37.0% selected “Almost immediately”. 23.9% selected “About halfway through”; 21.7% selected “A few weeks before the end”; and 17.4% selected “It lasts the whole term”.
How all 46 respondents answered
Respondents selected one answer from four options.
Percentages are based on the published response counts. Where whole-number percentages are shown, totals may differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
For most respondents, the loan doesn’t stretch to the end of term
Almost immediately is the top answer
37.0% said their loan runs out almost immediately, the largest group in this poll.
Six in ten are out of money by halfway
60.9% (28 of 46) said their loan runs out about halfway through the term or sooner.
Few make it to the end
Only 17.4% said their loan lasts the whole term, so 82.6% run out before term ends.
The maintenance loan is often the first budget students manage alone
Maintenance loans usually arrive in three instalments, and rent alone can take most of a payment before any other spending starts.
This poll suggests many respondents feel the squeeze long before the next instalment arrives. That makes early-term budgeting advice, information about hardship funds and realistic guidance on part-time work particularly useful in the first weeks of each term.
How to report this poll accurately
Keep the response base and indicative audience label attached to the headline finding.
How this poll was recorded
- Question
- When does your student loan actually run out each term?
- Responses
- 46 total responses
- Date recorded
- 23 September 2026
- Collection
- Unifresher audience poll
- Evidence label
- Indicative first-party Unifresher audience poll
This is an audience poll rather than a population survey. It is useful as a snapshot of the respondents who took part and should not be described as representative of every UK university student.
Questions readers ask next
What was the most common answer?
37.0% selected “Almost immediately”, making it the largest answer in this poll.
How many respondents chose the top answer?
17 of 46 respondents selected “Almost immediately”.
What was the second most selected answer?
23.9% selected “About halfway through”, equal to 11 responses.
Is this representative of all UK students?
No. This is an indicative Unifresher audience poll with 46 responses, not a nationally representative student survey.
How should this result be reported?
Keep the 46-response base, collection date and indicative-audience label attached to the finding.
Explore more student attitudes
Cite this poll
Unifresher poll, “When does your student loan actually run out each term?”, 46 responses, recorded 23 September 2026. Unifresher Data Hub.
Press and citation guidance →