Undergraduate maintenance loans for part-time UK students

Key facts

Start dates

September 2024 / January 2025

Available to home or international students?

Home

Study level

Undergraduate

Award value

up to £5,114 - amount depends on course intensity (how many modules taken) each year

Number of awards

Unlimited

Application deadline

Within 9 months of starting the course. 

Overview

Part time students can apply for a means tested part time maintenance loan from Student Finance England. This mainteannce loan is used for your living costs. This loan is means tested, so the amount you receive is partially based on your household income and whether you choose to live in your own home or in your parental home.

As a part-time student the amount of maintenance Loan available to you will also be based on your intensity of study which is worked out from how many modules you take. As a part time student you can study between 2 to 5 modules per academic year.  The table below shows how much you may be entitled to in 2024/25.

Household income 2 modules  3 modules  4 or 5 modules
up to £25,000  £2,557 £3,406 £5,114
£30,000  £2,374 £3,163 £4,749
£35,000  £2,192 £2,919 £4,383
£40,000 £2,009 £2,676 £4,018
£45,000  £1,826 £2,432 £3,652
£50,000  £1,643 £2,189 £3,287
£55,000  £1,461 £1,945 £2,921
£60,000  £1,278 £1,702 £2,556
£65,000 +   £1,192 £1,587 £2,384

Source:  SFE Student Finance Calculator

Repaying your loan

Repayments will be 9% of any income above £25,000, so the amount you repay each month will depend on your earnings. Examples of monthly repayments for loans covering tuition and living costs:

Salary Monthly Repayments
£25,000 £0
£30,000 £37
£35,000 £75
£40,000 £112

Repayments will be deducted automatically from your pay packet. All outstanding repayments will be written off after 40 years

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria

https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies

This funding is available to students studying on the following courses:

Undergraduate

Application process

When you apply to SFE for your maintenance loan and fees, you will be asked how many modules you are intending to study (between 2 and 5). You will also be asked how many modules you would study if your course was full time. There are 8 modules for full time study. This information is important to SFE, so they can calculate your intensity of study for your maintenance loan.

Ideally make application 3 months before start of course.

Applications need to be made by the end of the academic year.