Wondering what's the minimum student maintenance loan you're eligible for? We've broken it down for you.
Your maintenance loan is one of the most crucial parts of going to uni. It's designed to help you out while you're studying, and you pay it back after you've graduated.
But student loans can be complicated to get your head around, as there's a lot of technical jargon involved — and sometimes the minimum maintenance loan isn't even enough to cover your rent. Shocking, we know.
Everyone is eligible for a different amount of money from the government, depending on factors including your location, age and household income. If you're lucky, you won't be stuck with the minimum maintenance loan and might get the maximum amount instead. Fingers crossed.
So if you're wondering how much maintenance loan you'll get, here's everything you need to know for 2026/27.
Applying for uni and hoping to start in 2027? Make sure you're clued up on the UCAS application deadlines so you don't miss out.
In this guide:
Maintenance loans and grants table for Northern Ireland for 2026/27
Can I cancel my student finance application and start again?
What is a maintenance loan?
A maintenance loan is a loan from the government designed to help cover the cost of living at university in the UK. It's different from the tuition fee loan, which covers the cost of your course — the maintenance loan is there to cover your living costs instead.
Living costs include essentials like rent, bills and food shopping, as well as non-essentials such as going to restaurants, bars, clubs and the cinema, or buying new clothes and shoes.
Every eligible student receives their maintenance loan paid directly into their bank account in three instalments per academic year, usually at the start of each term.
If your course runs longer than 30 weeks and 3 days, you may be entitled to extra money as part of your maintenance loan. This is called a Long Course Loan. It's based on your household income, but you'll usually get more to reflect the longer course — and it's typically awarded automatically.
We've got all your questions answered about applying for Student Finance.
How is my maintenance loan calculated?
The maintenance loan is one of the biggest chunks of money you'll receive as a student, unless you have a very well-off family or a good-paying job alongside your course. So it's worth understanding exactly how the minimum and maximum maintenance loan is worked out — and making sure you fill out your application correctly to avoid delays when your course starts.
When you apply for student finance, you'll need to provide a fair amount of information about yourself. Student finance uses this to work out how big a loan you're eligible for, including:
your age
your location
whether you're a UK citizen
your parents' income and jobs
How much maintenance loan should I get?
You can get a rough estimate of what you're eligible for using the calculator on the government website. It won't be 100% accurate, but it's a good way to see roughly what you'll get before you apply.
Because so many different factors are involved, there's a good chance your maintenance loan will look quite different from a friend's, even if you're going to the same uni.
Did maintenance loans go up for 2026/27?
Yes; maintenance loans and tuition fees in England rose again from the start of the 2026/27 academic year, continuing the government's commitment to uprate them broadly in line with inflation.
The increase works out at just over 2.7% compared with 2025/26, adding between roughly £240 and £375 extra a year depending on where you live and study:
Where you live and study | Extra maintenance loan per year | Total maximum maintenance loan per year | TOTAL MINIMUM LOAN PER YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
Students living at home | £241 | £9,118 | £4,013 |
Students living away from home, studying in London | £373 | £14,135 | £7,039 |
Students living away from home, studying outside of London | £286 | £10,830 | £5,048 |
Students studying abroad as part of a UK course | £327 | £12,403 | £5,996 |
These increases apply to new and existing students, but they won't affect your monthly repayments once you've graduated — repayments are based on your income, not how much you originally borrowed.
We’ve got a whole guide on what you need to know about tuition fee and maintenance loan increases if you want more information.
How and when is the maintenance loan paid?
Your maintenance loan is paid directly into your bank account in three instalments across the year. Exact payment dates vary from uni to uni and change slightly each year, but you can generally expect one instalment per term.
Your loan is usually split into three fairly equal instalments, although you might find one payment is slightly bigger than the others depending on how much you're entitled to. You'll typically be paid around the start of each term — so late September/early October, January, and March/April. This applies across the UK except in Scotland, where students are paid in equal amounts on the 7th of each month.
You'll usually get a text or email a few days before a payment lands to let you know it's on the way. For exact dates and amounts, check our full breakdown of student finance payment dates, or log in to your student finance account.
Maintenance loans table for England for 2026/27
Household income | Living at home | Living away from home (outside London) | Living away from home (in London)
|
|---|---|---|---|
£25,000 or less | £9,118 | £10,830 | £14,135 |
£30,000 | £8,354 | £10,058 | £13,349 |
£35,000 | £7,589 | £9,285 | £12,563 |
£40,000 | £6,825 | £8,512 | £11,777 |
£42,875 | £6,385 | £8,068 | £11,325 |
£45,000 | £6,060 | £7,739 | £10,991 |
£50,000 | £5,296 | £6,967 | £10,205 |
£55,000 | £4,531 | £6,194 | £9,419 |
Around £58,347 | £4,013 | £5,700 | £8,886 |
£60,000 | £4,013 | £5,421 | £8,632 |
Around £62,410 | £4,013 | £5,048 | £8,253 |
£65,000 | £4,013 | £5,048 | £7,846 |
£70,000 | £4,013 | £5,048 | £7,060 |
£70,131 and above | £4,013 | £5,048 | £7,039 |
Maintenance loan amounts for students in England, 2026/27.
This gives you a good idea of what to expect, but the exact amount is based on your precise household income, so there may be a small difference between this table and what you're actually entitled to.
If you're living at home, once your parents' household income passes £58,347 you'll get the minimum maintenance loan of £4,013. Living away from home outside London, that threshold is £62,410 (minimum £5,048), and living away from home in London it's £70,131 (minimum £7,039).
Maintenance loans and grants table for Wales for 2026/27
In Wales, students are entitled to both loans and grants. Grants don't need to be paid back, whereas loans do.
As in England, how much you get depends on your household income and where you'll be studying — but the key difference is that everyone in the same living situation either living at home, studying in London or studying away from London) receives the same total amount from the government.
The only difference is how much of a grant and how much of a loan you will receive. Those from lower-income households simply get a bigger share as a grant and a smaller share as a loan, while higher earners get more loan and less grant.
For students living at home with their parents while at uni (total: £10,685):
Household income | Grant | Loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£18,370 or less | £7,020 | £3,665 | £10,685 |
£25,000 | £6,046 | £4,639 | £10,685 |
£35,000 | £4,576 | £6,109 | £10,685 |
£45,000 | £3,107 | £7,578 | £10,685 |
£59,200+ | £1,000 | £9,685 | £10,685 |
For students living away from home, outside London (total: around £12,588):
Household income | Grant | Loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£18,370 or less | £8,260 | £4,328 | £12,588 |
£25,000 | £7,084 | £5,504 | £12,588 |
£35,000 | £5,311 | £7,277 | £12,588 |
£45,000 | £3,537 | £9,051 | £12,588 |
£59,200+ | £1,000 | £11,588 | £12,588 |
For students living in London (total: £15,720):
Household income | Grant | Loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£18,370 or less | £10,324 | £5,396 | £15,720 |
£25,000 | £8,814 | £6,906 | £15,720 |
£35,000 | £6,535 | £9,185 | £15,720 |
£45,000 | £4,257 | £11,463 | £15,720 |
£59,200+ | £1,000 | £14,720 | £15,720 |
Maintenance loans and grants table for Scotland for 2026/27
In Scotland, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) offers both a bursary and a loan. Unlike the rest of the UK, your Scottish loan isn't assessed based on your living situation — instead, there are four bands, and what you get depends purely on your household income band.
Household Income | Loan | Bursary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
£20,999 or below | £9,400 | £2,000 | £11,400 |
£21,000- £23,999 | £9,400 | £1,125 | £10,525 |
£24,000- £33,999 | £9,400 | £500 | £9,900 |
£34,000+ | £8,400 | £0 | £8,400 |
For the exact figures that apply to your circumstances, always double-check with SAAS directly, as bands can be adjusted.
Maintenance loans and grants table for Northern Ireland for 2026/27
In Northern Ireland, students are entitled to both a maintenance loan and a maintenance grant, the latter of which doesn't need to be repaid. How much you're eligible for depends on household income and whether you're living at home, in London, or away from home outside London.
For students living at home with their parents while at uni:
Household income | Maintenance grant | Maintenance loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£19,203 or below | £3,569 | £4,570 | £8,139 |
£25,000 | £2,260 | £4,894 | £7,154 |
£30,000 | £1,248 | £5,222 | £6,470 |
£35,000 | £708 | £5,762 | £6,470 |
£41,540 | £0 | £6,470 | £6,470 |
£45,000 | £0 | £5,849 | £5,849 |
£50,515+ | £0 | £4,854 | £4,854 |
For students living away from home and outside of London for uni:
Household income | Maintenance grant | Maintenance loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£19,203 or below | £3,569 | £6,452 | £10,021 |
£25,000 | £2,260 | £6,774 | £9,034 |
£30,000 | £1,248 | £7,104 | £8,352 |
£41,540 | £0 | £8,352 | £8,352 |
£50,000 | £0 | £7,730 | £7,730 |
£53,150+ | £0 | £6,264 | £6,264 |
For students living in London for uni:
Household income | Maintenance grant | Maintenance loan | Total
|
|---|---|---|---|
£19,203 or below | £3,569 | £9,798 | £13,367 |
£25,000 | £2,260 | £10,122 | £12,382 |
£30,000 | £1,248 | £10,451 | £11,699 |
£41,540 | £0 | £11,699 | £11,699 |
£57,850+ | £0 | £8,774 | £8,774 |
What's the minimum and maximum student maintenance loan?
The minimum maintenance loan you could receive in England for 2026/27 is £4,013 a year if you're living at home during uni, since it's assumed you won't need to cover rent.
The maximum you could get is £14,135 a year if you're living away from home in London and your household income is £25,000 or less.
You can find out more on the government website.
Can I apply for a Current Year Income Assessment?
When you apply for student finance for 2026/27, you'll need to provide your household income for the 2025/26 tax year. If you think your household income for the current tax year is going to be significantly lower than last year's, you can apply for a Current Year Income Assessment.
If you apply once the 2026/27 tax year has ended, you'll need to provide evidence of what your household income actually was. If it turns out lower than expected, you'll get some extra maintenance loan. If it's higher than you estimated, you'll need to repay some of the money straight away.
The criteria to be eligible for a Current Year Income Assessment are:
England: your household income needs to have dropped by at least 15%
Northern Ireland: your household income needs to have dropped by at least 5%
Scotland: your household income must have dropped into a different income bracket
Wales: your household income must have dropped by at least 15%
How and when do you repay your loan?
You start paying back your student loan the first April after you finish uni, but only once you're earning above a certain threshold. Most students starting their course from August 2023 onwards are on Plan 5, where you won't repay anything until you're earning over £25,000 a year. (If you're on an older Plan 2 loan, that threshold is currently £29,385.)
Once you're earning over the threshold, 9% of everything you earn above it is deducted from your monthly paycheck, just like tax. So if you're on Plan 5 and earning £30,000 a year before tax, you'd repay 9% of the £5,000 above the threshold — around £450 a year, or roughly £37.50 a month. The more you earn, the more you repay, but it's designed to come out in small, manageable chunks.
On Plan 5, any remaining balance is written off 40 years after you first became eligible to repay (Plan 2 loans are written off after 30 years instead).
Sometimes you might end up overpaying for whatever reason, like an incorrect tax code, so you could be entitled to a student loan refund
What is the interest rate on maintenance loans in 2026/27?
Interest rates depend on which repayment plan you're on. For 2026/27:
Plan 5 (most English students starting from August 2023 onwards): interest is set at RPI only, currently around 3.2%, with no extra percentage added on top.
Plan 2 (Welsh students, and English students who started between 2012 and 2023) and Plan 3 (Postgraduate Loans): interest has been capped at 6% for 2026/27, down from a possible 6.2%, after the government stepped in to stop rates climbing further with inflation.
Plan 1 (Northern Irish students, and English/Welsh students who started before 2012) and Plan 4 (Scottish students): interest sits at 3.2%.
These rates move each year in line with inflation and government policy, so it's worth checking the government website for the latest figures before you graduate.
When is the maintenance loan debt written off?
Repayments start in April after you graduate, but only if your earnings are above your plan's threshold. So if you graduate in June and start a graduate job in July on £30,000 (above the Plan 5 threshold of £25,000), you won't start repaying until the following April.
If you're earning below the threshold when you graduate, you simply won't make any repayments until your income rises above it. Either way, the write-off clock — 40 years for Plan 5, 30 years for Plan 2 — starts ticking from the April after you graduate, regardless of when you actually start repaying.
Which student loan plan am I on?
Because the student loan system has changed several times over the last couple of decades, there are a few different plans out there. Which one you're on affects when you start repaying and how much interest you're charged.
There are currently four undergraduate plans — Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4 and Plan 5 — plus Plan 3 for postgraduate loans.
Plan 1: English and Welsh students who started uni before 2012, and Northern Irish students who started any time from 1998 onwards, including this year.
Plan 2: English students who started between 2012 and 2023, and Welsh students starting uni now — Wales hasn't moved over to Plan 5.
Plan 4: Scottish students, regardless of when they started.
Plan 5: English students starting uni from August 2023 onwards — so if you're an English student applying for 2026/27 entry, this is almost certainly the plan you'll be on.
What to do if your minimum maintenance loan isn't enough
There's a good chance your maintenance loan won't stretch as far as you'd like. With rents and the cost of living where they are, it's pretty common to find your loan doesn't quite cover everything.
If you're struggling, plenty of students take on part-time jobs to help cover costs, or lean on family support if that's an option. Side hustles like selling clothes online, flogging old textbooks or tutoring other students can also help top things up.
Many students are also eligible for an interest-free overdraft through a student bank account, which can be a handy safety net for emergency costs — take a look at our pick of the best student bank accounts to see what's on offer.
If you're struggling financially, talk to an advisor at your university — they may be able to point you towards extra funding you're eligible for.
To find out more don't forget to check out the student loan dates, the average student loan, the average student budget and a complete guide to student loans.
Can I cancel my student finance application and start again?
Applying for student finance can be stressful. There's a lot of information to get right so the government can work out how much you're eligible for, and getting it wrong without correcting it can cause real headaches.
It's worth setting aside proper time to fill the form in carefully rather than rushing. This goes for your parents too, since they'll need to provide accurate details about their income, which directly affects your entitlement. A single mistyped figure can throw the whole calculation off, and it can be tricky to fix once you've already started uni.
If you've made a mistake, you don't need to cancel and start again — you can simply update your details or contact student finance directly for guidance.
Extra help with funding
Whether you're entitled to the minimum or the maximum maintenance loan, university can still be tight financially. Fortunately, there's plenty of extra support out there if you need it.
Bursaries and grants are aimed at students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds. Unlike loans, these typically don't need to be paid back, and can make a real difference to your day-to-day budget. Check out what student grants and bursaries are available in the UK and whether you're eligible.
If you have a disability, you could get Disabled Students Allowance on top of your maintenance loan. How much you get depends on where you're from — students in England can now receive a single combined allowance of up to £27,783 for 2026/27, and this doesn't include travel costs, which can be claimed separately.
Whatever you're entitled to, it's worth keeping a close eye on your weekly outgoings, especially with grocery bills still climbing. Whether you're a Waitrose worshipper or loyal to Lidl, our guide to how to budget as a student can help you track your spending and find the cheapest supermarket for your weekly shop.
Find out more about living at university with our ultimate guide to student life.
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