Students eligible for benefits or aged 60 or over
Students who are eligible for benefits:
If you started your studies in the 2016-17 academic year or later and you qualify for certain UK Government Benefits or meet certain eligibility criteria, you may be able to receieve higher amount of Maintenance Loan.
Examples include:
- Receipt of Disability Living Allowance, Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium
- Receipt of Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment
For more information regarding qualifying benefits and personal situations please see the following webpage from Student Finance England , Full-Time Maintenance Loan - What's Available.
The table below demonstrates the 2025-26 (and 2024-25) Maintenance Loan figures for undergraduate students who started their course in 2016 or later and who receive certain UK Government benefits. Please note, the below figures are an annual entitlement, students will be paid their Maintenance Loan in equal termly instalments. The 2025-26 figures below are subject to Parliamentary approval.
SFE Maintenance Loan Rates (Annual Entitlement)Full-time undergraduate students who started their course in 2016 or later and who receive benefits |
||
Household Income (£) |
Students Living Away from Parental Home and Outside of London 2025-26 (£) |
Students Living Away from Parental Home and Outside of London 2024-25 (£) |
| 25,000 or under | 12,019 | 11,658 |
| 30,000 | 10,854 | 10,527 |
| 35,000 | 9,688 | 9,396 |
| 40,000 | 8,522 | 8,265 |
| 45,000 | 7,532 | 7,304 |
| 50,000 | 6,779 | 6,573 |
| 55,000 | 6,026 | 5,842 |
| 60,000 | 5,273 | 5,111 |
| 62,349 or above (or non-means tested) | 4,915 | 4,767 |
Please note, if you receive a Maintenance Loan, this may have an impact on any means-tested UK Government benefits that you are entitled to. Examples of these include (list not exhaustive):
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seekers’ Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
- Working Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
You are advised to contact your local Citizens Advice Centre for more information:
Students who are aged 60 or over
If you are aged 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of your course, you may be eligible for a Maintenance Loan if you started your course in the academic year 2016-17 or later. The table below demonstrates the amount of maintenance loan you may qualify for in 2025-26 (and shows the previous 2024-25 figures), which is based on household income. Please note, the table shows the total annual figure but maintenance loans are paid in equal termly instalments. The figures below for 2025-26 are subject to parliamentary approval.
SFE Maintenance Loan Rates (Annual Entitlement)Full-time undergraduate students who started their course in 2016 or later and who are aged 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of their course |
||
Household Income (£) |
2025-26 (£) |
2024-25 (£) |
| 25,000 or under | 4,461 | 4,327 |
| 30,000 | 3,291 | 3,191 |
| 35,000 | 2,120 | 2,055 |
| 40,000 | 949 | 918 |
| 43,819 | 50 | 50 |
| 43,820 or above | 0 | 0 |