Changes to maintenance loans and tuition fees from 2025–26

As a result, tuition fees for UK students in England are going up by 3.1% next year, to £9,535 – an increase of £285. 

But that's not necessarily as huge a change as it sounds.

The increase in fees won't have any impact on the amount students repay each month, which is fixed at 9% of anything you earn over £25,000 a year. This is exactly the same as it is now, and doesn't change based on how much you owe. 

Also, the government’s own stats suggest that roughly half of students won’t repay in full, because any outstanding debt is written off 40 years after you start paying. It’s only if you earn enough to actually pay off your loan early that the fee increase will affect you – as you'll have to make those monthly payments for longer to pay off the loan.

Finally, the new higher fees will still be covered in full and upfront by a tuition fee loan from the government – so there's no need for you to pay for any of it until you graduate and start repaying your loan.

At the same time, the amount of money you can access to support your living costs will also go up by 3.1% next year. For University of Brighton students, that means an increase in the maximum maintenance loan of £317.

Why are these changes happening?

Students have increasingly been feeling the effects of the rising cost of living, impacting everything from accommodation to food shopping and phone bills. Because of this, the Government has decided to raise maintenance loans – the loan that helps you with your living expenses as a full-time student.    

The Government has also made the decision to increase maximum tuition fee limits to help universities cover the cost of providing education. Fees have not been increased in seven years, which means they have not kept in line with inflation.

What will this mean for repaying my student loan?

It might sound complicated, but it's pretty simple once you know what you're doing.

Under the current system, once you earn more than £25,000 a year, you pay back 9% of whatever you earn over that amount – and that's staying the same even with tuition fees increasing.

So, if you want to work out how much you might repay every month:

• Pick a salary over £25,000 and then subtract £25,000 from it to work out how much you're over the threshold. So, if you earn £35,000 a year, that's a £10,000 difference.

• Grab a calculator and multiply that by 0.09 to work out what 9% of that is, which will be how much you pay each year. So, sticking with the same example, 9% of £10,000 is £900 a year.

• And then because Student Loan repayments are usually done monthly, divide the yearly amount by 12 to figure out how much you'll repay every month. So again, same example, if we divide £900 by 12, you'll see it works out to £75 a month.

And you can just apply the same logic to any salary. If you earn £30,000, you pay £37.50 a month and you’re left with £2,462.50 a month before paying any other taxes. If you earn £40,000 you pay £112.50 a month and you’re left with £3,220.83 before tax… and so on.

But crucially, the tuition fee rise won't change that. That's still how much you'll end up paying and that's still how much you'll be left with, before tax.

What does my tuition fee pay for?

Here at Brighton, essential aspects of your course are covered by your tuition fee, including learning materials, uniforms and protective clothing, use of specialist software, access to specialist and industry-standard facilities and equipment, as well as any compulsory study trips and field work. 

Your tuition fee also enables us to support you with important services, facilities and resources including mental health and wellbeing support and careers and employability services.

What financial support is available for University of Brighton students?

Going to university is a great investment, but we know the cost can be a worry. We’ve launched the Brighton Boost to help you to make the best possible start – with funding and support to help you with the cost of living and university services that will make everyday things just that little bit easier throughout your time here.

Depending on your circumstances you could get support worth up to £1,250 to help with your first-year study, accommodation or travel costs if you make Brighton your firm choice and start your course with us in 2025.

There’s also a wide range of other support available including bursaries, scholarships and hardship support.