Key Summary
FAQs
What is a maintenance loan and what does it cover?
A maintenance loan helps cover your living costs at university, things like rent, food, bills and travel, as opposed to your tuition fee loan, which pays for your course itself. It's paid directly into your bank account in three instalments across the academic year.
Am I eligible for a maintenance loan?
Eligibility depends on factors like your age, nationality or residency status, your course, and whether you've studied a higher education course before. Most full-time students on courses like a BA, BSc or foundation degree qualify, and some part-time students can too, provided their course meets a minimum intensity requirement.
How much maintenance loan can I get?
For the 2026/27 academic year, you could get up to £14,135 if you're living away from home in London, up to £10,830 if you're living away from home outside London, or up to £9,118 if you're staying at home with your parents. The exact amount also depends on your household income.
How is my maintenance loan amount worked out?
It's based mainly on your household income (usually your parents', unless you're classed as independent) and where you'll be living during term time. The Student Finance Calculator on gov.uk gives you a personalised estimate, including any extra funding you might get for children or a disability.
When should I apply for my maintenance loan?
As early as possible, ideally as soon as applications open. Processing usually takes around six weeks, and while you technically have up to nine months after your academic year starts to apply, leaving it late risks a gap between moving in and actually having money for rent.
How do I apply for a maintenance loan?
Apply online through the gov.uk student finance service, or by post if you'd rather. You'll need your course details and your household income information (your parents' income, or your partner's if applicable), and you'll need to reapply every year of your course, though it's quicker after the first year since your details are already on file.
When do I start paying back my maintenance loan?
Not until after you've finished your course and you're earning above the relevant repayment threshold. Repayments are then taken automatically based on your income rather than how much you originally borrowed, and any remaining balance is written off after a set number of years on your specific repayment plan.
What if my maintenance loan isn't enough to cover my costs?
Look into university hardship funds, bursaries, or a student bank account with an interest-free overdraft to help bridge any gap. Many students also take on part-time work during term, though it's worth balancing this carefully against your course workload.
Starting your time at university can be an exciting time, but it also comes with many new responsibilities that can become stressful if you don’t plan carefully. One of the key areas of stress for students is their finances and organising their student loans. To help make sure that the only thing you need to worry about is your studies, here is everything you need to know about maintenance loans.
What are maintenance loans?
Students can apply for a maintenance loan to cover their living costs during their time at university. Living costs usually refer to rent, food, bills, travel, and other expenses a student encounters during their time at university.
Can I apply for a maintenance loan?
Whether you are eligible for a maintenance loan depends on a few different factors, including your age, nationality or resident status, your university or college, the course you have selected, and whether you have studied a higher education course before.
If you are a full-time student studying a foundation or integrated master’s degree, a higher national diploma or certificate, or a BA/BSc/BEd degree you may also be eligible for a maintenance loan.
You may also be eligible if you are studying a part-time course, but only if it has a course intensity of at least 25% and is in the UK. But it would need to be a BA/BSc/BEd degree, a foundation degree in dental hygiene and dental therapy, a DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice, an integrated masters degree, or an initial teacher training course.
How much can I get?
If you are living away from home in London, you could receive up to £14,134 for the 2026 to 2027 academic year, or up to £10,829 if you are living away from home outside of London.
But if you already live near your university, and choose to continue living at home, you could still receive up to £9,117 for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
To find out more, use a student maintenance loan calculator.
How are maintenance loans calculated?
The maintenance loan you can receive is calculated by a few different factors, including how much your parents earn annually and where you will be living.
To estimate the maintenance loan you could receive, you can use the Student Finance Calculator. This will also help you calculate any extra funding you may receive, such as if you have children or a disability.
When do I need to apply?
It is always good to apply for a student maintenance loan sooner rather than later as the application usually takes around 6 weeks. Whilst you can still apply for a maintenance loan up to 9 months after the start of your academic year, you do not want to be in the position where you have no money for rent because you didn’t apply in time.
How do I apply?
You can easily apply for student finance online through the government website, but you can also apply by post if you would prefer to do it that way. The application process will begin with checking that you are eligible to apply, before finding out how much you could receive, and checking if you can get any extra help.
Then you will prepare your application, which will go smoother if you know your parent’s annual income and have the official name of your course, before sending your application off.
After this, you can sit back and relax, but you will need to update your application details if your circumstances change. You should then hear back about your application in several weeks.
Once you have officially registered at your university or college, usually after results day, the maintenance loan will be transferred into your bank at the start of each term.
It is important to remember that you will need to reapply for a maintenance loan for each year of the course you are studying, so if you are not in your first year the process is a bit simpler as all you need to do is make sure your details are kept up to date before reapplying.
When do I pay back the maintenance loan?
Both maintenance and tuition loans don’t need to be paid back until after the student has finished their course, and they have an income over a specific amount. They then pay back a little each month based on their income rather than how much they borrowed.
If you lose your job or have financial difficulties at any point, the repayments will pause, and after 30 years any remaining student debt is usually written off.
If you want to know about other student loans and financial help, check out our in-depth guide.