Enter your household income, where you'll live and your course length to see your 2026/27 Maintenance and Tuition Fee Loans, what you'd owe when repayments start, and what you'd repay on Plan 5 before the loan is cleared or written off.
How to use the student finance calculator
- Choose where you'll live while studying: with your parents, away from home, or away from home in London.
- Enter your household income, course length and tuition fee, and the Maintenance Loan you'll take if it's less than the full amount.
- Enter a starting salary and yearly pay rise to see your repayments; change the interest rate if RPI changes.
- Read your loans, what you'd owe by your first April, your monthly repayments, and whether the loan is cleared or written off.
Worked example
A student living away from home outside London, with a household income of £25,000, borrows £9,790 for tuition and £10,830 for living costs a year: £61,860 over a three-year course from September 2026. With interest at 4.1% they'd owe about £67,311 in April 2030, when repayments start. On a £30,000 salary they repay £37.50 a month at first. With 3% pay rises they repay about £113,583 over 40 years and about £130,811 is written off in April 2070. All amounts are future pounds, not adjusted for inflation.
The rules
- Tuition Fee Loan: the fee, up to £9,790 a year (2026/27)
- Maintenance Loan: the full amount up to £25,000 of household income, then less in a straight line to the minimum
- Plan 5 repayments: 9% of income over £25,000, from the April after you leave
- Interest: RPI (4.1% from September 2026), from the first payment
- Written off 40 years after the April you were first due to repay
Sources: Student Loans Company 2026/27 rates as reported by the House of Commons Library (March 2026), gov.uk on Plan 5 repayments, interest and write-off. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How much Maintenance Loan will I get in 2026/27?
It depends on where you live and your household income. With a household income of £25,000 or less, the most is £9,118 living with your parents, £10,830 living away from home outside London and £14,135 in London. Above £25,000 it falls by about £1 for every £6.36 to £6.53 of income, down to a minimum of £4,013, £5,048 or £7,039. Away from home on a household income of £40,000, it's about £8,512.
How much is the Tuition Fee Loan?
It covers your tuition fee, up to £9,790 a year for 2026/27, and it's paid straight to your university or college. It doesn't depend on household income.
How much will I repay each month?
On Plan 5, 9% of what you earn over £25,000 a year, taken through payroll. On a £30,000 salary that's 9% of £5,000, £450 a year or £37.50 a month. If you earn less than the threshold you pay nothing. Repayments start in the April after you leave your course.
Will I ever pay off my student loan?
Many people won't: Plan 5 loans are written off 40 years after the April you were first due to repay. Starting on £30,000 and getting 3% pay rises, you'd repay about £113,583 over 40 years and the rest would be written off. Higher earners clear it; middle earners can end up repaying the most. A £45,000 starter repays about £144,084 before clearing it, more than a £60,000 starter's £108,644.
What interest is charged on a Plan 5 loan?
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) rate, with nothing added: 4.1% from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. It applies from your first payment, while you study too, and the rate is reset each September.
What counts as household income?
For most students under 25 it's their parents' income (both, if they live together); for independent students it's their own and a partner's. Student Finance England assesses it from the tax year two years before your course starts and allows some deductions, so its figure can be lower than gross pay.
