Student Loans Company
If youve not applied for student finance yet
If youre thinking of attending uni or college this year in England, you should apply for student finance before A-level results day. Its easy to apply and only takes around 30 minutes. Just use your first choice of course and then change your application if you need to.
Its not too late to apply, #DontDelayYourPay and apply now for student finance to get some money in time for the start of your course! Find out more about applying late.
If you apply for a higher amount of student finance based on your household income, make sure to ask your parents or partner to provide their financial information as soon as possible to avoid delays to your application.
Your funding
Once you submit your application, we may award you the minimum amount of Maintenance Loan available before the start of your course while we process your household income details. Youll get the rest of your money as soon as possible after your course starts
Find out the minimum amount of Maintenance Loan:
| Living location | Minimum amount of Maintenance Loan | Maximum amount of Maintenance Loan* |
|---|---|---|
| Living with parents | 3,597 | 8,171 |
| Not living with parents and studying outside London | 4,524 | 9,706 |
| Not living with parents and studying in London | 6,308 | 12,667 |
*Maximum amount of Maintenance Loan is based on the household income
Use our student finance calculator to find out how much you could be entitled to for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. There are different rates if you spend a year of a UK course studying abroad.
When will I get paid?
To pay your Maintenance Loan, well need:
- confirmation of registration from your university or college
- your National Insurance Number
- valid UK bank details
We pay the Maintenance Loan over 3 payments which are split at 33%, 33% and 34%. Payments are made on the first day of each term. Your first payment might be slightly less because youll receive the minimum amount of Maintenance Loan if youve applied late, as we want to make sure you have some money for the first day of your course.
Once we calculate your full entitlement, well pay the difference straight away. Your second and third payments will increase too.
Example
Olivia is studying at Newcastle University and living in student accommodation. She applied too late for her student finance to be based on her household income before the start of her course. Shes been awarded the minimum Maintenance Loan of 4,524, which means her first payment of 33% is 1,492.
6 weeks after Olivia applied, her household income of 35,000 was processed. Now she qualifies for an additional Maintenance Loan of 3,794. We will pay Olivia the difference of 1,280 which was missed from her first payment. Her second payment will now be 2,772 and third payment will be 2,774 to reflect her new entitlement.
If youve already applied for student finance
You wont need to do anything unless your university, college or course details change.
If your university, college or course changes
If you accept a place at university or college through Clearing, youll need to sign in to your student finance account and let us know of any changes. You must do this even if your UCAS application has changed - your student finance application is not linked to UCAS.
Youll need to change the university or college on the application as well as your course. You should also tell us the correct tuition fee being charged for your new course.
If your living situation changes
Its important that you update where youll be living on your application if this has changed, otherwise you might not get the right amount of Maintenance Loan. You should do this at the same time that you update your university or college and your course on your online account.
Example
Toby applied for student finance to go to his first choice, Manchester University, which meant he would have to move away from home and live in student accommodation. Based on his course and living location he was awarded the maximum Maintenance Loan of 9,706.
On A-level results day Toby did not get the grades he expected and was offered a place at Birmingham University through Clearing, this means Toby will be able to live at home with his parents while he studies.
While Toby updated his university and course details online, he also told us about the change to his living location. After 6 weeks, we reassessed his entitlement and he now qualifies for the maximum Maintenance Loan of 8,171 for living at home.
Making changes to your application
For full-time students, follow these easy steps:
- Sign in to your online account
- Click Undergraduate student finance applications
- Select the application you wish to change
- Under the heading Manage your student finance, click View and manage your applications
- Click Change your application
- Click Change your application again
- Click University/college and course
Find more guidance on how to change your application for part-time and EU students.
It can take 6 to 8 weeks to approve any new applications or changes to existing applications. Its important to apply or make changes as soon as possible.
After youve updated your application
Well review your application and get back to you to let you know if theres any change to the amount of student finance youll be paid.
If your application is based on your household income, make sure your parents or partner give us their income details as soon as possible. Dont forget, you could also get more student finance if your household income has dropped.
If youve been awarded the minimum amount of Maintenance Loan after applying for the higher amount and your entitlement changes, well pay any money owed to you from the start of the course. Payments usually take 3 to 5 working days after youve been reassessed - you dont need to wait till your next payment date.
If youre a parent or partner of someone whos applying for student finance
Youll need to support their application with details of your household income so they can get as much student finance as possible. Visit our guide for more information on how to support an application.
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