Student finance & the weekend maintenance loan: what's funded 2026/27

Student finance and weekend study: can you get the maintenance loan?

A weekend-only course can get the tuition fee loan, but it does not get the maintenance loan for living costs.

The funding rules treat a course taught only at weekends the same way as distance learning, and distance learning does not come with the maintenance loan. A course classified as full time and taught in person on campus over a couple of weekdays, or in the evenings, can get both loans. This rule is being argued in court, so it could change. Ask us and we will check where things stand.

What the two loans pay for

  • Tuition fee loan. This pays your course fees and goes straight to the university. For 2026/27, Student Finance England sets the maximum at £9,790 a year for a standard full-time course.
  • Maintenance loan. This helps with living costs such as rent, food and travel. It is paid to you.

How much maintenance loan can you get in 2026/27?

The next sections about loan amounts and who can get a maintenance loan apply only to courses that qualify for it.

The 2026/27 maximum is:

  • £10,830 a year if you live away from home and study outside London.
  • £14,135 a year if you live away from home and study in London.

The exact amount is means-tested. It depends on your household income and where you live. A household income of £25,000 a year or less gets the maximum. Above that, the amount goes down.

If you are 25 or over, you count as an independent student. Your parents' income is not counted. Most eligible students still get a minimum, whatever their household income:

  • £5,048 a year if you live away from home and study outside London.
  • £7,039 a year if you live away from home and study in London.

The loan is paid in three instalments across the year. If you actually live in your parents' home while you study, the amount is up to £9,118 a year, with a minimum of £4,013.

Can you get the maintenance loan if you work?

Usually, yes. Having a job does not stop you getting Student Finance, and it does not, by itself, reduce your maintenance loan.

Your wages from working during the year generally do not need to be declared and do not reduce the loan. There is one exception: if your employer pays you to be released from work so you can attend the course.

If you live with a partner (married, in a civil partnership, or 25 or over and living together), your partner's income is counted. Some other income must also be declared, such as interest on savings, rent from a property you let out, or dividends.

Who can get Student Finance?

You usually need to have lived in the UK for the 3 years before your course starts. The UK must be your real home, not somewhere you moved to just to study.

UK and Irish citizens, and people with settled status, generally qualify. If you have pre-settled status, you may still qualify, but it usually depends on you or a family member working in the UK. This depends on your exact situation.

If you have studied at university before, you may still qualify. It depends on what you finished and how many years you studied.

There is no upper age limit for the undergraduate tuition fee loan. The maintenance loan is also open at any age, though from age 60 the amount is more limited.

How and when do you repay?

For courses that start from 2023, the repayment plan is called Plan 5:

  • You start repaying after you finish or leave the course, and only when you earn over £25,000 a year.
  • You pay 9% of what you earn above £25,000, not 9% of everything.
  • The interest added follows inflation only, measured by RPI.
  • Anything still owed 40 years after repayments are first due is cancelled.

If you are employed in the UK, repayments come from your pay automatically with tax and National Insurance. If you are self-employed, you repay through your tax return. If you leave the UK for more than 3 months, you must tell the Student Loans Company.

Does the loan affect Universal Credit?

The maintenance loan usually counts as income and can reduce Universal Credit by roughly £1 for every £1 of loan. In each monthly assessment, the first £110 is ignored. The tuition fee loan is ignored completely.

Most full-time students cannot claim Universal Credit. It is generally limited to particular groups, such as people responsible for a child or those receiving a disability benefit. Check how your own claim is worked out before you plan your funding.

See what you could get, and check your course

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Common questions

Can you get student finance if you already have a degree? Usually only for your first higher education qualification, so a second undergraduate degree normally gets neither loan. There are exceptions: topping up an HNC, HND or foundation degree to a full honours degree; some part-time second degrees in subjects such as computer science, engineering or the sciences; and certain healthcare courses started after August 2017. If you studied before but did not complete a full degree, it depends on what you finished and how many years you studied.

How and by when do you apply for 2026/27 funding? You apply online through Student Finance England. You do not need a confirmed place first: you can apply with your provisional course choice and change it later. You can apply up to 9 months after your course's academic year begins. Apply early because the money can take several weeks to come through.

Are there extra grants if you have children? Yes. Full-time students with children can claim the Childcare Grant, worth up to £199.62 a week for one child or £342.24 a week for two or more children in 2026/27. It covers up to 85% of registered childcare costs. The Parents' Learning Allowance is currently up to £2,024 a year, and there is an Adult Dependants' Grant if another adult depends on you financially. All three are grants, not loans, and they are means-tested on household income.