Quick answer: Mature students can get the same maintenance loan as younger students – up to £9,118, £10,830 or £14,135 in 2026/27 depending on where they live. From age 25 you’re assessed as independent, so your partner’s income counts instead of your parents’. If you’re 60 or over when the course starts, you can get up to £4,582. Extra grants are available if you have children or an adult who depends on you.
Plenty of people start university in their twenties, thirties, forties and beyond. Student finance works for them too – but the rules for whose income counts are quite different.
When are you treated as independent?
You’re an independent student if you’re 25 or over on the first day of the academic year. You can also be independent under 25 if:
- you’ve supported yourself financially for at least three years before the course starts
- you’re married or in a civil partnership, or have been at any time before the course starts
- you care for a child under 18
- you’re a care leaver
- you’re estranged from your parents and have had no contact for over a year
As an independent student, your parents’ income is never part of your assessment.
Whose income counts for mature students?
- Living with a partner (married, civil partnership or cohabiting): your partner’s income is counted as household income.
- Single: Student Finance generally looks only at your own unearned income, such as savings interest or a pension – not your wages. So many single mature students qualify for the full loan.
How much you can get in 2026/27
The loan amounts are the same as for any English student:
| Living arrangement | Maximum | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| With parents | £9,118 | £4,013 |
| Away from home, outside London | £10,830 | £5,048 |
| Away from home, in London | £14,135 | £7,039 |
The loan starts to taper once household income passes £25,000.
Three examples
Leah, 32, single, living in her own flat in Bristol. She has no significant savings or pension income, so her household income is below £25,000. She can get the maximum £10,830.
Dan, 28, living with his partner who earns £38,000. His household income is £38,000, so his loan away from home outside London is about £8,821.
Margaret, 62, with household income of £30,000. Students aged 60 or over on the first day of the course have a separate rule: up to £4,582, reduced by £1 for every £4.16 above £25,000. Margaret would get about £3,381.
Extra support you don’t repay
| Grant (2026/27) | Who it’s for | Up to |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare Grant | Parents using registered childcare | 85% of costs – £199.62 a week for one child or £342.24 for two or more |
| Parents’ Learning Allowance | Students with dependent children | £2,024 a year |
| Adult Dependants’ Grant | Students supporting an adult, often a partner | £3,545 a year |
| Disabled Students’ Allowance | Students with a disability or long-term condition | Based on assessed need |
Single parents and some disabled students who can claim benefits have part of their loan – up to £4,582 – treated as Special Support, which isn’t counted as income for most means-tested benefits.
Things mature students often ask about
Previous study. If you’ve studied at university before, it can reduce what you’re entitled to. Funding normally covers the length of your course plus one extra year, minus years you’ve already studied. Check with Student Finance England before you apply.
Part-time courses. Maintenance loans are also available for many part-time degrees, based on how intensively you study.
Benefits. Most of the maintenance loan counts as income for Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits. Talk to an adviser before you give up work or change your claim.
From 2027. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement will let adults fund individual modules and shorter courses, which suits people studying around work. See student finance changes from 2027.
Work out your figure
Use the mature student maintenance loan calculator. It asks for your partner’s income rather than your parents’, and includes the 60+ rules.