Student Loans
Find out about the government loans available to help you study.
Tuition fee loans
All eligible students from the UK can study without paying up-front by taking out a tuition fee loan.
Eligibility criteria for tuition fee loans includes factors like where you live, the course you choose to study and where you study. It can affect your entitlement if you have any previous higher education study.
The government, via The Student Loans Company, will lend you the money to cover the full cost of your tuition fees for every year of your course. Features of the loan include:
- the government pay the loan directly to your university, not to you
- you only start to pay back the loan when you are earning over £511 a week or £2,214 a month (before tax and other deductions)
- you can apply for a tuition fee loan from your student finance body
Living cost loans
Students from England can apply for a living cost loan to help pay for living expenses. The amount you can borrow depends on where you live and study, and your household income. If you have any previous higher education study it also affects your entitlement. For information on the support available, including to those students eligible for/in receipt of benefits please contact Student Finance England.
If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information on living cost loans from your student finance body.
Extra government financial support
Students with adult and/or child dependants or who have a disability may be entitled to extra help in addition to any grants and scholarships available. You do not usually have to pay this money back. A number of sources for extra financial help are available for students at Newcastle University:
Loan repayments
This information on loan repayments applies to students from England. Some information is different for students from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Get an idea of what your loan repayments could be using the GOV.UK loan repayment calculator.
Key loan repayment facts
- Repayments are based on what you earn, not what you owe
- Tuition fee and living cost loans repayments are combined
- You will not start to make repayments until you earn over £511 a week or £2,214 a month (before tax and other deductions)
- If your income falls below the repayment threshold, your repayments stop until you start earning above it again
- Any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years
Rates of interest
While you’re studying, interest is 5.6%.
This is made up of the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 3%. RPI is currently set at 2.6%.
This rate applies until the 5 April after you finish or leave your course, or for the first 4 years of your course if you’re studying part-time, unless the RPI changes.
After that, your interest rate depends on your income in the current tax year.
Find out more about repaying your student loan.
| Your circumstances | Interest rate |
|---|---|
| Whilst studying and until the April after leaving the course | RPI + 3% |
| If you come into repayment from April 2019 |
Variable interest, dependent upon income RPI where income is £25,725 or less, rising on a sliding scale up to RPI + 3%, where income is £46,305 or more |
| If you lose touch with SLC or do not send them the information they require | RPI + 3%, irrespective of income, until SLC have the information they require |
Students from England entering university are eligible to apply for tuition fee loans and for living cost loans from Student Finance England.
You will need to apply for tuition fee loans, living cost loans and grants from your own student finance agency: