is reduced by 拢1 for every 拢6.71 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 44% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

Students living away from home and studying in London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• Maintenance Loan is reduced by 拢1 for every 拢6.53 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 49.8% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

Students living away from home and studying outside London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• Maintenance Loan is reduced by 拢1 for every 拢6.64 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 46.6% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

The income assessment is the amount that will be deducted from the maximum available Maintenance Loan to work out how much you can get.

The first line of the table below shows the household income level at which you would get the full-rate Maintenance Loan or the maximum-rate Maintenance Loan in your final year. If you鈥檙e on a one-year postgraduate ITT course (for example, a PGCE course), that year won鈥檛 be treated as a final year. It then shows the household income levels at which you would only be entitled to the basic rate of Maintenance Loan that doesn鈥檛 depend on your household income.

Students not entitled to benefits

	Full year		Final year
Support covered	Household residual income	Income assessment	Household residual income	Income assessment
Full rate Maintenance Loan or maximum rate final year Maintenance Loan	Up to 拢25,000	拢0	Up to 拢25,000	拢0
49.8% / 49%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying in London	拢70,116	拢6,909	拢67,485	拢6,506
46.6% / 45.8%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying outside London	拢62,377	拢5,629	拢60,876	拢5,403
44% / 43%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living with parents	拢58,349	拢4,970	拢56,960	拢4,763

*Final year percentage

Maintenance Loan entitlement

Household income	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying outside London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying in London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living with parents
拢25,000	拢10,544	拢13,762	拢8,877
拢30,000	拢9,791	拢12,997	拢8,132
拢35,000	拢9,038	拢12,231	拢7,387
拢40,000	拢8,285	拢11,465	拢6,642
拢42,875	拢7,852	拢11,025	拢6,214
拢45,000	拢7,532	拢10,700	拢5,897

Students entitled to benefits

	Full year		Final year
Support covered	Household residual income	Income assessment	Household residual income	Income assessment
Full rate Maintenance Loan or maximum rate final year Maintenance Loan	Up to 拢25,000	拢0	Up to 拢25,000	拢0
45.7% / 44.4%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying in London	拢70,119	拢8,155	拢67,487	拢7,822
40.9% / 39.8%* Maintenance Loan 鈥� student living away from home and studying outside London	拢62,377	拢7,104	拢60,877	拢6,920
37.3% / 35.9%* Maintenance Loan - student living with parents	拢58,355	拢6,567	拢56,967	拢6,394

*Final year percentage

If you鈥檙e entitled to benefits

Once we鈥檝e worked out your parents鈥� residual income and taken off any allowances (that were listed under the 鈥淎ssessing your income鈥� section) we鈥檒l add this amount to your income and do an income assessment as follows:

Students living with parents

• No contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢4.196 (or 拢4.162 in a final year) of the total income over 拢25,000, up to 拢42,875
• 拢1 for every 拢6.71 of the total income over 拢42,875, until 37.3% (35.9% for final year) of the full Maintenance Loan remains

Students living away from home and studying in London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢4.487 (or 拢4.41 in a final year) of the total income over 拢25,000, up to 拢42,875.
• 拢1 for every 拢6.53 of the total income over 拢42,875, until 45.7% (44.4% for final year) of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

Students living away from home and studying outside London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢4.289 (or 拢4.246 in a final year) of the total income over 拢25,000, up to 拢42,875.
• 拢1 for every 拢6.64 of the total income over 拢42,875, until 40.9% (39.8% for final year) of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

The first line of the table above shows the household income level at which you would get the full-rate Maintenance Loan or the maximum rate Maintenance Loan in your final year. If you鈥檙e on a one-year postgraduate ITT course (for example, a PGCE course), that year won鈥檛 be treated as a final year. It then shows the household income levels at which you would only be entitled to the basic rate of Maintenance Loan that doesn鈥檛 depend on your household income.

Students who are eligible for benefits

Maintenance Loan entitlement

Household income	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying outside London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying in London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living with parents
拢25,000	拢12,019	拢15,008	拢10,473
拢30,000	拢10,854	拢13,894	拢9,282
拢35,000	拢9,688	拢12,780	拢8,090
拢40,000	拢8,522	拢11,666	拢6,899
拢42,875	拢7,852	拢11,025	拢6,213
拢45,000	拢7,532	拢10,700	拢5,897

If you鈥檙e over 60

If you鈥檙e 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course you can apply for a Loan for Living Costs of up to 拢4,461, depending on your household income.

Your loan will be reduced by 拢1 for every 拢4.27 of household income over 拢25,000, up to 拢43,835. If your household income is more than this you won鈥檛 get any Loan for Living Costs

Household income	Loan for Living Costs
拢25,000	拢4,461
拢30,000	拢3,291
拢35,000	拢2,120
拢40,000	拢949
拢43,835	拢50
拢43,836	拢0

5.7 Dependent students who started their part-time course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2018

If you鈥檙e a part-time student starting a course on or after 1 September 2012 you will be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to 拢7,145.

The amount you can get doesn鈥檛 depend on your household income.

5.8 Dependent students starting a part-time course on or after 1 August 2018

If you鈥檙e a part-time student starting a course on or after 1 August 2018, you鈥檒l be able to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to 拢7,145. The amount you can get doesn鈥檛 depend on your household income.

You can also get a part-time Maintenance Loan. The amount of loan you get will depend on your household income. If you鈥檙e studying a part-time distance learning course, you鈥檒l only be able to get a Maintenance Loan if you鈥檙e distance learning because you have a disability.

Maintenance Loan entitlement for 100% intensity of study

Household income	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying outside London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living away from home and studying in London	Maintenance Loan 鈥� living with parents
拢25,000	拢10,544	拢13,762	拢8,877
拢30,000	拢9,791	拢12,997	拢8,132
拢35,000	拢9,038	拢12,231	拢7,387
拢40,000	拢8,285	拢11,465	拢6,642
拢45,000	拢7,532	拢10,700	拢5,897

Intensity of study	Maximum part-time loan for living costs entitlement (percentage of full-time rate)
Less than 25%	No entitlement
25% to less than 33.3%	25%
33.3% to less than 50%	33.3%
50% to less than 66.6%	50%
66.6% to less than 75%	66.6%
75% to less than 100%	75%
100%	100%

If you鈥檙e over 60

If you鈥檙e 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course, you can鈥檛 apply for a Maintenance Loan, but you can get a Tuition Fee Loan and Disabled Students鈥� Allowance if you are eligible.

5.9 Independent students

If you鈥檙e not financially supported by your parents, then you might be classed as an independent student. This means Student Finance England won鈥檛 take your parents鈥� income into account when working out the household income contribution.

To be classed as an independent student you鈥檒l meet one of the following conditions:

• You have the care of a person under the age of 18 on the first day of the academic year.
• You鈥檙e 25 or over on the first day of the academic year.
• You鈥檝e been married or in a civil partnership before the start of the academic year, even if you鈥檙e now divorced or separated.
• You have no living parents.
• You鈥檝e supported yourself for at least 3 years before the start of your course. This includes any time you:
  • were in paid, full-time employment
  • received Income Support, Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance or other state benefits
  • received any pension, allowance or other benefit because of a disability or by any reason of confinement, sickness or illness
  • received training under any scheme for the unemployed or other funding by any state authority or agency
• Your parents can鈥檛 be traced or it鈥檚 not practical or possible to contact them.
• Your parents live outside the UK, Gibraltar and the European Union and an income assessment would put them in jeopardy, or it鈥檚 not reasonably practical for them to send funds to the UK if a contribution were assessed (this may apply to you if you鈥檙e a refugee).
• You鈥檝e not communicated with your parents for one year before the beginning of the academic year, or you can demonstrate you鈥檙e permanently estranged from your parents.
• Subject to certain exceptions, you were looked after by a local authority throughout any 3-month period ending on or after the date on which you turned 16, and before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

Evidence that you鈥檙e an independent student

• If you are, or have been, married or in a civil partnership we鈥檒l need to see your marriage certificate or civil partnership schedule.
• If you鈥檙e applying as an independent student because you鈥檝e supported yourself for 3 years or more, you must provide evidence to show a reasonable level of income to live off. If you鈥檝e been working or claiming benefits you must provide written confirmation of this.
• You could send photocopies of your P60 or a letter from your employer (signed, dated and on headed paper) confirming the dates you worked there and your earnings. For periods where you鈥檝e claimed benefits, you should ask your local Jobcentre Plus office for a letter confirming the dates you claimed benefits and the type of benefits you got.
• If you have care of a child and you鈥檙e applying for independent status, you should send the child鈥檚 original birth certificate and evidence that you鈥檙e caring for a child, such as, evidence that you get Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit or the child element of Universal Credit.
• If you don鈥檛 send us the correct evidence, it will delay your application and you might not get all the student finance you鈥檙e entitled to.

Students who have no contact with their parents

If you want to claim independent status because you鈥檙e estranged from your parents, you must provide confirmation from a professional person, outside your family, who knows about your circumstances. Examples of proof you could send us are:

• a letter from your social worker (if you have one)
• if you claimed Income Support when you were under 18, a letter from your local Jobcentre Plus office showing that you got benefits because of your situation
• if your relationship with your parents broke down while you were at school or college, a letter from an advice worker or personal tutor or teacher confirming your circumstances
• a letter from your doctor if you visited them because of problems relating to the breakdown of your relationship with your parents.

You鈥檒l need to prove that the lack of contact with your parents is permanent. We would normally expect you to have had no contact with your parents for at least 12 months, although this may not apply in exceptional circumstances.

Your household income

If you鈥檙e an independent student who is married, in a civil partnership or are over 25 and are living with your partner, Student Finance England will take into account the income of your husband, wife, civil partner or partner.

Your partner鈥檚 residual income will generally be worked out in the same way as your parents鈥� residual income. However, different rules apply if you separate from your partner. The household income threshold is also the same.

Assessing the household contribution for your Maintenance Loan

We鈥檒l work out your partner鈥檚 residual income by taking the gross income (before tax and National Insurance) and taking off allowance for the following:

• payments into private pension schemes, additional voluntary contributions and employment related costs
• 拢1,130 for any child who is totally or mainly financially dependent on them
• 拢1,130 if your partner is also a student

Once we鈥檝e taken off the relevant amounts and worked out your partner鈥檚 residual income, we鈥檒l add this to your income and assess a household contribution as follows:

Students living at home

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢6.71 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 44% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

Students living away from home and studying in London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢6.53 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 49.8% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

Students living away from home and studying outside London

• no contribution for total income of up to 拢25,000
• 拢1 for every 拢6.64 of the total income over 拢25,000, until 46.6% of the full Maintenance Loan remains.

6. How do I get paid?

6.1 Full-time students

Student Finance Notification of Entitlement

You鈥檒l receive a Student Finance Notification of Entitlement through your account telling you how much student finance you can get.

The Notification of Entitlement will tell you when your instalments will be paid and details of any grants or other payments you may be due. You鈥檒l usually be paid in 3 instalments, normally at the start of each term.

Payment of your Maintenance Loan and Grant

You need to register at your university or college before we can make your first payment. You鈥檒l usually do this in the first week of your course and you may have to show your university or college your Student Finance Notification of Entitlement. Once you鈥檝e registered, your university or college will let us know and we鈥檒l make your payment. We鈥檒l pay any Maintenance Grant or Loan into your bank account.

You don鈥檛 need to do anything other than register. It can take up to 5 working days for your money to reach your account, depending on your bank.

6.2 Part-time students

If you started your course on or after 1 September 2012, we鈥檒l pay your Tuition Fee Loan directly to your university or college.

If you started your course on or after 1 August 2018, we鈥檒l pay your Tuition Fee Loan to your university and any Maintenance Loan payments directly to you.

You鈥檒l also receive a Notification of Entitlement via your online account.

6.3 Tips for getting your payment on time

There are several things you can do to make sure that you receive your payment on time, regardless of whether you are a full-time or part-time student:

1. Open a UK bank or building society account in your name and give us your account details before the start of term.
2. When you register at your university or college, make sure you take any documents that your college need. For example, your Notification of Entitlement.
3. Make sure that you always refer to yourself in the same way on all of the documents you鈥檙e asked to fill in. For example, if you apply for a university place through UCAS as 鈥楯ohn Anthony Smith鈥�, please refer to yourself in the same way in your student finance application. It鈥檚 best to give your full name as it appears on your birth certificate or passport.

6.4 Payment of your tuition fees

If you apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, it鈥檒l be paid directly to your university or college in 3 instalments across the academic year.

You鈥檒l be liable for any percentage of your Tuition Fee Loan paid to your university or college from the first day of term if you鈥檙e a full-time student.

This will be the case regardless of any withdrawals, transfers or suspensions of study.

When Tuition Fee Loan payment is made to your university or college	How much of your Tuition Fee Loan is paid to your university or college
At the start of term 1	25% of the tuition fee
At the start of term 2	25% of the tuition fee
At the start of term 3	50% of the tuition fee

If you鈥檙e a part-time student, you鈥檒l be liable for any percentage of your Tuition Fee Loan paid to your university or college once you鈥檝e been on your course for 2 weeks of the academic year.

6.5 Changing your course

If you transfer to a new university or college before the start of term 1 your full Tuition Fee Loan will be paid to your new university or college.

If you transfer to a new university or college during term 1, your new university will only get 75% of your Tuition Fee Loan. The remaining 25% will be paid to the university or college you transferred from.

If the tuition fee at your new university or college is higher we鈥檒l only pay the university 75% of the new tuition fee.

Transferring to a new university or college during term 2 will mean your previous university or college can only get 50% of your Tuition Fee Loan. The other 50% will be paid to your new university or college.

If you transfer during term 3, we won鈥檛 pay any Tuition Fee Loan to your new university or college. Your previous university or college will get the full Tuition Fee Loan.

7. Information and contacts

7.1 Need help?

For more information on student finance, visit聽

For more information on repayment visit聽www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan

Visit our聽聽to watch our series of animations that break down the student finance process into easy steps.

7.2 Contacts

Student Finance England

When it鈥檚 time to apply, visit聽www.gov.uk/student-finance

You can find out how to contact us at .

National Union of Students (NUS)

You can get more information about student finance and related topics from the NUS website at聽

Postgraduate Search

For information about other sources of funding for undergraduates, go to聽

National Association of Student 伊人直播 Advisers (NASMA)

NASMA is a charity working to help students by providing advice, information and training. You can get more information by visiting聽