EU Student Maintenance Loan 2025/26
Learn how Maintenance Loans can financially support European students throughout their undergraduate studies in 2025/26.
If you plan to start an undergraduate course in the UK as an EU student, you may apply for a Maintenance Loan and additional funding from Student Finance England.
Since 1 August 2021, all European students who are not registered under the EU Settlement Scheme require a study visa to study in the UK and cannot apply for funding from Student Finance. Read our EU students guide for studying in UK to learn more.
EU students registered under the EU Settlement Scheme with a Settled or Pre-settled Status are still considered home students and can request financial support from Student Finance.
Maintenance Loan for EU students
EU and EEA nationals with Settled and Pre-settled Status can apply for the Maintenance Loan to cover part of their living costs when studying for an undergraduate course.
EU student Maintenance Loan eligibility
Student Finance will use several criteria to accept your application for this loan.
EU students applying for Student Finance must fall under one of the following categories: EU Student and European Economic Area (EEA) Migrant Worker.
Requirements for EU students
To apply as an EU student, you have to:
- be an EU national
- have applied for a study course that qualifies for Student Finance
- have lived in the UK for 5 years before the start of your course
Requirements for EEA Migrant Workers
To apply as an EEA Migrant Worker you must:
- have lived in Europe for the past 3 years before the start of your course.
- have applied for a study course that qualifies for Student Finance.
- live and work, or be self-employed in the UK, from the first day of the first year of your course.
- earn enough to support your main living costs.
Additional requirements for Maintenance Loan
Other criteria required to apply for the Maintenance Loan include:
- University or college: must be recognised as a Higher Education institution in the UK.
- Study course: the course must be eligible for Student Finance England.
- Previous Studies: You are eligible if you are applying for your first undergraduate qualification.
- Age: there is no age limit, but the amount of Maintenance Loan for students aged 60 or over at the beginning of the first year of their course will depend only on their household income.
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How much Maintenance Loan can I get?
How much Maintenance Loan you can receive depends on your personal circumstances. You could be paid up to a maximum of £14,135 a year in Maintenance Loan, depending on several factors:
- Household income
- Home location
- Living situation
- Course start date
Other personal circumstances, such as marital status, may affect the amount of Maintenance Loan that a student can borrow.
Maximum Maintenance Loan in academic year 2025/26 and 2026/27
The table below shows the maximum Maintenance Loan that you could be paid.
When is the Maintenance Loan paid?
Each year, you will receive the Maintenance loan funds in three different instalments at the start of each semester.
The funds are paid by Student Finance England directly to your bank account: 25% of the funds in the 1st term, 25% in the 2nd term and 50% in the last term.
Maintenance Loan dates in 2025/26
The payment dates of the Maintenance Loan in the academic year 2025/26 are:
- In England, Northern Ireland and Wales – September 2025, January 2026 and April 2026.
- In Scotland – on the 7th of each month.
Maintenance Loan repayments
Student Finance loans including the Maintenance Loan, must be paid back. When and what you repay to Student Finance will depend only on your income.
You will repay 9% of your income above the £25,000 threshold. You will be charged only if your income is over the repayment threshold of £25.000 a year, and you will stop paying whenever your monthly income drops below the repayment threshold.
You can find more info on our page of student loan repayments.
How to apply for a Maintenance Loan
To apply for a Maintenance Loan, you first need to set up an account with Student Finance. Once registered, you will be assigned a Customer Reference Number (CRN), which will then be included in your Student Finance application.
At that point, complete the Student Finance application form and send it with proof of identity.
Find further information on Student Finance England, tuition fees and additional support on our page EU Student Finance.
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