Student Finance 2026/27: Confirmed Rates, Loans and Plan 5

The ordinary maintenance loan rises by 2.71% in 2026/27. The top rate still goes to students from households on £25,000 or less, and support still tapers down as household income rises.

The tuition fee cap for most English universities is £9,790 in 2026/27. The government has also confirmed the 2027/28 cap at £10,050 for many standard full time courses. If you start in September 2026, year one is priced under one cap and year two under another.

Your maintenance loan falls as household income rises, but your rent and living costs do not adjust with it. If your household income reduces your maintenance loan below the headline maximum, the shortfall has to come from somewhere: contributions from family, savings, paid work, or choosing lower-cost accommodation.

The income taper starts from a household income above £25,000. On a household income of £45,000, for example, a student living away from home outside London would receive noticeably less than the £10,830 maximum. If you are comparing London and regional universities, higher London living costs often exceed the additional loan available.

Students starting an undergraduate course in England in September 2026 are on Plan 5. You repay 9% of earnings above the repayment threshold and interest is charged at RPI only rather than RPI plus 3% as on Plan 2. The trade-off is a longer repayment window: Plan 5 balances are written off after 40 years, compared with 30 years on Plan 2.

Several student finance dates reference April because the system links to the UK tax year, which runs from April to April. Household income assessments use a tax year that ends in early April. Repayment thresholds update each April based on government policy or inflation.

Interest rates follow a separate schedule: they typically update each September, keyed off the previous March RPI figure. Tuition fee caps and maintenance rates are announced in the autumn before the academic year they apply to. Each of these figures updates on a different cycle, so a change to one does not mean the others have changed.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement does not apply to students starting a standard undergraduate course in September 2026. The LLE covers courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards, so September 2026 starters remain in the existing student finance system.

The LLE is relevant if you plan to step away from the standard degree path, build credits across multiple providers, or return to study later. For a standard September 2026 undergraduate start, the existing system applies throughout.