A Guide for Undergraduate HNC, HND and BA students 2025/26
Student Finance can be daunting and confusing. This guide will help you with what you can apply for, how to apply and also any support if you need it.
Whilst studying you need to be funded and the best way to do that is to apply to Student Finance England:
Eligible students can apply for funding from the Student Finance England to fund their courses.
Funding is available for every year of your course.
You apply for funding for each year of study, in advance of starting that year. You can apply before you have a confirmed place at university.
Applications open in spring each year for UK/Home students commencing studies in following September or within the academic year of study.
Applications can be amended after submission to SFE.
It only takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Applying for Student Finance
How to Apply
Apply online for student finance – GOV.UK
The above is the link you will need to start your application. It’s simple to navigate – just make sure you have your documents ready.
Proof of Identity
Students who are from or normally live in England
If you’re a UK national, include your valid UK passport details in your application the first time you apply. If you cannot apply online, fill in the passport details form — do not send the passport itself.
| Academic Year | Form |
|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | UK passport details form 2025 to 2026 |
| 2024 to 2025 | UK passport details form 2024 to 2025 |
If you do not have a UK passport or it has expired:
If you’re a UK national, you can either:
upload a copy of your birth or adoption certificate to your student finance account
send a copy of your birth or adoption certificate to Student Finance England by post
If you’re sending your original birth or adoption certificate by post:
Include your name and address. You should also include your customer reference number if you have one. This is an 11-digit number. You can find it on letters or emails you’ve had from Student Finance England.
If you have a different nationality or you live outside the UK
You need to provide details from one of the following when you apply:
passport
national identity card
biometric residence card
biometric residence permit
Where to Send Your Documents
If you need to send any original documents, they’ll be returned to you within 4 weeks.
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
Costs While Studying - Tuition Fees and Maintenance Loans
As a student there are two main costs you will have while studying:
Tuition fees
Living costs, such as housing, food etc.
Tuition Fees
The standard tuition fee for all undergraduate degrees is £9,535 per year.
However, for those enrolling on the BA (Hons) Business Management with Foundation Year in Business, the Foundation Year is offered at a reduced fee of £5,760. Subsequent years of study will follow the standard fee of £9,535 per year.
This is a bill for your tuition and it is your responsibility to pay it, either by this loan or from another source such as savings.
Maintenance Loan (Living Costs)
The maintenance loan is for living costs.
It is paid into your bank account each term.
To be means tested for the maintenance loan your sponsor/parent or self will have to support your application by providing household income (otherwise you will only receive the minimum non-means tested amount).
If you’re an independent student*, Student Finance England won’t take your parents’ income into account when working out how much student finance you can get.
If you’re married, in a civil partnership, or over 25 and living with your partner, Student Finance England will take into account your partner’s income.
*If you are under 25 you are classed as being dependent on your parents for SF purposes. To be independent and you are under 25 you have to be one of the following categories:
Married
Have a child
Be able to show you have financially supported yourself fully for 3 years +
To find out what you should receive there is a handy Student Finance calculator to estimate how much maintenance loan you should get, use this link to that and loads of other useful information on Student Finance:
Standard Student Loan Amounts
| Household income | Maintenance Loan – living away from home and studying outside London | Maintenance Loan – living away from home and studying in London | Maintenance Loan – living with parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £10,544 | £13,762 | £8,877 |
| £30,000 | £9,791 | £12,997 | £8,132 |
| £35,000 | £9,038 | £12,231 | £7,387 |
| £40,000 | £8,285 | £11,465 | £6,642 |
| £42,875 | £7,852 | £11,025 | £6,214 |
| £45,000 | £7,532 | £10,700 | £5,897 |
Repayment through Student Finance England 2025
The scary bit about repaying your loan back!
These points below are the main ones to know and that most students don’t start off paying huge amounts back straight away:
Repayment starts from the April following course completion and if your personal income is above the repayment threshold, which for Plan 5 students is £25,000 per annum
Student loan repayments are fixed at 9% of salary above annual threshold (earnings dictate repayment amount, not the size of loan debt)
If you earn below the threshold, you do not make repayments
The interest doesn’t change what you repay each month
The loan repayment term is to 40 years for new borrowers, after which any outstanding balance, including interest is written-off
The interest rate will be fixed at RPI only at the start of each year (compared to current rate of RPI + 3%)
Repayment Thresholds (by Plan)
| Plan type | Yearly income threshold | Monthly income threshold | Weekly income threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | £26,065 | £2,172 | £501 |
| Plan 2 | £28,470 | £2,372 | £547 |
| Plan 4 | £32,745 | £2,728 | £629 |
| Plan 5 | £25,000 | £2,083 | £480 |
Once you earn more than the threshold, you start repaying. However, you only pay 9% of the amount above the threshold. For example, if you earn £30,000/year (£5,000 above the threshold), you will pay 9% of £5,000 for the year, which is £450.
Example Monthly Repayments (Plan 5)
| Annual Salary | Monthly Payment |
|---|---|
| £25,000 | £0 |
| £30,000 | £38 |
| £40,000 | £113 |
| £50,000 | £188 |
| £60,000 | £263 |
| £70,000 | £338 |
| £80,000 | £413 |
| £90,000 | £488 |
| £100,000 | £563 |
If you’re self-employed, use this as a guide to how much you should be putting away for your annual tax return.
Saving Money
NHS Costs & Healthcare Support
Students are not automatically entitled to claim full healthcare costs (such as prescriptions, dental treatments, eye tests, and glasses). However, you can complete an HC1 form to check if you’re eligible for help based on low income.
A prescription in England currently costs £9.90 per item
If you need regular prescriptions, it may be cheaper to buy a pre-payment certificate (available online for 3 or 12 months)
Eye tests cost between £25–£40
A basic NHS dental check-up costs £26.80
TV Licence
If you bring your own television or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer or any live TV through apps, you will need to purchase a TV Licence.
The cost of a TV Licence is £174.50 per year
Insurance
You may find that your parents’ household insurance already covers some of your personal items.
However, it is recommended that you:
Arrange cover before leaving home
Ensure the cover starts from the date you move in
Use a price comparison website to find the cheapest deal
Council Tax
Full-time students do not have to pay Council Tax, but you’ll need to submit a Council Tax Exemption form to your local authority.
Some universities do this automatically
If not, you can request the form from your university
Student Discounts
Don’t forget to take advantage of student discounts! These can save you money on shopping, subscriptions, food, travel, and more.
Popular options include:
Totum (NUS card – small annual fee)
Student Beans
UNiDAYS
➡️ Always ask in-store or online whether a student discount is available!
Support Options
Childcare Grant
Students with children can apply for help with their childcare costs whilst they study:
Childcare Grant (means tested) covers up to 85% of your childcare costs:
Up to £193.62 per week for one child
Up to £331.95 per week for two or more children
Eligibility
To qualify for a Childcare Grant all the following must apply:
you’re a full-time student
your child must be under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs
you get undergraduate student finance based on your household income (or are eligible for this)
you’re a permanent resident in England
your household income is less than £20,107.23 – if you’re applying for 1 child
your household income is less than £28,914.47 – if you’re applying for 2 or more children
neither you or your partner are claiming Tax-Free Childcare, the childcare element of working Tax Credit or Universal Credit
neither you or your partner receive help with childcare costs from the NHS
the children in your grant application are financially dependent on you
your childcare provider is on the Ofsted Early Years Register or General Childcare Register – check with your provider
Money is paid directly to childcare provider.
If your child is cared for at home, the carer cannot be a relative and must be registered with an appropriate body. Check with Student Finance England.
Childcare Grant is different to 15 or 30 hours free childcare. You cannot use it to pay for those hours.
Parental Learning Allowance
You may be eligible for help with your learning costs if you’re a full-time student with children.
How much you get depends on your household income.
The allowance:
does not have to be paid back
is paid on top of your other student finance
will not affect your benefits or tax credit
What you’ll get
Depending on your household income, in the 2025 to 2026 academic year you could get between £50 and £2,024 a year.
It’s usually paid in 3 instalments direct to your bank account, one at the start of each term.
Parents’ Learning Allowance is paid on top of your other student finance and does not have to be paid back.
Eligibility
You’re eligible for Parents’ Learning Allowance if all of the following apply:
you’re a student in England
you have dependent children
you’re taking a full-time undergraduate course or an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course
your household income is less than £18,957.98 a year
You do not need to be paying for childcare to be eligible.
Adult Dependant’s Grant
If you’re a full-time student in higher education and an adult depends on you financially, you can apply for an Adult Dependants’ Grant.
The grant:
does not have to be paid back
is paid on top of your other student finance
What you’ll get
The maximum Adult Dependants’ Grant is:
£3,545 for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
£3,438 for the 2024 to 2025 academic year
You do not have to pay this money back.
Adult Dependants’ Grant will affect any income-related benefits and tax credits you might get.
What it’s based on
The amount you get depends on:
your income
the adult dependant’s income
your personal circumstances, for example if you’re married or have children
How you’re paid
The money is paid in 3 instalments (one at the start of each term) directly into your bank account.
Eligibility
To get an Adult Dependants’ Grant, another adult must depend on you financially.
They cannot be any of the following:
your child
a relative who earns more than £3,796 a year
getting student finance during the same academic year
your partner if you’re under 25 – unless you’re married or in a civil partnership
You’re also not eligible if:
your household income (your own taxable income plus that of anyone else living in your household) is over £15,835.98
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
DSA is available to students on designated higher education courses who are ordinarily resident in the UK.
Is DSA means tested?
No. Eligibility for DSA does not depend on your income or the income of your family.
What if I have studied before?
You can qualify for DSA even if you have already taken a course of higher education. There are no ‘previous study’ restrictions. However, the amount you get may depend on what you received before. For example, you may already have equipment from a previous allowance.
I am being seconded (my employer is sending me on the course instead of my usual job). Am I eligible for DSA?
If you have been seconded by your employer for your study, you can apply for DSA from your awarding authority.
Is DSA available to international students?
DSA is only available to students who are ordinarily resident in the UK.
Which courses are designated for DSA?
Undergraduate courses
You can apply for DSA if you attend a publicly-funded full-time or part-time higher education course in the UK. This includes:
a first or Bachelor’s degree
an undergraduate Master’s degree
a Higher National Diploma (HND) or Higher National Certificate (HNC)
a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ 4 or 5) linked with a degree
a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
most foundation degrees
What can DSA pay for?
Specialist equipment support
DSA helps to pay for items of specialist equipment you need to take part in your study programme and benefit fully from it. You may need:
a computer
specialist software, such as voice recognition, mind mapping or screen reading software
audio capturing equipment, such as microphones
specialist furniture, such as a chair, table or back support
multifunction printers and scanners
radio aid for deaf students
insurance or extended warranty for the equipment
training in the use of specialist equipment
other equipment where the item is required solely due to disability, such as screens/monitors, keyboards, mice, magnifying equipment or scanning pens
In England you have to pay £200 towards the cost of a new computer if you need one to run any recommended assistive software. DSA will not cover the cost of standard computer peripherals (e.g. speakers, headphones, USB drives or cables, keyboards, standard size monitors or mice) unless they’re part of a recommendation for a desktop computer.
Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Any equipment bought with the allowance belongs to you. You don’t have to return it when you finish your course. Normally the awarding authority orders and pays for the equipment on your behalf and delivers it to you. If you want a higher specification computer than the one recommended by your assessor, you may be allowed to pay the additional cost yourself, as long as it is compatible with any specialist software you need. DSA payments to equipment suppliers can be made before the term starts to give you time to get used to using new equipment.
If your equipment needs change during your course, you can make additional claims, as long as you stay within the maximum amount. Towards the end of your studies, your awarding authority is likely to be cautious about buying big items of equipment. They may ask you to consider alternative arrangements, such as leasing equipment or using human support instead.
Non-medical helper’s support
DSA helps to pay for support workers and other non-medical assistance you need to benefit fully from your course. As payments are usually for helpers’ costs, they’re generally made in regular instalments, such as once a semester directly to the service provider.
Study support includes:
sighted guides
specialist notetakers for deaf and visually impaired students
specialist mentors
specialist one to one study skill support
mobility trainers
British Sign Language interpreters
Care and daily living needs
DSA doesn’t pay for the costs of help that you would need whether you’re a student or not.
General support
You can get help with the day-to-day costs of studying that are related to your disability, for example, essential non-core books, paper and ink supplies where there is a need for hard copy materials that is additional to that of non-disabled students, or small fridges for students needing to store medication.
Travel costs
You can get help to cover extra disability-related travel costs that you incur when travelling to and from your university. It is calculated as the difference between public transport costs and the type of transport you need because of your disability.
If you are in receipt of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP,) this will be taken into account to inform the additional help you are awarded for travel costs as a student.
In England travel costs are not included in the DSA maximum cap, which in effect means they are uncapped.
How much DSA can I get?
Depending on where you live, the amount of DSA you could be entitled to varies. The maximum DSA entitlement will depend on your individual needs and will be determined by a needs assessment.
In England, there is a single allowance of up to £27,783 (excluding travel) available to undergraduate students studying on a full-time or part-time course during 2025/26 academic year. In the 2024/25 academic year, up to £26,948 (excluding travel) is available.
apply to Student Finance England
Help if you’re a student with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability: How to apply – GOV.UK
Disabled Students’ Allowance application forms and notes for 2025 to 2026 – GOV.UK
Students Receiving Benefits
Students that qualify for benefits get an increased rate of loan, including a special support grant which is available for students who need extra financial help.
Special Support Element/Grant
The special support element/grant is awarded to students that are lone parents or are in receipt of a disability benefit such as Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independence payments. It increases the overall maintenance loan and should be disregarded as student income in the calculation of Universal Credits.
Special Support Grant replaces the Maintenance Grant in certain circumstances. You may get this if any of the following apply while you’re on your course:
you’re a lone parent or lone foster parent who is responsible for a child or young person under 20 who is in full-time education below higher education level or on an approved training course
you have a partner who is also a student, and one or both of you are responsible for a child or young person under 20 who is in full-time education below higher education level or on an approved training course
you have a disability and qualify for the Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium
you’re waiting to go back to a course having taken agreed time out from that course due to an illness or caring responsibility that has now ended
you’re deaf and qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowance
you’ve been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks
you have a disability and qualify for income-related Employment and Support Allowance
you’re aged 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course
you’re entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
you’re entitled to Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
you’re entitled to Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
If you can get a Special Support Grant, you won’t be able to get a Maintenance Grant as well. However, the Special Support Grant won’t affect the amount of Maintenance Loan you can get.
Certain students, including single parents, those in receipt of means tested welfare benefits or those with a disability, receive the Special Support Element as part of the Maintenance Loan. In 25/26 the Special Support Element is £4,461 and is disregarded as income for the purposes of claiming means tested legacy benefits, such as Housing Benefit, or Universal Credit.
In addition, these students receive a higher rate of Maintenance Loan:
Living at home with parents: £10,473
Living away from parental home: £12,019
Need Help or Advice?
We understand that student finance can be a lot of information to take in.
If you have questions or need guidance, LD Training has a professionally trained and experienced Student Finance Adviser available to support you.
Book an Online Appointment
To speak with our adviser, please contact us and we’ll arrange a convenient time for your session.
📞 Phone: 020 7998 3655
📧 Email: studentfinance@ldtraining.ac.uk
Our friendly front-of-house team will be happy to assist you.
All information on this website, including tuition fees, course details, and entry requirements, is correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change. Please confirm the latest information with us before applying or enrolling.
