Interest on Plan 2 loans is capped
Interest on Plan 2 student loans in England has been capped at 6 per cent. Plan 2 covers most people who started an English undergraduate course between 2012 and 2023, and the cap limits how fast a balance grows — it does not change the repayment threshold, which is the part that determines what leaves your pay each month. Check which plan you are on before working out what this means for you. Student finance explained covers both.
If your household income has dropped, you can be reassessed
The Student Loans Company has published guidance for parents and partners on applying for a current year income assessment — the route to have a maintenance loan recalculated when household income has fallen by a meaningful margin since the tax year used. Redundancy, retirement or reduced hours all qualify, and the reassessment can be worth thousands. It is applied for, never automatic.
Student Loans Company, 7 April
“Our claims of employability have lost credibility”
A former policy director warns that universities’ employability claims no longer stand up, with careers services measured on activity rather than outcomes in a market where graduate vacancies have fallen for two years. For students the useful response is to judge a careers service on what it actually gets you: an employer contact, a mock assessment centre, a reviewed application. Graduate jobs in the UK covers what to ask for.
How international students say they feel about their city
Leeds international students describe life there — the cost, the welcome, and a persistent worry about whether they will be able to stay after graduating. The last of those has grown through a year of visa restrictions, and it now shapes decisions about where to apply as much as course or ranking.