Is the maintenance loan enough for you to live on?

While tuition fees in the UK are rising in line with inflation, the same can’t be said for maintenance loans which, according to a new survey, fall more than £500 short of covering student living expenses

What is a student maintenance loan?

It's a government loan to help you cover your daily living expenses while studying at university. Loans are means tested, so whether you're eligible to receive one and how much you get if you are, depends on your:

• age
• household income
• living arrangements
• and where you plan to study.

If you're eligible for a maintenance loan it's paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term.

See student loans and finance to learn more about maintenance loans and the amount you can receive in the 2025/26 academic year.

How much do students spend on living costs?

To know whether maintenance loans stretch far enough we first need to know how much students are spending and findings from the National Student Money Survey 2025, which polled 1,151 students, show that on average students spend £1,142 per month on living expenses such as:

• rent
• food
• socialising and eating out
• bills
• transport
• shopping.

This figure varies by region, and as you'd expect, students in London spend the most (£1,269), while those in Northern Ireland spend the least (£977).

Is the maintenance loan enough for students to live on?

In a nutshell? No, not according to the survey, which was conducted by Save the Student.

To put it in context, the Student Loans Company (SLC) has revealed that the average maintenance loan received by students in 2024/25 was £7,678 (£640 per month). But if you're spending £1,142 per month on essential living costs, that leaves a £502 financial gap for you to fill.

The shortfall has come about due to the increase in the cost of living and maintenance loan grants failing to keep pace with rising inflation.

Tom Allingham, Save the Student's money expert said 'This year's survey results confirm what we've long feared: that failing to tie maintenance loans to rising costs would lead to a never-ending cost of living crisis for students. Maintenance loans must increase to catch up with inflation and reverse years of real-terms cuts.'

How are students making up the shortfall?

To help plug the gap more than half (58%) of surveyed students said they work a part-time job, while 52% rely on their parents for financial support, receiving on average £146 per month. In fact, mum and dad would be the first port of call in a cash emergency according to 57% of those surveyed.

However, thanks to rising living costs putting increased pressure on UK households, parents are unable to give the same level of financial assistance that they used to, with the average parental contribution in 2025 (£146) being £25 less than the previous year.

More worryingly 61% admitted to skipping meals in order to save money, with 39% saying they do so occasionally and 22% claiming to do so often.

If you're in need of extra funds read our advice on how to save money as a student. As well as working part time, you could also consider seasonal work such as summer jobs, or making money off from your hobbies by starting a side hustle.

What are the consequences of this financial pressure?

Unsurprisingly the survey found that 76% of students worry about making ends meet and this worry negatively impacts other areas of their lives, such as their:

• social life (59%)
• diet (52%)
• mental health (50%)
• sleep (39%)
• relationships (32%)
• grades (30%).

To help combat the worry discover five ways to manage student stress and read up on looking after your mental health at university.

'Financial worries can affect all aspects of the university experience. It's a very tough situation and there are no easy solutions,' says Chris Rea, head of strategic relationships and Hedd, at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ (Jisc). 'Being prepared for managing your budget is vital. Think about every area where it is possible to economise. Make sure you get plenty of advice and support when you get to university. Schemes such as the Cost of Living Support Fund can help bridge the money gap.'

What's being done to bridge the financial gap?

The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced on 29 September that maintenance grants will be reintroduced in England for students from the lowest income households who are studying 'priority courses that support the industrial strategy.'

Scrapped in 2016, the grants will make a comeback in a targeted, means-tested format ensuring that cost is not a barrier to accessing higher education. Funded by a new International Student Levy, which will make sure that revenue from international students is used to benefit domestic students, the grants will cover courses at Levels 4 to 6.

'We're delighted by the Education Secretary's announcement that maintenance grants will be reintroduced in England,' says Tom.

'However, we'd urge the government to think bigger and expand eligibility beyond so-called 'priority courses'. We'd like to see grants offered to all students - and, crucially, in addition to existing funding, not instead of.

Simply replacing a chunk of the loan with a grant will make no difference to the intense financial struggles students face, and the number one thing they need right now is more money in their pockets.'

Set to be reintroduced by the end of Parliament (Parliaments last for a maximum of five years, so July 2029, unless it's dissolved earlier) further details on maintenance grants will be laid out in the Autumn Budget.  

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