Maintenance Loan

As well as getting a loan to cover your tuition fees you can also get a loan to help you cover your living costs. Living costs includes accommodation, food, travel and similar expenses.
The exact amount you can borrow depends on:

• your household income
• where you live during term time

The first 65% of the Maintenance Loan is non means-tested and the remaining 35% is means-tested on household income. Maintenance loans are added to your tuition fee loans and you'll only have to start paying them back when you finish your course and are earning over £21,000 a year.

Term time location	Minimum loan	Maximum loan
Living at home	£2,843	£4,375
Living away from home	£3,575	£5,500
Living in London	£4,988	£7,675

You apply for a maintenance loan through the gov.uk Student Finance website, their website also has details of relevant deadlines.

If your household income is below £42,600 you will be eligible for a maintenance grant as well as a loan.

Maintenance Grant

If your household income is below £42,600 a year you are entitled to a Maintenance Grant towards your living costs, your Maintenance Loan will be reduced accordingly. As the grant does not have to be repaid this helps reduce your loan debt and means you have less to pay back when you finish your course.

If your household income is £25,000 a year or less you will receive the full grant of £3,250 a year. The grant reduces by £1 for each £5.50 of household income above this, up to £42,600. If your household income is above £42,600 you are not eligible for a maintenance grant, but can still apply for the Maintenance Loan. There is a student finance calculator available on the gov.uk website which will give you an idea of how much grant you are entitled to.

Special Support Grant

If you qualify for, or receive, Income Support or Housing Benefit you may get the Special Support Grant instead of the Maintenance Grant. The amount you can receive through the Special Support Grant is the same as that available through the Maintenance Grant (maximum of £3,250) but you are also eligible to receive the full maintenance loan. The Special Support Grant is not counted as income when working out entitlement to income-related benefits or tax credits.

You are likely to qualify for the Special Support Grant if:

• you're a single parent
• your partner is also a student
• you have certain disabilities

You can apply for a Special Support Grant through Student Finance England.