Overview

The Maintenance Loan is designed to support full-time Home students with their living costs e.g. food, rent and travel.

See an estimate of costs for living in London as an Imperial student.

Loan stats

Help with living costs

How much you can get depends on your household income and where you live while studying.

Paid in instalments

The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term.

Extra money for study in London

Loans for students living away from their parents, in London are more generous than for students studying elsewhere.

Loan amount

The amount you can get depends on:

  • where you live i.e at home or away
  • where you study
  • your household income

Use the links in the How to apply section below to find out how much financial support you may be eligible for and whether you’re eligible for extra grants or allowances, such as the Disabled Students Allowance.

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How to apply

You need to apply for a Maintenance Loan each year via your regional funding body – different type of funding will apply depending on where you're from:

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Check if you're eligible

Explore the full list of who qualifies for this kind of financial support on Gov.uk.

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EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals

EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals starting courses on or after 1 August 2021 must have settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme to be able to apply for funding through the Student Loans Company.

Visit the EU Settlement Scheme information guide for more information.

Visit the Student finance for undergraduates: EU students - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information on how your Settlement status affects your support.

This does not apply to students who are Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland, who are automatically treated as settled in the UK and do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to benefit from the right to UK student finance.

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When you'll receive your loan payments

The loan is paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term. 

See Imperial term dates.

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Repaying your loan

You have to repay your Maintenance Loan, but only once you:

  • have left university
  • are in employment
  • are earning over a certain amount

When you start repaying your loan and how much you pay depends on which repayment plan you’re on i.e. which regional funding body you applied to.

Find out more about repaying your loans.

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Student finance calculator

Students from England can use the UK government's student finance calculator to estimate how much they may be eligible to receive in student loans.

It can also let you know whether you may be eligible for extra student funding, for example if you’re disabled or have children.

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