A Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for a Student Loan in the UK (2025/26)

📌 The document has been prepared for Ukrainian students planning to secure tuition funding through Student Finance England.
Official application portal: gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance

Roadmap (Step-by-step)

Step 1: Create an account on Student Finance

• Go to the official website.
  
• Register using your passport details..
  
• After registration, you will receive a CRN (Customer Reference Number) — your unique identification number
  

Step 2: Complete the loan application.

• Choose:
  • Tuition Fee Loan – a tuition fee loan (paid directly to the university)
  • Maintenance Loan – a maintenance loan (paid into your bank account)
  

Step 3: Document Submission

• In most cases, Student Finance will request documents regarding your family’s income
  
• If documents are not submitted, you will initially be awarded the minimum base amount.
  

Step 4: Awaiting the decision

• Provisional decision (Provisional assessment) will appear in your account within 4-6 weeks.
  
• Final confirmation (Entitlement letter) will be received by mail or in electronic format.
  

Step 5: Payments

• Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to the university
  
• Maintenance Loan is transferred to your account in 3 instalments — at the beginning of each semester.
  

Step 6: Loan Repayment 

• You will only start repaying your loan after you earn over £25,000 per year (Plan 5, effective from 2023).
  
• Repayments amount to 9% of your income above the threshold.
  
• The debt is automatically written off after 40 years..

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Mini-Glossary of Student Finance (UK)

CRN (Customer Reference Number)

👉 Customer Reference Number (CRN) – Your unique 11-digit Student Finance identifier. Used to log into your account and on all official documents.

Student Loan

👉 The general term for the government loan for students in Britain. It consists of two parts:
Tuition Fee Loan
Maintenance Loan

Tuition Fee Loan

👉 Tuition Fee Loan. The government pays the university directly. The maximum amount for the 2025/26 academic year is £9,535 per year for full-time undergraduate courses.

Maintenance Loan

👉 Maintenance Loan (for rent, food, transport). The amount depends on your place of residence and your household income. A base amount is provided to everyone, with additional funding available after income assessment.

Plan 5

👉 A new student loan repayment system for those starting their studies from September 2023.

Repayment threshold: £25,000 per year (until April 2027).
Repayments = 9% of income above the threshold.
Debt is written off after 40 years (previously it was 30).

Entitlement letter

👉 A letter from Student Finance with the final decision: the exact loan amount you will receive and the specific dates when payments will be made.

Provisional assessment

👉 Provisional Student Finance decision (base amount), which may be adjusted after all documents are verified.

Academic year payment

👉 Loan payments are divided into 3 instalments: at the beginning of each semester.

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Useful links

• Apply online: gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance
  
• General information about loans: gov.uk/student-finance
  
• Loan repayment: gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan