UCAS Clearing Student Finance: Essential Considerations and Advice

While the clearing process provides a lifeline for students, it's crucial to understand the financial considerations that come with it. The issues put forward for student finance by entering into Clearing are relatively easy to deal with.

Both UCAS and the Student Finance company have very easy guidelines to follow. These guidelines will cover all aspects of student finance and ensure that every student is provided with enough money to start the term, even if their student finance application is still under review, or if they went through Clearing.

What should I do?

First, you need to immediately alert Student Finance England to any changes you have made immediately. The sooner, the better. You will need to let the company know what course you are studying, at what university, and your start date.

From there, the Student Finance company will tell you what to do next. They will tell you who you need to speak to, how your payments will be made and what kind of student loan plan you will likely be on when you graduate.

Already applied for student finance?

If you've already applied for student finance, it should be pretty simple to get things moving. You will need to log in to your Student Finance account on the government website and then follow these simple instructions:

• Go to Your Account.
• Click undergraduate student finance applications.
• Click manage your student finance and then view and manage your applications.
• Click change your application, and then click it again.
• Click university/college and course.
• Make the necessary changes.
• Click submit once confirming the changes.

UCAS will then receive these changes. From there, both UCAS and the Student Finance Company will make the necessary changes to your account to see how much student finance you are entitled to.

You need to tell student finance if the price of your tuition fees have changed. If your living situation will change, you should inform them as well. This could affect how much you can receive if you decide to live at uni halls over staying at home and commuting.

If you can’t make the changes online, you can also complete a CO1 Form from the account and upload it. Student finance will then make the changes for you.

Haven’t applied for student finance yet?

It’s not a problem if you do not already have your student finance sorted before entering Clearing. You should do, but it’s still possible to work things out.

Applications for student finance can take several weeks. The usual wait time for your student finance application to be accepted is usually around six weeks. Despite this, UCAS and student finance will ensure that you have some money to begin your studies, even if your application will take some time to be sorted out.

What about EU students?

EU students will have a slight advantage over students from the UK in terms of applying for Clearing. Typically, the results for the international baccalaureate are released on or around the time of Clearing officially opening (5th of July, 2025), which is almost always ahead of when A-Level, T Level and BTEC results are released (21st of August, 2025). This means that EU students will be able to get their applications in sooner than students from the UK.

EU students who do not meet the qualification criteria for standard residency have alternatives open to them. EU students in this predicament can still apply for the Tuition Fee Loan, which will take around six weeks. Otherwise, the process for applying for student finance after Clearing is the same for EU students as it is for UK students.

How much am I entitled to if I haven’t applied yet?

How much you are entitled to will depend on where you are studying. Typically, the Student Finance company will award you with the minimum amount of your Maintenance Loan.

Typically, the amount you are entitled to is:

Source: Gov.uk

The maximum amount of your maintenance loan is based on the general household income. If your circumstances change or you are entitled to financial aid from your university, this may also factor into the amounts.

What do I need to tell Student Finance to get paid?

For you to receive your maintenance loan, you need to hand over certain details to the student finance company to be paid.

These are:

• Confirmation of registration from your college or university
• National Insurance number
• Valid UK bank details

If your household income has changed, you should tell student finance as soon as possible. Your parents or partner needs to give their income details as well so that your payments aren’t delayed.

If your household income has dropped after applying and going through Clearing, you may receive more student finance.

When am I paid my money if I applied late?

Your Maintenance Loan is paid on the first day of term. Your Maintenance Loan is split into three different payments, which are at 33% of the overall loan, another 33%, and a further 34%.

If you have applied late, your first payment may be less than you first thought. This is because you will likely have taken the minimum amount of your Maintenance Loan, to begin with, and will simply have the rest paid afterwards.

Am I still entitled to grants, bursaries and scholarships after Clearing?

Yes, you are. You will need to speak to the university directly and sort this out, however. We recommend doing this on your initial Clearing call beforehand.

When speaking to a university for Clearing, ask them about the financial options they have available and the deadline date for applications. Try to get organised before starting your course so that you don’t have to worry about money while you start your studies!

After doing this, you will need to inform the Student Finance company. You will need to disclose what amount you are receiving and may need to provide some evidence of this to the company.