Maintenance grant
The maintenance grant is a non-repayable, means-tested allowance of up to £3,475. The maximum amount is payable to students with a household income of £19,203 or less a year, and a partial amount is paid on a sliding scale up to a household income of £41,065.1Reg 58 E(SS)(NI) Regs If you can apply for means-tested benefits, the maintenance grant is treated as income when working out your (or your partner’s) entitlement, so you should apply for the special support grant instead (see here). Part of the maintenance grant substitutes part of the student loan for living costs (see here). This means that if you receive any maintenance grant, the amount of loan for living costs you can receive is reduced, up to a maximum of £1,887.2Reg 66 E(SS)(NI) Regs If you get a full maintenance grant of £3,475, the maximum amount of student loan for living costs is reduced by £1,887. If you get a maintenance grant of more than £1,318 but less than £3,475, your loan is reduced by an amount equal to £1,887 less £1 for every £17.25 that your household income exceeds £19,203. If your grant is £1,318 or less, the loan is reduced by the amount of maintenance grant paid.
See here for how your household income is calculated and here for how it affects your student support. The way the grant affects a loan is slightly different for teacher training students. Check with Student Finance NI, or your students’ union or university advice service.
Examples
Laura is a single, independent student studying in Belfast. She starts her course in October 2022. Her household income is £2,000. She receives the maximum grant of £3,475 and can take out a student loan of up to £2,953 (the maximum rate of £4,840 less £1,887).
Anna is 18 and lives with her parents in Armagh. She starts her course in Belfast in October 2022. Her household income is £21,500, which means she receives a maintenance grant of £2,921.
Her household income is £2,297 above the lower limit of £19,203. This £2,297 is divided by 17.25 to give £133. This is subtracted from the maximum loan deduction of £1,887 to give £1,754.
Anna’s maximum loan entitlement is therefore £3,750 – £1,754 = £1,996.
Iain is 19 and starts his course in Coleraine in October 2022. He receives a maintenance grant of £800. The maximum amount of loan he can receive is reduced by £800.