This information applies to new students starting in 2026/27. The rules about student finance are complicated, so if your situation is a little bit different or you need more information on entitlement it may benefit you to look at the following information from Student Finance England: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies
In general, students who normally live in England and who are on an ordinary undergraduate degree course can expect to get the following funding:
Maintenance Loan*
The 2026/27 amounts are as follows:
- Living at home with parents, studying in Plymouth = maximum loan £9,118
- Living away from parental home, studying in Plymouth = maximum loan £10,830
- You may get more or less money than your friend. This is because part of your Maintenance Loan is based on your household income. If you are under 25, it will usually be based on your parent(s) household income.
*This funding is repayable following completion of your course when your earnings reach the applicable income threshold, which you can read more about under section 5 of this document.
Special Support Element
Certain students, including single parents, those in receipt of means tested welfare benefits or those with a disability, receive the Special Support Element as part of the Maintenance Loan. In 26/27 the Special Support Element is £4,582 and is disregarded as income for the purposes of claiming means tested legacy benefits, such as Housing Benefit, or Universal Credit.
In addition, these students receive a higher rate of Maintenance Loan.
The maximum amounts, including the Special Support Element are: -
- Living at home with parents = £10,757
- Living away from parental home = £12,345
Other Funding
If you have children, you have a disability or another adult depends on you financially, then there may be more funding available to you from Student Finance
This funding can include:
- Parents Learning Allowance is up to maximum of £2024
- Adult Dependants Grant is up to a maximum of £3545
- Childcare grant is up to 85% of your costs, up to a maximum of £199.62 a week for 1 child or £342.24 a week for 2 or more children (whichever amount is lower).
This funding is means tested and the rules differ depending on when you started university. You may be eligible for some or all of the elements, and the amounts you receive could be much lower than the maximum amounts.
This is non-repayable unless you are overpaid, or you leave your course early.
Tuition Fee Loan*
This is a loan paid directly to the university in three instalments. From 2026/27 students are subject to a fee charge of up to £9,790.
*This funding is repayable
Student Finance have produced this helpful video on how to apply for finance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIuy02Yc6bk
Attending a full-time course on a part-time basis
If, for whatever reason, you feel unable to attend university on a full-time basis for a period, it may be possible to complete a year part-time, splitting the modules over two academic years, rather than interrupting or dropping out entirely.
This is a decision that would need to be carefully considered, discussed and agreed with your academic team.
If this does look like a viable option, it is important to know this does have an impact on funding for Tuition Fee Loans.
If you attend a full-time course on a part-time basis, it does not make the course itself part-time. You continue to claim student finance as a full-time student. This means that full-time tuition fee support will still be applicable, and each year will count as a full year of study to SFE, even though your fees payable over the academic year will be lower.
For example, if you complete your first year of study full-time and then, for whatever reason, decide to complete your second year of study over two years instead of one, this is seen as two full-time years in regard to tuition fee support.
So, if your course is ordinarily three years, but you complete the second year over two years - making the whole course four years in total - you should still be eligible for tuition fee support for the whole length of study (provided you have no previous study at a higher education level). This is based on the calculation that Student Finance use when allocating loans:
Length of current course + 1 year - Number of years of previous study
However, if you have previously interrupted study, repeated a year, or studied at HE prior to your current course, you could find yourself with a shortfall of tuition fee funding if you split an academic year over two years. If you do have previous study and require tuition fee support, you may be eligible to apply for CPR.
If you have any questions about changing the way in which you study, please contact the Advice Team for guidance before making any firm decisions.
Last Updated: September 2026