Understanding student living costs
Information for students about what living cost funding is available (including student finance for 2024 to 2025 and 2023 to 2024) for those living in England.
Applies to England
Students studying at university or college can have different living costs depending on where and what they will be studying, their lifestyle and any financial commitments they might have.
Student Space offer advice and support to all, including information on where to find extra funding to help with your living costs and budgeting tools. Why not check out their guidance on how to create a budget to find out what your living costs at university or college might add up to?
If you’re unsure about what additional costs may be involved as a result of your studies, you should ask your university or college for more information. Examples could include:
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accommodation costs – such as rent
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travel
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course materials
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food and drink
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utilities – such as gas and electricity bills
Find out what Student Finance you could get as a minimum and maximum in the 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 academic years.
What you could get as a minimum
Student Finance England (SFE) provide a Maintenance Loan to help you with your living costs. All eligible students can get the basic non-income assessed minimum amount of Maintenance Loan to help with these costs. The minimum amount you can get is:
| Living arrangements | 2023 to 2024 academic year | 2024 to 2025 academic year |
|---|---|---|
| Living with your parents | £3,597 | £3,790 |
| Living away from your parents, outside London | £4,524 | £4,767 |
| Living away from your parents, in London | £6,308 | £6,647 |
Most students can get a higher amount of Maintenance Loan by providing details of their household income.
What you could get as a maximum
If you apply for student finance based on your household income then you may be entitled to even more Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs.
For example, full-time undergraduate students with a household income of £25,000 or less would get the maximum additional Maintenance Loan. Students with a household income above £25,000 would get a lower amount of loan based on their household income.
The tables show some examples of what the difference is between the maximum Maintenance Loan and the amount you could get based on your household income.
2024 to 2025 academic year
Living with your parents
| Household Income | Maximum Maintenance Loan | Amount available to you | Difference from maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to £25,000 | £8,610 | £8,610 | £0 |
| £45,000 | £8,610 | £5,716 | £2,894 |
| £58,307 | £8,610 | £3,790 (only eligible for minimum amount) | £4,820 |
Living away from your parents, outside London
| Household Income | Maximum Maintenance Loan | Amount available to you | Difference from maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to £25,000 | £10,227 | £10,227 | £0 |
| £45,000 | £10,227 | £7,304 | £2,923 |
| £62,347 | £10,227 | £4,767 (only eligible for minimum amount) | £5,460 |
2023 to 2024 academic year
Living with your parents
| Household Income | Maximum Maintenance Loan | Amount available to you | Difference from maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to £25,000 | £8,400 | £8,400 | £0 |
| £45,000 | £8,400 | £5,576 | £2,824 |
| £58,291 | £8,400 | £3,698 (only eligible for minimum amount) | £4,702 |
Living away from your parents, outside London
| Household Income | Maximum Maintenance Loan | Amount available to you | Difference from maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to £25,000 | £9,978 | £9,978 | £0 |
| £45,000 | £9,978 | £7,125 | £2,853 |
| £62,343 | £9,978 | £4,651 (only eligible for minimum amount) | £5,327 |
There are different rates for students living in London and for other circumstances such as if there are other students living in your household, you’re in your final year of your studies or if you get benefits. Use the student finance calculator to get an estimate on the amount of Maintenance Loan available to you based on your specific circumstances.
For some students even the maximum amount of Maintenance Loan may not be enough to cover all their living costs.
Making up the difference
Students are expected to make up the difference between the Maintenance Loan amount available to them and their total living costs.
Financial support may be provided by the student’s parents or partner. But there are several other sources of funding available for students who don’t have access to household support, or for students who need more funding because even the maximum Maintenance Loan available isn’t enough. These could be:
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part-time employment
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savings
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university bursaries and scholarships
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Local Authority support such as the Higher Education Bursary
You can find more information about some of the alternative sources of funding and guidance on how to budget for university our cost of living page.
Updates to this page
Last updated 26 January 2024 + show all updates
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Added 2024 to 2025 and 2023 to 2024 academic year information
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Changed partner organisation from Discover Uni to Student Space.
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First published.