Universal Credit Student Calculator
Work out how much of your student loan or grant counts as income for Universal Credit, which assessment periods it is taken from, and how much less Universal Credit you get each month. The tool follows the Universal Credit Regulations and the worked examples in DWP guidance.
Universal Credit student calculator
Student income for one year of your course. The first £110 in each assessment period is ignored.
An estimate, not a DWP decision. Read the official GOV.UK guidance for students and report your student finance in your online account.
How student finance affects Universal Credit
Most full-time students cannot claim Universal Credit, but some can. If you are one of them, your student loan or grant for living costs counts as income. DWP takes the loan for the year, spreads it across the assessment periods in which you are studying, ignores the first £110 in each one, and takes the rest off your Universal Credit pound for pound. There is no 55% taper as there is with wages.
The amount used is the maximum Maintenance Loan you could get, not what you borrowed. GOV.UK says this applies even if you did not apply for the loan, did not accept it, took less than the full amount, or got less because a parent, guardian or partner was expected to contribute. Loans for tuition fees are not counted.
Divide your maximum Maintenance Loan for the year by the number of assessment periods in your course year, then take off £110. The result comes off your Universal Credit in each of those periods. With a loan of £10,830 spread over 8 periods, that is £1,353.75 minus £110, so £1,243.75 less Universal Credit a month.
Who can get Universal Credit as a full-time student
GOV.UK lists these groups:
- you are 21 or under, in full-time non-advanced education, and do not have parental support
- you are responsible for a child, including an adopted or foster child
- you live with a partner who is eligible for Universal Credit
- you have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit and live with a partner who has not
- you have had a Migration Notice telling you to move to Universal Credit
- you are disabled, were assessed as having limited capability for work before your course started, and get a disability benefit such as PIP, DLA, Adult Disability Payment or Attendance Allowance
Part-time students who are available for work may also be eligible. Your college or university usually decides whether your course is full-time, and if you attend a full-time course on a part-time basis you are treated as studying full-time. If you study part-time and your course has more than 12 hours a week of non-advanced education, this only applies from 1 September after your 19th birthday, because your parents may still be able to claim benefits for you before then.
Which assessment periods count
Under regulation 68 of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013, student income is counted in the assessment period in which your course, or a new year of it, begins, and in each later period while you are studying. It is not counted in:
- the assessment period in which your summer holiday (the long vacation) begins
- any assessment period that falls wholly within the summer holiday
- the assessment period in which your course ends
Christmas and Easter holidays do not stop the deductions. If your claim starts after the course year has begun, the months before your claim still count when the loan is divided, so each period gets the same share it would have had. The calculator shows those months as counted before your claim.
Maximum Maintenance Loans for 2026/27
For new full-time students from England, GOV.UK lists these maximum Maintenance Loans for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. If your student finance comes from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, use the figure in your own student finance letter.
| Where you live while studying | Maximum Maintenance Loan 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Living with your parents | £9,118 |
| Living away from your parents, outside London | £10,830 |
| Living away from your parents, in London | £14,135 |
| Spending a year of a UK course studying abroad | £12,403 |
| Aged 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year | £4,582 |
Worked example for 2026/27. Your assessment periods start on the 10th. Your course year starts on 21 September 2026 and your summer holiday starts on 5 June 2027. The period from 10 May to 9 June 2027 contains the start of the holiday, so student income is counted in the 8 periods from 10 September 2026 to 9 May 2027. With a maximum loan of £10,830, that is £10,830 ÷ 8 = £1,353.75, minus £110 = £1,243.75 a month, or £9,950 over the year.
Postgraduate loans, grants and special support
- Postgraduate Master's and Doctoral Loans: 30% of the loan counts as student income and the rest is ignored.
- Grants with a loan: a grant is ignored, except any part meant for rent that Universal Credit is also helping with, and any part for someone else who is included in your award.
- Grants without a loan: the grant counts, except parts for tuition or exam fees, disability, residential study away from home, keeping a home elsewhere, a dependant not in your award, books and equipment, travel, and childcare.
- Special Support Loan or Grant: not taken off your Universal Credit. It helps with study costs such as books, equipment and travel, and you may get it if, for example, you are a lone parent or have certain disabilities.
Examples from DWP guidance
DWP's Advice for Decision Making, chapter H6, works through several cases. Indira's loan and grant for the year of £9,000 are spread over 10 assessment periods, so £900 minus £110 gives £790 a month. Imelda claims part way through a one-year course. Her £8,250 loan is still divided by all 9 periods of the course, giving £916.67 minus £110, or £806.67. Alison's £10,000 postgraduate loan counts at 30%, so £3,000 spread over 12 periods gives £250 minus £110, or £140. The calculator gives the same answers for all three.
Student income is only one part of your award. To see the whole picture, try our Universal Credit calculator. If you have a child at nursery, our childcare cost calculator can help with the rest of your budget. For repayments after you finish, see the student loan repayment calculator.
This calculator gives an estimate. DWP decides how your student income is counted, so report your student finance in your Universal Credit account and check your statement.
Frequently asked questions
Can students get Universal Credit?
Most full-time students cannot. You may be able to claim if, for example, you are responsible for a child, live with a partner who is eligible, are 21 or under in non-advanced education without parental support, or are disabled with limited capability for work assessed before your course and get a disability benefit. Part-time students who are available for work may also qualify.
Does my student loan count as income for Universal Credit?
Yes. Loans for living costs count as income. DWP divides the maximum Maintenance Loan for the year by the number of assessment periods in your course year, ignores £110 in each period, and takes the rest off your Universal Credit pound for pound. Tuition fee loans are not counted.
What if I borrow less than the maximum Maintenance Loan?
DWP still counts the maximum you could get. GOV.UK says this applies even if you did not apply, did not accept the loan, took less than the full amount, or got less because someone else was expected to contribute.
Do I get more Universal Credit in the summer holidays?
Student income is not counted in the assessment period in which your summer holiday starts, or in any period that falls wholly within it. So your Universal Credit is not reduced for student income in those months.
How much student income is ignored for Universal Credit?
The first £110 in each assessment period. Everything above that is taken off your Universal Credit.
Does the Special Support Loan count for Universal Credit?
No. GOV.UK says a Special Support Loan or Grant is not taken off your Universal Credit. It is meant for study costs such as books, equipment and travel.