Government loans and funding 2021/22

Most UK students coming to university for the first time are entitled to government support for tuition fees and living costs.

You can use the student finance calculator (gov.uk) to estimate your loans.

Tuition Fee Loans - no upfront fees

If you're a first-time UK student, you can apply online for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Student Loans Company to cover the cost of your tuition fees. Your fees will be paid directly to us.

Maintenance Loans - help with living costs

If your funding body is Student Finance England and you're a full time student you can apply for a Maintenance Loan to help with living expenses.

The loan is paid into your bank account in three instalments in October, January and April. Just in case your loan is delayed, make sure you have enough money to last you for the first few weeks of term.

Maximum loan amounts for 2021/22 entry are:

  • £7,987 if you're living with your parents during term time
  • £9,488 if you're living away from home outside London.

Contact us

Contact our Student Support team through our self-referral form.

Related links

Emma
It is important to get an idea of the amount of Maintenance Loan you may receive in advance. Personally, despite how awkward it was, I sat down with my parents and asked them for information on their income and used a ‘Maintenance Loan calculator’ online to get an approximate idea of how much I would receive.
Emma, BSc Psychology in Education. Read Emma's blog post.

Extra help

In addition to the maintenance loan you may qualify for extra help if any of the following apply to you:

  • You have children or dependent adults
  • You have a disability
  • You're a medical or social work student.

Find out more about:

Study abroad and placements

If you go on a study year abroad or a year in industry you can still apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover the reduced fee for that year. You can also apply for a reduced rate Maintenance Loan.

For a study year abroad you may also be able to apply for help with travel costs.

Nursing and midwifery students

If you're a nursing or midwifery student, the NHS Learning Support Fund (nhs.uk) provides extra help with the cost of travel to placements and the cost of child care.

You'll receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which doesn't need to be paid back.

Applying

Your parents or partner provide details of their income either online or on paper.

We recommend you apply early, as the assessment of household income can take some time to complete. You don't need a confirmed place at university or your exam results to apply for funding.

You'll need to re-apply for the loans each year of study.

Apply now (gov.uk)

Repayments

Your Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan are added together to make one borrowed amount.

You don't start paying it back until you've left university and you're earning over £26,575 per year. This figure is updated in March every year.

You pay back 9% of everything you earn above the £26,575 threshold. For example:

  • A person with an income of £27,000 will pay £3.18 per month
  • A person with a salary of £40,000 will pay £100.68 per month.

If you haven't repaid the loan 30 years after you have left university, then any remaining debt will be written off.

If you're from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man

The loan rates and repayment processes are different if you're a student from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey) and the Isle of Man. Contact the relevant education authority for more information.

If you're an EU national

From 2021/22 entry EU nationals who are not ordinarily resident in the UK will no longer be eligible for student finance. Find out more:

Cost of living in York

Plan your budget.

Contact us

Contact our Student Support team through our self-referral form.

Related links