UniCost
What a UK degree really costs — and what it leaves in the payslip
Debt at graduation
£57,188
3 years, interest at 4.1%
Monthly repayment, year 1
£12
9% of £26,600 assessed income above £25,000
Written off after
40 yrs
£187,189 written off, incl. £130,001 unpaid interest
Total actually repaid
£54,602
£54,602 of it interest · £0 principal
Unsaved model — your assumptions are kept on this device automatically.
Your assumptions
Everything below feeds the charts. All figures are in today's money.
Student & course
Age 18 when the course starts in 2026.
All figures are in today's money, so the fee cap stays flat unless you expect above-inflation rises.
Maintenance loan
Take a maintenance loan
Turn off to model tuition-only borrowing
Away, outside London (2026/27 rates): full rate £10,830 up to £25,000, minimum £5,048 from £62,410.
Means-tested entitlement for this combination: £8,512. Override if you know the exact award.
Career & salary
Illustrative UK graduate averages — adjust as needed.
Paying it off faster
Set to £0 to model the mandatory deduction only.
For example a gift, inheritance or savings pot put straight against the loan.
Overpaying only pays off if the loan would otherwise be cleared before the write-off date. The comparison below shows interest saved against the extra money actually handed over.
Plan 5 loan terms
£25,000 under current Plan 5 rules. Kept in today's money so it stays comparable with the salary you enter.
Official Plan 5 rate: 4.1% from 1 September 2026 (source: gov.uk). Rates are normally set each 1 September from the previous March's RPI and can be temporarily capped.