The Maintenance Loan will probably be your main source of cash while you're at uni.

When do Student Loans come in?

When your Maintenance Loan comes in depends on which part of the UK you're from and when your uni's term officially starts.

But, no matter where you're studying, you'll need to register for your course before you receive your first student finance payment. This is September for most students, so we advise making registration one of the first things you do when you start uni!

Beyond that, there's a little more variation.

Students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales receive their Maintenance Loans in three chunks throughout the year. Usually, these are in September, January and April, but this may vary depending on when your uni's semester officially starts.

Similarly, the exact date you receive your Student Loan is unlikely to be the same as your friends. It's typically paid on the first day of term, and as unis are often several weeks apart on this, there's no reason to worry if your friends receive their loans before you.

If you're from Scotland, things are slightly different - your loan arrives on the 7th of each month, or the closest working day to it. The first payment is usually a double instalment too, with the first and second payments lumped into one.

This means you won't get three massive payments like students from elsewhere in the UK. But, on the plus side, the monthly system does make it easier to keep to a budget.

Student Finance loan payment dates 2026/27

To help you figure out when your next Student Loan payment is due, this is when you'll receive your Maintenance Loan payments in 2026/27:

• Students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales - In or around September 2026, January 2027 and April 2027
• Students from Scotland - On the 7th day of each month.

Sources

Save The Student
Student Maintenance Loans 2026

By Save The Student
Save The Student is the UK's leading student money website, helping you budget your money, make sense of student finance, look for part-time jobs, find extra funding and more. Founded in 2007, the website provides free and impartial guides, tools and verified deals to tackle the real-life money problems students face at university.