Students
Guides and tools to help you save money while studying
English and starting university in 2023/24?
You'll be on a new 'Plan 5' loan - the biggest change in student finance for a decade. On the surface it looks like a tweak, in practice it will increase the cost by more than 50% for many students. We take you through what you need to know.

Not English? Your student loan works differently
It's about where you're from, NOT where you go to uni:
- Northern Irish? You'll have a 'Plan 1' student loan.
- Scottish? You'll have a 'Plan 4' student loan.
- Welsh? You'll have a 'Plan 2' student loan.
Not a new starter? See Which plan am I on?

University Parental Contribution Calculator
Our calculator shows how much the government expects parents to contribute to their child’s student maintenance loan to cover their university living costs. In a nutshell...
- The size of the maintenance loan is based on household income.
- The system assumes parents will fill the gap, but this isn't made explicit.
- The parental contribution varies depending on where you live.

Best student bank accounts
Free 0% overdrafts, free railcards and free cash – banks love to reel in new students with goodies...
Our student bank accounts guide takes you through the 5 need-to-knows before giving you a run down of the top student bank accounts for 2023/24.

Student budgeting tips
There's LOTS to think about when going to university, but thinking about how you're going to make your money stretch and budgeting properly should be a TOP priority.
We've got our Student budgeting planner and Student MoneySaving tips to help you get started, then read...
Student FAQs
More student guides
Should you pay for uni upfront?
In September, the new ‘Plan 5’ loans launch for higher education starters from England. This…
Parental contribution info
How much should you contribute to maintenance loan?
Plan 5 English student finance
6 need-to-knows
What student loan plan am I on?
Find what loan you're on
Student loan repayment
Use our guide to work out if you should repay early
Student budgeting planner
Tools and tips
Student bank accounts
Grab the top overdrafts and freebies
Student loans: Scotland
What Scottish students starting uni in 2023 need to know
Student loans: Wales
What Welsh students starting uni in 2023 need to know
Student loans: Northern Ireland
What Northern Irish studnts starting uni in 2023 need to know
English student loans
How they work if you're English and started uni between 2012 and 2022
Student checklist
50+ tips on how to make your student loan go further
Student loan interest at 7.3%
If you have a 'Plan 2' loan, should you panic or pay it off?
Student credit scoring
10 key need-to-knows, including student loans and your credit file
Student credit cards
Everything you need to know about getting a credit card as a student
10 student moneysaving tips
Prepare financially for uni
Cheap mobile tips
Best way to buy a mobile phone, your rights & more
How to get cheap broadband
Do you need fibre? How to switch & much more
Cheap train tickets
Find hidden fares & split tickets
Graduate accounts
Cut the cost of post-uni banking