Results Day: Student Finance if Your University Changes

The Day and the Deadline That Follows It

A-level, AS and T Level results were released on Thursday 13 August 2026, with grades available from schools and colleges from 8am and Clearing choices addable through the UCAS Hub from 1pm. Clearing itself runs from 2 July to 19 October 2026. Qualifications Scotland results were released earlier, on 4 August 2026, with Clearing choices addable from 10am that day. The Hub shows an application decision rather than a grade, which is why the two need to be read together: a school or college confirms the grades, and the Hub confirms whether the firm choice, the insurance choice or a Clearing route applies. Most Level 3 vocational results, including BTEC Nationals, are issued on or before results day and are treated by universities in the same way as A levels when confirming a place.

The finance consequence of the day is often overlooked in the rush to confirm a place. Student finance applications for courses starting in September 2026 opened in spring, and the recommended application deadline for guaranteed payment at the start of term passed in May. Applying after that deadline does not remove entitlement, but processing typically takes six to eight weeks and can run longer during the post results peak, which means the first maintenance instalment may arrive after term begins rather than in the first week. Anyone who has not applied at all should do so immediately rather than waiting for enrolment, because the application can be submitted before a place is confirmed and amended afterwards.

Updating an Existing Application

A change of university does not require a new student finance application. The existing application is amended by signing into the student finance account and changing the course and provider details, and Student Finance England processes large volumes of these changes in the fortnight after results day. Leaving the change unmade is the error that causes problems, because the tuition fee loan is paid directly to the institution named on the application. If that name is wrong, the money is not released to the university actually providing the course, and the student can find themselves recorded as not having paid fees despite having a loan in place. Universities cross-check enrolment against Student Loans Company records, and a mismatch is generally caught at enrolment rather than before it.

The maintenance loan is also recalculated when the details change, because entitlement depends on where the student lives during term time. Moving from a London university to one outside London reduces the maximum, and moving in the other direction increases it. Choosing to live at home rather than in halls reduces it further. Where the change increases entitlement, the additional amount is paid across the remaining instalments rather than in a lump sum, so a late change can mean a thinner first term. Students domiciled in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland apply to their own national body rather than to Student Finance England, and the application always follows where the student normally lives rather than where the course is located.

The 2026/27 Rates

For courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year, the maximum tuition fee loan in England is 9,790 pounds for a standard full time undergraduate course, up from 9,535 pounds in 2025/26, and 11,750 pounds for an accelerated degree. The fee loan is not means tested, is paid directly to the university and is available in full to every eligible student. The maintenance loan is means tested and depends on living arrangements. The maximum is 9,118 pounds for a student living with their parents, 10,830 pounds living away from home outside London, 14,135 pounds living away from home in London, and 12,403 pounds for a year of a United Kingdom course spent studying abroad. Students aged 60 or over on the first day of the course can apply for up to 4,582 pounds.

Those figures apply to students who normally live in England, whichever part of the United Kingdom they study in. Students normally resident in Wales apply to Student Finance Wales, which operates a mixed grant and loan package rather than a loan only system. Students normally resident in Scotland apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, which does not charge tuition fees for eligible Scottish students studying at Scottish institutions but applies fees where the course is elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Students normally resident in Northern Ireland apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland, which retains a lower fee cap for study within Northern Ireland. A student from Belfast studying in Edinburgh applies to Student Finance Northern Ireland, and one from Manchester studying in Cardiff applies to Student Finance England. Applying to the wrong body is a common cause of a rejected application in the fortnight after results day.

Household income determines how much of the maximum is actually awarded. For the 2026/27 academic year the assessment usually looks at the parental household income for the 2024 to 2025 financial year, and the maintenance loan is reduced by 1 pound for every 4.16 pounds of household income above 25,000 pounds, up to a ceiling of 43,854 pounds. Where parents decline to provide income details, the full maintenance loan cannot be awarded and only the basic non means tested rate applies. Households whose income has fallen by 15 per cent or more since the assessed year can ask for a current year assessment instead, which is the single most commonly missed adjustment in the system.

The Costs the Loan Does Not Cover

The maintenance loan is a contribution towards living costs rather than a calculated budget, and the gap between the maximum award and actual accommodation costs is where results day decisions have their largest financial consequence. A change of university through Clearing usually means entering the accommodation market late, when the cheapest university managed halls have already been allocated and the remaining options are private halls or the private rented sector. Deposits and advance rent are typically payable before the first maintenance instalment arrives, and private landlords generally require a United Kingdom based guarantor or several months of rent in advance where no guarantor is available. Universities allocating rooms through Clearing frequently hold a reserve block, which is released to confirmed Clearing applicants in the days after results day rather than being advertised in advance.

Additional support sits outside the standard loan and is not awarded automatically. Disabled Students' Allowance covers specialist equipment, non-medical helpers and additional travel costs, is not means tested and is not repayable, but requires a separate application and a needs assessment that can take several weeks. Students with children can apply for the Childcare Grant and the Parents' Learning Allowance, and those supporting an adult dependant can apply for the Adult Dependants' Grant. Each is means tested and each is claimed through the same student finance account. Institutional bursaries and hardship funds are assessed by the university rather than by Student Finance England, and eligibility for them frequently keys off the household income figure already assessed for the maintenance loan, which is another reason to complete the income assessment rather than accepting the basic rate.

Repayment and the Longer View

Students starting in September 2026 repay under Plan 5. Repayments begin the April after the course finishes, and only on earnings above the Plan 5 threshold of 25,000 pounds a year, at 9 per cent of income above that threshold. Interest is charged at the Retail Prices Index alone, without the additional margin that applied under Plan 2, and any outstanding balance is written off 40 years after repayments become due. Repayments are collected through the tax system, either through PAYE or through self assessment, and stop automatically if income falls below the threshold. The tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan are added to a single balance and repaid together.

The practical consequence of an income contingent system is that the headline debt figure is a weaker guide to cost than the monthly deduction. A graduate earning 30,000 pounds repays around 37 pounds a month, and one earning 40,000 pounds repays around 112 pounds a month. Neither figure changes if the total borrowed is larger, which is why choosing a cheaper course or a shorter one rarely changes the monthly cost of repayment for most earners, though it does change the likelihood of clearing the balance before write off. Universities also operate hardship funds and bursaries that are separate from Student Finance England and are assessed by the institution, and these are worth applying for during the first term rather than after a shortfall appears.

Frequently asked questions

Does a place secured through Clearing need a new student finance application?

No. The existing application is amended by signing into the student finance account and updating the course and provider. A new application is not required, but leaving the details unchanged means the tuition fee loan is directed to the wrong institution.

How much is the maintenance loan for 2026/27?

The maximum is 9,118 pounds living with parents, 10,830 pounds living away from home outside London, 14,135 pounds living away from home in London and 12,403 pounds for a year studying abroad. The amount actually awarded depends on household income.

How much are tuition fees in England for 2026/27?

The maximum tuition fee loan is 9,790 pounds for a standard full time undergraduate course, up from 9,535 pounds in 2025/26. Accelerated degrees attract up to 11,750 pounds. The loan is not means tested and is paid directly to the university.

What happens if the student finance application was submitted late?

Entitlement is not lost, but processing typically takes six to eight weeks and can take longer in the weeks after results day. The first maintenance instalment may arrive after term starts. Universities generally allow enrolment to proceed where an application is in progress.

When do repayments start and how much are they?

Repayments under Plan 5 begin the April after the course ends, and only on earnings above 25,000 pounds a year, at 9 per cent of income above that threshold. Interest is charged at the Retail Prices Index and any balance remaining is written off 40 years after repayments become due.