University tuition fees and financial support in England

CONTENTS

1. Undergraduate student finance in England, 2024/25

2. University tuition fees and tuition fee loans

3. Funding your living costs at uni

4. Maintenance loans for students from England, 2024/25

5. Extra funding for university

6. Loans if studying abroad or on a placement year

7. Student finance for a second degree

8. How to apply for student finance in England

9. Repaying your student loan

Undergraduate student finance in England, 2024/25

University funding for students from England includes tuition fee loans and maintenance loans towards your living costs, plus extra funding based on your personal circumstances. The student loans outlined below show what’s available in 2024/25 for undergraduates who are starting their first degree.

To be classed as an English student, you must normally live in England (i.e. you've not moved there just to study) and have lived in the UK for the three years before the start of your course. There are some exceptions, which you can find in our guide on student finance eligibility.

University tuition fees and tuition fee loans

Universities in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland can charge students from England up to £9,250 a year for undergraduate tuition. For accelerated degrees (which are completed in less time) English universities can charge up to £11,100. The most Welsh universities can charge is £9,000 a year.

To pay these fees, you can apply for a loan of up to £9,250 (or up to £11,100 for an accelerated degree) from Student Finance England. This’ll cover your university’s tuition fees in most cases. If you go to a private uni, you'll get less money (up to £6,165, or £7,400 for an accelerated degree) but the fees charged may be higher. You'd need to pay the difference yourself.

Funding your living costs at uni

While you’re at university, your living costs may include accommodation expenses like rent and bills, your food and drink, and travel. There may also be course-related payments such as field trips. To help towards these expenses, you may be eligible for a student loan called a maintenance loan.

There are various levels of maintenance loan, based on where you live while you study. If you live with your parents while you're at university, you'll qualify for the lowest level of support. Those who live away from their parents and study in London – where the cost of living is highest – get the most.

However what you actually get will depend on your household income, as the maintenance loan is means tested. For students who depend on their parents' income, ‘household income’ means your parents’ income will be assessed. If you’re an independent student with a partner, it would include their income.

Only those with a low household income of £25,000 or less are likely to get the full financial support. For higher incomes, the loan reduces on a sliding scale – with the implication that the difference needs to be funded by other means. This might be through contributions from your parents, a part-time job, university bursaries or scholarships, or savings.

If you don't want to provide your household income, you can apply for a non-means-tested loan. If you do this, you’ll get the minimum student loan available for where you live while you study.

Even if you’re eligible for the full maintenance loan, your living costs may be more than the amount you receive. You’ll need to budget in advance to work out how you’ll meet these costs.

Maintenance loans for students from England, 2024/25

The figures above are shown for illustrative purposes; actual loan amounts will depend on your personal circumstances.

The minimum maintenance loan is £3,790 if you live at home (for incomes of £58,307 or above), £6,647 if you study in London (incomes of £70,098+) and £4,767 (incomes of £62,347+).

If you’re on a paid sandwich placement year or are in receipt of an NHS bursary (e.g. if you’re a medical or dental student), you may only be awarded a ‘reduced rate’ maintenance loan. The amounts depend on where you live while you study.

Long course loan in 2024/25

If you’re on a university course that’s longer than 30 weeks and three days in the academic year, you may be eligible for a long course loan. You must be in receipt of an income-assessed maintenance loan, and it won’t apply if you’re on a paid sandwich course or get NHS bursary funding. If your household income is above £39,796, the amount will be reduced.

In 2024/25, the maximum long course loan per week is:

• £73 – if you’re living with your parents
• £141 – if you’re living in London
• £110 – if you’re living outside of London
• £152 – if you’re studying overseas as part of a UK course

Living cost loan for over 60s in 2024/25

Normally, over-60s aren’t eligible for maintenance loans. However, if you study full-time and your household income is low, you can apply for living cost support as well as a university tuition fee loan. Amounts are means-tested. If your household income is more than £43,819, you won’t qualify for this financial support.

Extra funding for university

Some students may be eligible for extra financial support – for instance, if you’re a single parent, or leaving care to enter higher education. If you have a disability, learning difference or mental health problem, you could be eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowance. You can read more about these grants on our student finance and funding page.

It's also worth looking for other financial support such as a bursary, scholarship or award from your university or college. You won’t have to pay this back. It also won't count as household income, so it won't affect the amount of maintenance loan you could get.

On the other hand, if you get other public funding during your course – such as an NHS bursary – it’s likely to reduce the amount of student finance you are eligible for.

Loans if studying abroad or on a placement year

If your university course includes a placement year or year studying abroad, you'll normally be charged a reduced university tuition fee. Your tuition fee loan will reduce too. Private universities may charge higher fees than the tuition fee loan you get.

Living costs if you study abroad may be higher than in the UK. If you’re studying abroad in 2024/25, your maintenance loan could be between £5,662 (minimum) and £11,713 (maximum) if you’re away for the whole year. How much you get will depend on your household income and how long you’re away. You can also get help with your travel expenses, through the travel grant.

Living cost support for placements is based on whether the placement is unpaid or paid. If you're on a year-long paid placement, you'll only qualify for a 'reduced rate' maintenance loan. Those on ‘approved’ unpaid placements will be able to get the usual maintenance support.

Student finance for a second degree

Undergraduate student loans are usually only available for your first degree. However, for some subjects there may be some support available for a second degree (ELQ or ‘equivalent or lower qualifications’).

These include:

• Medicine
• Dentistry
• Veterinary science
• Architecture (if a MArch RIBA Part 2 course)
• Social work
• Initial teacher training
• Healthcare courses
• STEM subjects (part-time study only)

If you're studying a full-time degree you may need to fund some or all of your university tuition fees yourself, depending on the subject. If you're taking Medicine, Dentistry or a healthcare subject as a second degree, you can find out more from our page on NHS funded courses.

How to apply for student finance in England

Apply online to Student Finance England. You’ll need to reapply for each year of your degree course.

Applications for student finance usually open in March. The deadline for application is usually late spring. This is to ensure your student loan is in place if your course starts in the autumn. You don't have to wait until you've accepted a place on a university degree, you can always update your details later. This applies also if you have to change your university plans during Clearing.

You can still apply after the deadline, but you may not get your funding in time for the start of your degree.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) handles loans on behalf of the government. They’ll pay your tuition fees direct to your university. The maintenance loan is paid into your bank account at the start of each term, once you’ve registered on your course.

Repaying your student loan

Loan repayments begin from the April after you've left your university course. You repay a percentage of your income when you're earning over a certain amount.

If you’re a student from England who's starting a degree in 2024, you will be on Plan 5 repayment terms. You can find out more about this in our guide to Repaying your student loan.