CATEGORY: Education & Finance
DESCRIPTION: Going to university later in life presents different financial challenges than going at 18. Here's what mature students need to know about funding, loans, and managing the cost.

SECTION: Who Is a Mature Student?
In UK higher education, a mature student is generally defined as someone who starts university aged 21 or over. Mature students make up a significant minority of the UK student population and face a distinct set of financial challenges compared to school leavers: they may have mortgages, dependants, existing financial commitments, and fewer years of working life in which to repay student debt.

SECTION: Tuition Fees and the Student Loans Company
Tuition fees at most UK universities are capped at £9,535 per year for 2025/26 (England). As with younger students, mature students can access a Tuition Fee Loan from the Student Loans Company to cover the full fee. This loan is paid directly to the university and is repaid only when your income exceeds the repayment threshold (currently £25,000 per year for Plan 5 borrowers).

Age is not a barrier to tuition fee loans, but there are some restrictions: you must be under 60 at the start of your course to access the full tuition fee loan. Students aged 60 or over may only access partial loans.

SECTION: Maintenance Loans for Mature Students
Maintenance loans help cover living costs — accommodation, food, travel, and books. The amount you receive depends on your household income, where you're studying, and whether you live at home or away. For 2025/26, the maximum maintenance loan for students outside London is around £10,227.

For mature students who are parents, the Childcare Grant (up to 85% of childcare costs, with a cap), Parents' Learning Allowance, and Adult Dependants' Grant may also be available and significantly increase the total support package. These grants don't need to be repaid.

SECTION: Part-Time Study: A Different Financial Calculation
Many mature students choose to study part-time while continuing to work. Part-time students can still access tuition fee loans but maintenance loans are not available for part-time study. However, studying part-time allows you to maintain employment income, reduce the size of any debt incurred, and potentially use employer funding if your course is work-related.

Some employers offer tuition reimbursement for employees studying relevant courses — worth exploring before assuming you'll fund the degree entirely yourself.

SECTION: Disabled Students' Allowance
If you have a disability, mental health condition, or specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia or ADHD), you may be eligible for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). This is a non-repayable grant that covers additional study-related costs arising from your disability, including specialist equipment, non-medical helpers, or travel. Apply through Student Finance England (or the equivalent body in your nation).

SECTION: Distance Learning and Degree Apprenticeships
Traditional full-time attendance isn't the only route. The Open University offers flexible part-time degree study with full loan access, allowing students to study from home. Degree apprenticeships — where you earn a salary while completing a degree — are available in a growing range of sectors and effectively mean studying for free while being paid.

Degree apprenticeships are typically employer-sponsored and accessed through employers rather than UCAS. The gov.uk apprenticeship finder shows available degree apprenticeships by sector and location.

SECTION: The Repayment Reality for Mature Students
Student loan repayment for Plan 5 (the scheme for those starting from 2023 onwards) works as 9% of income above £25,000 per year. Crucially, the loan is written off after 40 years.

For a mature student who starts a degree at 35, repayments would begin at around 38 and run until 75 — potentially for the full working life. However, if income remains modest, many mature students never clear their loan and it's written off. The loan is not a traditional debt in the conventional sense: it's income-contingent and self-extinguishing. For many mature students, viewing it as a graduate tax rather than a debt provides a more accurate mental model.

SECTION: SimpleMoney Verdict
Going to university as a mature student is financially viable — but it requires honest planning. Understand the full loan available to you (including grants you may not know about), consider whether part-time study makes sense, and don't be deterred by the headline loan figures. The repayment system is designed around ability to pay, not the absolute amount borrowed.