University cost calculator
This tool adds tuition and living costs across a degree, then subtracts the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan entered to show the funding gap. Tuition is capped at £9,790 a year for a full-time course in England, under gov.uk’s student finance rules, though maintenance loan amounts depend on personal circumstances.
How is the total cost of university calculated?
The tool multiplies the yearly tuition and living figures by the number of years to get a total cost for the whole course.
It then subtracts the money that loans provide.
The tuition fee loan normally covers fees in full and is paid straight to the university, under gov.uk’s student finance rules.
The maintenance loan entered helps with living costs, and what remains after both loans is the funding gap.
That gap matters more than the headline total, because neither loan is cash in hand for fees.
The tuition fee loan never reaches a student’s bank account, and the maintenance loan usually falls short of real living costs.
The monthly figure spreads the gap evenly across the course to show roughly what has to come from wages, savings or family support each month.
Does this apply outside England?
No. The fee used here is the England position, and gov.uk decides which nation's rules apply by where a student normally lives rather than where they study. Its eligibility guidance routes a student who lives in Scotland to the Student Awards Agency Scotland, one who lives in Wales to Student Finance Wales, and one who lives in Northern Ireland to Student Finance NI.
Each of those bodies sets its own fee and funding arrangements, and they differ from England's. Student Finance Wales and Student Finance NI both provide a tuition fee loan paid directly to the university. A student who does not normally live in England should check the figure with the body for the nation they live in before relying on this total.
What would a three-year degree cost, as an example?
Take a three-year degree with fees at £9,790 a year, the England full-time cap set out on gov.uk, and living costs of £12,000 a year.
The total cost is £65,370.
With the tuition fee loan covering all £29,370 of fees and a maintenance loan of £8,400 a year, £54,570 is covered by loans.
That leaves an estimated funding gap of £10,800, roughly £300 a month across the three years.
Common questions
How much does university cost in the UK?
Tuition is capped at £9,790 a year for a full-time course in England, so a three-year degree is about £29,370 in fees alone. Living costs add several thousand more a year, so the full three-year cost often lands between £45,000 and £60,000 before any loan support.
Does the tuition fee loan cover all the fees?
For most full-time students in England the tuition fee loan covers the fees in full and is paid straight to the university, so you do not pay upfront. The tool assumes this by default, which is why the funding gap is driven mainly by living costs, not fees.
What is the funding gap?
It is the money left over once the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan are counted. The maintenance loan rarely covers all living costs, especially away from home, so the gap is what a student and family have to find from work, savings or other help.
How big is the maintenance loan?
It depends on where you study, whether you live at home, and household income. The largest loans go to students living away from home outside London on lower household incomes. Put your expected yearly loan into the tool to see the gap it leaves.
Is the funding gap the same as debt?
No. The loans become debt you repay later through the payslip once you earn over the threshold. The funding gap is different: it is the cash shortfall during the course itself that loans do not cover, so it usually has to come from work or family support at the time.
How is the total cost of university calculated?
The tool multiplies yearly tuition and living costs by the number of years to reach a total, then subtracts the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan entered. The tuition fee loan normally covers fees in full and is paid direct to the university, under gov.uk’s student finance rules. What is left after both loans is the estimated funding gap, shown as a total and as a monthly figure.
What would a three-year degree cost, as an example?
On fees of £9,790 a year, the England full-time cap, and living costs of £12,000 a year, a three-year course totals £65,370. With the tuition fee loan covering fees and a maintenance loan of £8,400 a year, £54,570 comes from loans, leaving an estimated funding gap of £10,800, about £300 a month.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.