Students living in England can apply for a student loan towards the cost of any of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
Students in England
Student loans aren’t based on household income, although there are some important conditions you have to meet.
For undergraduate student loans you must:
- be a UK national or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- normally live in England
- have been living in the UK for three years before starting your course
For postgraduate student loans you must be:
- under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course
- a UK national or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- normally live in England and didn’t move there just to study
- living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years before starting your course
You won’t be able to get a postgraduate loan if:
- you’re already getting student finance for an undergraduate course in the same academic year
- you already have a masters degree or a qualification that’s equivalent or higher
- you received a postgraduate loan before – unless you left your course due to illness, bereavement or another serious personal reason
For all student loans:
Generally, you’ll only get student finance if you’re doing your first higher education qualification at each level. However, you may still get it if you change course, you leave your course but decide to start again, or you’re ‘topping up’ a higher education qualification; e.g. you’ve finished an HNC, HND or foundation degree and now want to do an Honours degree.
Not sure whether you qualify? Complete our student finance eligibility checker to find out.
If you’re a resident of England, find out more about undergraduate loans and postgraduate loans.
Students in Northern Ireland
Residents of Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for an undergraduate tuition fee loan of up to £4,750 in the 2024- 25 academic year. You may also be eligible for grant funding which can reduce the amount of loan you have to repay. Apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI).
Students in Scotland
Residents of Scotland can’t claim funding for our courses.
Students from EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals
The UK government announced on 23 June 2020 that EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals would no longer be eligible for undergraduate and postgraduate loans from Student Finance England. This didn’t affect EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefitting from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. For more information, please visit Student Support in England.
Please see the UK government’s website for additional information for EU students about undergraduate and postgraduate student finance options.
Maintenance loans
You can only apply for a Maintenance Loan as a distance learning student if you can’t attend your course in person because of a disability. If you’d like to learn more, call us on +44 (0) 1206 489 358.
Loan repayments
If you finance your course using a government-backed student loan from Student Finance England, then you’ll be due to start repaying your loan through your employer’s Pay as You Earn (PAYE) system.
You’ll start repayment in the April four years after the start of your course or the April after you leave your course – whichever comes first.
However, you’ll only start making repayments if you’re in work and your income is more than £21,000 a year for postgraduate loans, or £24,990 for undergraduate loans, and any outstanding balance will be written off after 30 years. If your income falls below the repayment threshold, your repayments will stop and only restart when your income is over the threshold again.
Your monthly repayments will be based on your income, not how much you borrowed. For undergraduate student loans, you’ll only pay back 9% of any income above £24,990. And for postgraduate student loans, you’ll only pay back 6% of any income above £21,000. You’ll be charged interest on your postgraduate loan from the day you get your first payment.
If you have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate student loan, you’ll pay back both at the same time.
Approximate monthly repayment of your undergraduate loan
| Income each year before tax | Monthly income before tax | Approximate monthly repayment |
|---|---|---|
| £27,295 | £2,274 | £0 |
| £28,000 | £2,333 | £5 |
| £29,500 | £2,458 | £16 |
| £31,000 | £2,583 | £27 |
| £33,000 | £2,750 | £42 |
Approximate monthly repayment of your postgraduate loan
| Income each year before tax | Monthly income before tax | Approximate monthly repayment |
|---|---|---|
| £21,000 | £1,750 | £0 |
| £22,000 | £1,833 | £4 |
| £23,500 | £1,958 | £12 |
| £25,000 | £2,083 | £19 |
| £27,000 | £2,250 | £30 |
| £30,000 | £2,500 | £45 |
There’s also no charge on graduates who wish to repay their tuition fee loans early.
If you’re a resident of another country, your repayment schedule will vary.
Applying for a tuition fee loan
Call us on +44 (0) 1206 489 358 and our specialist student finance team will guide you through your application.
Please note, our team can advise you on your eligibility and the student loan process but the final decision about your fee loan will be made by the Student Loans Company.
Your loan needs to be approved by the Student Loans Company before the course start date.