Student and maintenance loans are two ways the government can help people who want to study in university. The exact amounts depend on where in the UK you want to study and how much your parents earn.

Please note that this information only applies to those living in the UK. The United States and other countries have different student loan systems.

What is the difference between student and maintenance loans?

Student loans are used to pay for the course that you want to go on. Maintenance loans are used to pay for your living costs (student accommodation, food, etc.) whilst you are studying at university.

Are there any grants available for me?

Yes, there are multiple grants and benefits available if you need them.

Students with a low income

For students who don’t earn much money, you can get financial help from:

Students with disabilities

For students who have disabilities, you can get financial help from:

Course-specific grants and bursaries

The bursaries that you can get depend on the course you’re doing.

If you are on some medical, dentistry or healthcare courses, you can get:

If you’re a social work student, you can get:

If you’re a teaching student, you can get extra funding.

How much do I pay back on my loans?

Unlike other loans, where you pay back a fixed amount every month, how much student loan you pay off depends on the amount of money you earn every year.

For students who started university before the academic year 2023-24 but after 2012, you pay 9% of anything you earn above £27,295. This gets taken out of your income until 30 years after you took out the loan or when you pay it back in full, whichever happens first.

The amount you pay back increases by RPI (a way of measuring how much prices have gone up) + 3% every year.

If you are a student due to start in or after 2023-24, you pay 9% of anything you earn above £25,000. This gets taken out of your income until 40 years after you took out the loan or when you pay it back in full, whichever happens first. The amount you pay back increases by RPI (a way of measuring how much prices have gone up) every year.