Answers · UK 2025/26
How much is the postgraduate loan repayment in 2026/27?
For 2026/27 you repay 6% of everything you earn above £21,000 a year on a Postgraduate Loan. For example, on a £30,000 salary you repay 6% of £9,000, about £540 a year or £45 a month. Postgraduate Loan repayments are charged on top of any undergraduate loan you also have.
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A Postgraduate Loan, used for many masters and doctoral courses in England and Wales, has its own repayment rules separate from undergraduate loans. For 2026/27 the repayment threshold is £21,000 a year, and you repay 6% of any income above that threshold. This is a lower percentage than the 9% charged on undergraduate Plans 1, 2 and 5, but the threshold is also lower. As an example, if you earn £30,000 a year, your income above the threshold is £9,000, so you repay 6% of £9,000, about £540 a year or roughly £45 a month. On a £40,000 salary the calculation is 6% of £19,000, about £1,140 a year. Crucially, if you also have an undergraduate loan, the two repayments are charged separately and stack on top of each other. So a graduate with both a Plan 2 loan and a Postgraduate Loan earning £40,000 would pay 9% above £29,385 on the Plan 2 loan plus 6% above £21,000 on the postgraduate loan, which can be a significant combined deduction. Repayments are collected automatically through PAYE if you are employed, alongside Income Tax and National Insurance, or through Self Assessment if self-employed. As with other student loans, you pay nothing in any period when your income is below the threshold, and any remaining balance is written off after the set repayment term. Use a student loan repayment calculator to model your postgraduate repayments, including the effect of also holding an undergraduate loan.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.