The Student Loans Company reported £5.7 billion in student finance for the United Kingdom’s 2026-27 opening term, covering money sent to students and tuition payments made on their behalf.
The total includes £2.7 billion released to education providers for October tuition, alongside £3 billion in maintenance loans paid to students in September. The company said most scheduled first-term payments had been issued.
Students who applied after the deadline may initially have received a minimum maintenance loan and a tuition loan so they could begin their term, the company said. It will provide any remaining funding as a top-up after checking the required application information. SLC said a review may take up to four weeks and urged students to apply early.
Students whose courses begin Jan. 1 or later will use the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), SLC said. Applications for the LLE are scheduled to open by the end of October 2026.
SLC described the £5.7 billion total as provisional. It plans to publish full-year figures in the Student Support for Higher Education statistical release on Nov. 26.
