How Do Student Loans Work And When Are They Written Off?

From 2026, tuition fees and maintenance loans in England will rise each year in line with inflation, meaning many students are likely to graduate with higher levels of debt.

Figures from the Student Loans Company (SLC) show graduates in England who began repaying their loans in the financial year 2024-25 owed an average of £53,000.

The details vary according to where in the UK you live, but student loans are typically made up of:

• a loan for tuition fees
• a maintenance loan for living costs

Most people are entitled to thetuition feeelement, which is equal to the annual cost of their course. Current levels vary across the UK:

The separatemaintenance loanis intended to cover accommodation, food, books and equipment.

Maintenance loans are means tested, so the amount you get depends on your family’s household income. You might get extra money if you are disabled, or have children.

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If you are under 25 and have no contact with your parents, you might be able to apply as an “estranged student”. This means your parents’ financial situation is not taken into consideration.

Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute published in May 2024 suggested maintenance loans in England typically only covered about half the cost of living, and even less for students in London.

The amount of maintenance help available varies across the UK.

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Undergraduate students in England and Wales can borrow for day-to-day living costs in 2025-26 than in previous years.

The maximum maintenance loan for students fromEnglandliving away from their parents outside of London, for example, has risen to £10,544, up from £10,227.

The government is reintroducing maintenance grants of up to £1,000 per year for students from lower income households in England on courses that support its Industrial Strategy. They will be available from 2028 and the government is still drawing up a list of eligible courses.

Students fromWalesstudying away from home can borrow up to £11,345, up from £11,150.

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Welsh students may also be entitled to maintenance grantswhich do not have to be paid back.

InScotlandthe maximum annual maintenance loan is £9,400 for under-25s. Students can also apply for a number of bursaries and grants.

Students fromNorthern Irelandwho are studying away from home can borrow up to £8,132(or£11,391if they go to London).

From 2026, both tuition fees and maintenance loans are expected to increase every year by an inflation measure called the Retail Price Index minus the interest on mortgage payments, or RPIx.

This measure fluctuates, but an increase at its October 2025 rate – when the change was announced – would see tuition fees rise by approximately £400 a year, to than £9,900.

The government said only those universities which provide strong outcomes for students would be able to charge the maximum amount in England.

Universities which fall below the quality threshold set by the regulator in England, the Office for Students, may also face a cap on the number of students they can recruit.

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The tuition fees are paid directly to your university or education provider.

The maintenance loan is paid directly to your bank account in instalments.

Payments are made at the start of each term in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and monthly in Scotland.

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In order to be paid you’ll need to register at your university or college. You’ll usually do this in the first week of your course, and you may have to take along your student finance entitlement letter.

In England you should get a text from the Student Loans Company a few days before to let you know the maintenance loan is on the way.

You can apply for funding up to nine months after the first day of the academic year for your course.

Depending on where you live, you will need to apply through:

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You are charged interest on the loan from the day you take it out, but the amount varies across the UK.

It is important to understand that the terms and conditions of the loan and repayments can change after you have borrowed the money.

Future interest rate rises apply to all student loans, not just new applications.

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For students inEnglandthe interest rate is normally set at the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation. The rate usually updates every September, but can also change throughout the year.

It is currently 4.3% for anyone who started university in 2023 or later.

Rates for students in the rest of the UK are:

• Wales:up to 7.3% depending on your earnings
• Scotland:4.3%
• Northern Ireland:4.3%.

How much graduates pay back depends on how much they earn.

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In some cases graduates have had repayments wrongly deducted from their wages.

For example, they may have had money taken before the April when they become liable, or after their loan had been repaid in full.

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Alternatively, their employer may have put them on the wrong repayment plan. Payments may also have accidentally been triggered when graduates earned than the monthly threshold – perhaps as a result of working extra shifts or getting a bonus – but did not exceeded the annual limit.

These incorrect repayments can be refunded.

Just over £61m was given back to 216,300 customers in the 2023/24 tax year. The average refund was £280.

In May 2024, the Student Loans Company introduced a digital refund service, which was accessed by than 400,000 people in the first six months.

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You can check whether you are entitled to a refund on the SLC website.

Any overpayments you have chosen to make cannot be refunded.

InEnglandstudents starting university in 2025 will see their loans written off after 40 years, regardless of how much they may still owe.

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InWalesandScotlandthis happens after 30 years and inNorthern Irelandafter 25 years.

You still have to repay your student loan if you leave your course early.