How maintenance loans are calculated
If you are under 25 on the first day of your course, Student Finance will request income details from a parent or both parents that you normally live with. If you are over this age and living with a partner, you will have to supply your partner’s income details. Any earned income from the student, from employment or self-employment, is not required and does not influence the loan.
Student Finance ask for the income tax year from two years ago. So, if you start your course in September 2025, they will ask for income details from a parent/s’ or partner from April 2023/2024. You can use the student finance calculator to help check your loan.
Please remember some courses run for longer periods during the academic year so the calculator may not include any entitlement to extra ‘long course’ loans, such as NHS and PGCE programmes of study.
Reduced maintenance loans
If Student Finance have offered a loan of approximately £4,915/£3,907 (Year 1 for 2025/2026 basic living away from home rate/living at home rate) and you do not think this is correct, it may be worth contacting Student Finance to check that Student Finance’s full income checks have been completed.
For England based finances, you can also use the Student Finance calculator, although this provides estimations only but can help as a guide.
Missing income checks
On some occasions one or more parents or partners that you live with may not have fully supplied their income details resulting in a lower amount being offered.
You can find out further details on loan rates on the Edge Hill fees and funding webpages and on the save the student website.
Final year undergraduate
It is worth noting that maintenance loans and childcare grants are reduced for final year students. Money advice for students that have completed their degrees are available online.
Overpayments
In some instances, your loan may have been reduced as a result of an of an overpayment of a loan due to a previous year of study. This may mean you studied for a degree, withdrew and did not fully complete the course.
Here is some useful information from Student Finance England about grant and loan overpayments.
You can also complete the ‘Student Finance England Financial Hardship Confirmation Form’ to request any repayments of overpayments to be postponed until after you graduate. It is important to reapply to Student Finance Hardship scheme every year to see if past overpayments can be postponed.
It is worth considering other sources of finance to support you while studying include part time work and applying for additional grants and funding which can be researched on the Turn2Us database.
You could also consider a student bank account and 0% overdrafts to help with any unexpected costs. More details can be found on our banking and budgeting section online.