Student money decisions

Understand the financial reality of university.

Compare borrowing, study costs, future salary deductions and illustrative earnings scenarios before making decisions that can shape the next several years.

Explore the real cost Check salary deductions

Your assumptions stay in your hands.

  • No credit check
  • No bank connection
  • No university integration or student list required
  • Your university cannot see your individual information
  • You control every assumption
  • Nothing changes automatically
  • Planning guidance, not regulated financial advice

Interactive university comparison

The real cost of university

Explore borrowing, study costs, future salary deductions and illustrative earnings scenarios in one place. Change any assumption to see how the comparison moves.

Your assumptions

The starting values are examples for a student from England in 2026/27. Replace them with your own reasonable assumptions.

Course and borrowing
years
£
£
Annual cost of attending
£
£
£
£
Earnings comparison
£
£
%
%
years

Your comparison

What the assumptions suggest

England 2026/27

Estimated borrowing before interest

£61,860

Estimated monthly deduction

£53

at expected starting salary

Total cost of attending

£71,370

Costs not covered by borrowing

£9,510

Illustrative scenarios

University versus no university

These are sensitivity checks based on the salary assumptions you entered, not forecasts of what you will earn.

Illustrative additional lifetime earnings

+£727,776

gross, before tax, NI or pension

Estimated loan repayments

£127,156

over up to 40 years in work

Estimated balance written off

£16,625

under the selected repayment-plan assumptions

Illustrative net financial difference

+£514,220

after modelled study costs, foregone earnings and repayments

Illustrative break-even point

Year 12

within the selected working period

Borrowing before interest, the balance that may build over time and the amount actually repaid are different figures. Repayments are modelled from earnings above the selected plan threshold. The estimated remaining balance is treated as written off at the end of the current plan term.

Important assumptions

  • Salary, career progression and time in work can differ substantially by course, institution, region and personal circumstances.
  • Earnings are gross and do not include income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions or periods out of work.
  • Student finance rules, thresholds, interest and write-off terms can change.

Based on these assumptions, university may result in higher lifetime earnings, but it may also reduce take-home pay through student-loan deductions. The outcome depends on your course, career, earnings and time in work.

Plan around real decisions

Before, during and after university

Start with the decision in front of you. Each route leads to an existing Affordit plan, tool or practical guide.

Struggling with essential costs?

Your university may provide hardship funding, accommodation support or confidential financial guidance. Affordit does not replace these services.

Search your university website for student support, hardship funding or money advice.

Private planning, with support when you need it

A university can direct students to Affordit without connecting its systems or providing a student list. Affordit does not share individual financial inputs with the university and does not replace hardship funding, wellbeing, accommodation or student-support services.

How the comparison works

Affordit compounds the selected earnings assumptions year by year, models student-loan deductions above the chosen repayment threshold, and compares them with study costs and earnings potentially forgone during the course.

The lower, expected and higher results are sensitivity checks. They are not predictions, guarantees or recommendations about whether to attend university.

Assumption set: England 2026/27

Academic year: 2026/27

Effective from: 2026-08-01

Last reviewed: 2026-07-24

Written by the Affordit Editorial Team

Affordit guidance and product content

Published 24 July 2026Updated 24 July 2026Reviewed 24 July 2026

Primary sources

These official sources support the rules or regulated concepts referenced on this page. Check them for the latest position before acting.

Student money questions

Does university always lead to higher lifetime earnings?

No. Graduate outcomes vary substantially by course, institution, region, occupation and personal circumstances. Affordit shows lower, expected and higher illustrative scenarios so that one headline average is not presented as a promise.

Is the student loan balance the same as the amount I will repay?

Not necessarily. UK student-loan repayments are generally based on earnings above the threshold for your repayment plan, rather than the outstanding balance alone. Rules and thresholds can change.

Does Affordit decide whether university is worth it?

No. The experience helps you compare financial assumptions and trade-offs. It cannot measure the personal, educational, career or social value of a course, and it does not tell you what decision to make.

Can my university see the figures I enter?

No. A university cannot see your individual Affordit inputs through this page. Affordit does not connect to your bank or run a credit check.

Which student finance rules does the comparison use?

The default example is for a student from England in 2026/27. The assumptions are effective from 2026-08-01 and include current Plan 5 and Plan 2 settings. Always check GOV.UK for the latest rules.

Is this financial advice?

No. Affordit provides educational planning guidance only. It is not financial, careers, tax or investment advice and does not guarantee future earnings or repayment outcomes.

Turn the next decision into a plan.

Bring a goal, savings, income and monthly costs together to see the practical monthly reality before you commit.

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