Student Loans | How to Pay | The Open University

England

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The following table gives example repayment amounts (for illustrative purposes only):

Income each year before tax Income each year before tax	Monthly repayment Monthly repayment
Up to £25,000 Up to £25,000	£0 £0
£27,000 £27,000	£15.00 £15.00
£30,000 £30,000	£37.50 £37.50

Even if you’re earning over the income threshold, you won’t have to start repaying your loan for up to four years.

Here’s how it works for our most popular qualifications:

Qualification Qualification	Years to complete Years to complete	Loan repayments start Loan repayments start
Degree with honours Degree with honours	6 years part-time study 3 years full-time study 6 years part-time study 3 years full-time study	4 years after course start Up to 1 year after you finish the course 4 years after course start Up to 1 year after you finish the course
Diploma of Higher Education Diploma of Higher Education	4 years part-time study 2 years full-time study 4 years part-time study 2 years full-time study	4 years after course start 1 year after you finish the course 4 years after course start 1 year after you finish the course
Certificate of Higher Education Certificate of Higher Education	2 years part-time study 1 year full-time study 2 years part-time study 1 year full-time study	1 year after you finish the course 1 year after you finish the course 1 year after you finish the course 1 year after you finish the course

Please note: if you finish your course or leave it early, you’ll start repaying your loan the first April after you leave the course.

The interest rate will be based on the RPI (Retail Price Index).

However, as the amount you pay back is based on how much you earn and not how much you owe, the amount of interest added to your loan won’t ever affect the amount you pay each month.

If you haven’t finished repaying your loan after 40 years, it will be written off, and your monthly payments will stop.

If you’re looking to re-skill in subjects such as science, computing or mathematics, you may be eligible for a loan to study for a further honours degree.

To see a list of eligible qualifications, visit our Loans for degree holders in England page.

If you want to start your studies with the OU in October 2026, you’ll apply for funding as part of your registration process. First, register with us for the qualification you'd like to study, then choose your modules and tell us you'll be applying for a loan. You’ll then apply online via Student Finance England for a Part-Time Tuition Fee Loan for the 2026/27 academic year. You’ll apply for a Part-Time Tuition Fee Loan even if you plan to study at a rate equivalent to full-time.

Student Finance England is expected to open loan applications for October 2026 starts in May 2026. It can take Student Finance England up to eight weeks to finalise applications, so apply as early as possible to ensure your funding is in place in time to start your course.

If you want to start your qualification in February or April 2027, loan applications are expected to open in September 2026. We’ll update this section with the latest guidance before the application window opens.

Learn more with our step-by-step guide to applying for a Tuition Fee Loan.

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