The graduate finance library
Briefings for decisions that last decades.
Evidence-led explanations of UK student-loan plans, repayment decisions and the saving options that compete for the same money.
Decisions & analysis
The questions borrowers actually face: which plan you are on, when the balance is cancelled, and whether extra payments make sense.
01
Which student loan plan am I on?
Answer three quick questions to find your plan, then confirm it against the plan the Student Loans Company has you recorded on.
7 min
02
When is a student loan written off?
Every plan cancels what remains after a set period. The clock starts the April you were first due to repay, and for older loans, age matters.
6 min
03
How student loan interest works
Rates reset every 1 September from March RPI. What each plan charges now, what changes next, and why interest does not decide your monthly payment.
8 min
04
Should you overpay your student loan?
GOV.UK itself warns you might not benefit from extra repayments. The deciding question is whether you would clear the loan before write-off.
7 min
05
Overpay your student loan or save in an ISA?
The same £100 a month can shorten a loan or build savings. Which wins depends on write-off, rates and whether you might need the money back.
6 min
06
Class of 2026: what graduates will really repay
Our repayment engine projects what the first full Plan 5 cohort will repay across six starting salaries, and it is the middle earners who pay the most.
6 min
Plan briefings
How each repayment plan works (thresholds, interest and write-off) and how the plans compare on the same salary.
07
Plan 1 student loans explained
Understand Plan 1 repayments, interest and write-off rules for earlier England/Wales and Northern Ireland loans.
6 min
08
Plan 2 student loans explained
Thresholds, the income-based interest scale, Wales vs England and the write-off test, with worked figures from the verified rules.
8 min
09
Plan 4 student loans explained
Understand Plan 4 repayments, interest and write-off rules for SAAS-funded loans in Scotland.
6 min
10
Plan 5 student loans explained
England’s current plan: the lowest threshold, RPI-only interest and a 40-year term, with worked figures from the verified rules.
8 min
11
Postgraduate loans explained
See how the England/Wales Postgraduate Loan repays, accrues interest and is written off.
5 min
12
Plan 2 vs Plan 5 student loans
Two English graduates, same balance, same salary, very different outcomes. What actually separates Plan 2 and Plan 5.
5 min
13
Plan 1 vs Plan 2 student loans
The 2012 fee reform split a generation. What it means for what each side actually repays.
5 min
14
Plan 4 vs Plan 5 student loans
Scotland has the highest repayment threshold of any plan, England the lowest. What that gap is worth.
5 min
15
Plan 2 vs Plan 4 student loans
Where you were funded matters more than where you live. Plan 2 and Plan 4 side by side.
5 min
ISAs & saving
The saving options that compete for the same money as a loan overpayment.
16
Cash ISA changes from April 2027
Find out what is changing to cash ISAs from April 2027 and how to prepare.
4 min
17
Lifetime ISA guide
Learn how the 25% bonus works and when a Lifetime ISA makes sense.
5 min
18
Cash ISA vs stocks & shares ISA
Compare cash and stocks and shares ISAs to choose the right home for your savings.
4 min