Student finance explained

Whether you apply through Clearing after receiving your exam results or you’ve not yet applied for university, it is important to make sure your student finance is sorted.

You can apply for:

• Tuition Fee Loan to help pay your course tuition fees
• Maintenance Loan to help with your living costs

If you’re thinking of going to university this year, you should apply for student finance as soon as possible. It is recommended that you apply with your first choice of course, but you can change your application later if you need to.

If you have not yet applied for student finance, you can apply now via Student finance login - GOV.UK and you can create an account to apply for student finance for a full-time undergraduate course for academic year 2026/27.
 

To complete your application, you will need your:

• Passport details
• University and course name
• National Insurance number
• Bank account details
   

You can:

• Check your application after you submit it
• Change your course or university
• Update your personal details

Other key dates to remember:

After results day on Thursday 13 August 2026 this is when you confirm your university destination to Student Finance England (SFE). At the start of term this is when you will register at university to enrol onto your course. Around 3-5 days later this is when Student Finance England will release the money to you.

If you need to contact SFE you can via their helpline: 0300 100 0607

There may be some funding support available for you and you can find out more about what support is available at University of Portsmouth London here Scholarships, bursaries and referral awards | University of Portsmouth