Regardless of your parent’s income, you will be entitled to a student loan to pay your tuition fees.

What is a tuition fee?

Regardless of your parent’s income, as a British student you will be entitled to a student loan to pay your tuition fees. This loan gets paid directly to the college or university.

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What is a maintenance loan?

The maintenance loan is given to help towards student accommodation and living expenses. The amount of loan you receive can depend on your parent’s income. The loan is influenced by your parent’s earnings. Simply put, the higher the family income, the less loan you receive. In this shortfall, parents are expected to help cover costs which the maintenance loan can’t.

You must provide household income if you apply for the full maintenance loan. You’ll need to provide your household income for the previous tax year to your course study year. For example, if you are planning to attend university for the academic year 2024/25, you’ll need to provide household income from 2022 to 2023.

What is household income?

• Household income is income you get from your own savings, investments or property (for example dividends or rent).
• It may also include your parents or partner’s income. This depends on your individual circumstances.

If you’re under 25 and financially dependent on at least one parent.

Household income includes:

• Your parents’ income, if you live with them or depend on them financially.
• The combined income of one of your parents and their partner, if you live with them or depend on them financially

Household income definition if you’re under 25 and not financially dependent on your parents.

Your household income does not include your parents’ income if you:

• have supported yourself financially for at least 3 years
• have been married or in a civil partnership at any time before the start of your course
• spent at least 13 weeks in the care of your local authority before you turned 16 – in this case, you might be able to apply as a care leaver
• had no contact with your parents for over a year – in this case, you might be able to apply as an ‘estranged student’

Household income definition if you’re over 25.

• Your household income won’t include your parents income if you are over 25, as you will be classed as an ‘independent student’
• Remember that your household income will include your partner’s income, if you live with them.

Learn more about how student finance is assessed here.

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Will my parent’s income affect my student loan if I live at home during university?

If you plan to live at home with your parents during your course, you will be entitled to less student loan than those moving out. You will still need to declare your parent’s income.

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In order to find out exactly what you will be entitled to, use this easy student finance calculator. Please note that your result will be more accurate if you know your household’s annual income.

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