The Student Loans Company (SLC) said it paid £0.8bn in first-term Maintenance Loan payments into students' bank accounts across the UK on Monday 21 September 2026, according to the report published that day. The payment was described as the biggest date at the start of the 2026/27 academic year and followed a further £0.8bn paid earlier in the month. SLC said it expected to pay a total of £3bn in maintenance funding by the end of September.

The report said similarly timed payments were £0.9bn in September 2024 and £1.1bn in September 2025. Tuition Fee Loan payments go directly to higher education providers later in the autumn, and payments are released once a student's university or college confirms registration or enrolment. SLC said it texts students a few days before the expected payment date.

The company also advised students to check their online accounts and to be alert to scams targeting payments. It said it paid out £12.9bn in loans and grants to new and existing students, plus £11.9bn in tuition fees to higher and further education providers, in 2025/26.