This page explains exactly how each calculator works, so you can check our numbers yourself. All figures are for the 2026/27 academic year unless stated, and were last checked on 29 September 2026.
England (Student Finance England)
Inputs: household income, living arrangement, year of study, extra weeks of attendance, age 60+.
- If household income is £25,000 or less, you get the maximum loan for your living arrangement.
- Above £25,000 the loan is reduced by £1 for every complete £X of income above the threshold, where X is 6.54 (with parents), 6.47 (away, outside London), 6.36 (London) or 6.41 (abroad).
- The loan never goes below the minimum (non-income-assessed) amount.
- Final year uses lower maximum and minimum amounts because it doesn’t cover the summer.
- Long Courses Loan: £77 (with parents), £116 (away), £149 (London) or £161 (abroad) for each extra week beyond 30 weeks and 3 days.
- Aged 60+: up to £4,582, reduced by £1 for every £4.16 above £25,000, to a minimum of £50.
| Living arrangement | Max (full year) | Min (full year) | Max (final year) | Min (final year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With parents | £9,118 | £4,013 | £8,579 | £3,687 |
| Away, outside London | £10,830 | £5,048 | £10,242 | £4,693 |
| Away, in London | £14,135 | £7,039 | £13,096 | £6,413 |
| Abroad | £12,403 | £5,996 | £11,103 | £5,210 |
Tested against: the SLC maximums above, and the incomes at which the minimum is reached – £58,387, £62,410 and £70,131.
Household income (England)
Household income = gross taxable income of the assessed adults − pension contributions − £1,130 for each other dependent child. We use the 2024 to 2025 tax year for 2026/27. A Current Year Income assessment is possible if income is expected to be at least 15% lower.
Wales (Student Finance Wales)
Total support is fixed by living arrangement (£10,685, £12,590 or £15,720). The Welsh Government Learning Grant is at its maximum for household income of £18,370 or less and falls evenly to £1,020 at £59,200. The loan is the total minus the grant. Tested against SFW’s published table at £18,370, £25,000, £35,000, £45,000 and £59,200 – our results match to within £2.
Scotland (SAAS)
Support is set by income band (up to £20,999; £21,000–£23,999; £24,000–£33,999; £34,000+), with separate tables for young and independent students. There is no taper inside a band, so results are exact for each band.
Northern Ireland (SFNI)
SFNI publishes grant and loan amounts at £19,203, £25,000, £30,000, £35,000 and £41,540. At those incomes our results are exact. Between them we interpolate on a straight line, so results are estimates. Above £41,540 SFNI reduces the loan gradually to a floor of 75% of the maximum but doesn’t publish the exact taper, so we show a range.
Repayments
Each month we charge interest on the balance and take 9% (6% for Postgraduate loans) of income above the plan’s threshold, until the balance is cleared or written off. Plan 2 interest rises from RPI to RPI + 3% as income rises between £29,385 and £52,884, capped at 6% for 2026/27. We assume the threshold and interest rate stay the same unless you change them – in reality both can change each year.
What our calculators can’t do
- They can’t see your application, so they can’t account for evidence you haven’t provided, previous study or eligibility decisions.
- They round to the nearest pound. Student finance rounds its own figures and may differ by a pound or two.
- Instalments are shown as three roughly equal parts. Your account shows the exact split.
Change log
- 29 September 2026: All 2026/27 figures re-checked against GOV.UK, SLC, SFW, SAAS and nidirect. Plan 2 and Postgraduate interest cap (6%) added.