The United Kingdom has released £5.7bn in student finance for the first term of the 2026/27 academic year, comprising £3bn in maintenance loans for students and £2.7bn in tuition fee payments to education providers.
The Student Loans Company disclosed the figures in a report published on the UK Home Office website on Wednesday.
According to the report, maintenance loans were paid directly to students in September, while tuition fees were transferred to education providers in October.
The company said most payments for the first term had been completed, adding that it was still processing applications from students who missed the deadline and initially received only the minimum amount of financial support.
“Where a student applied late for funding, we awarded the minimum maintenance loan and their tuition fee loan to ensure they had funding to start their term,” the statement said.
It explained that eligible students would receive additional payments once their applications had been fully assessed and the outstanding information confirmed.
The company also disclosed that processing student finance applications could take up to four weeks, urging prospective applicants to submit their requests early to avoid delays.
Meanwhile, students beginning their courses on or after January 1, 2027, will apply for financial support through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement funding scheme.
Applications for the new scheme are expected to open by the end of October 2026.
The Student Loans Company noted that the figures were provisional, adding that comprehensive data for the full academic year would be released in its Student Support for Higher Education statistical report on November 26, 2026.
