SAAS funding calculator
See your 2026/27 SAAS bursary and loan from the two things that decide it: your household income band and whether you count as a young or independent student.
Rates taken from the official source and last checked on 12 September 2026.
Scotland uses bands, not a slope
SAAS funding moves in steps. Your household income puts you in one of four bands, and the band fixes your bursary and loan exactly; earning £1 more only matters when it tips you across a band edge. That makes the Scottish system the easiest of the four nations to predict, and it pays the same wherever in the UK you study.
What changes the answer is your status. A young student (under 25 and financially dependent) gets the Young Students' Bursary of up to £2,000. An independent student (25 or over, married or in a civil partnership, or self-supporting) gets a smaller bursary of up to £1,000 but a larger loan, up to £10,400 against £9,400. At the lowest incomes both arrive at the same total; the difference is how much of it must be repaid.
The bands
| Household income | Young student | Independent student |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £20,999 | £2,000 + £9,400 = £11,400 | £1,000 + £10,400 = £11,400 |
| £21,000 to £23,999 | £1,125 + £9,400 = £10,525 | £0 + £10,400 = £10,400 |
| £24,000 to £33,999 | £500 + £9,400 = £9,900 | £0 + £9,900 = £9,900 |
| £34,000 and above | £0 + £8,400 = £8,400 | £0 + £8,400 = £8,400 |
Every loan figure includes the £2,400 Special Support Loan, matching how SAAS presents its own tables. Whatever the band, £8,400 of loan is available without any income assessment at all.
Worth checking before you settle for these figures
Care-experienced students and students estranged from their parents are funded on separate, more generous terms rather than through these bands. SAAS also runs the Lone Parents' Grant and Disabled Students' Allowance on top. If any of those describe you, apply and let SAAS assess it rather than assuming the band table is your answer.
The rest of the UK
The other three nations run their own systems: the England calculator, the Wales calculator and the Northern Ireland calculator. Your funding follows where you normally live, not where you study.
Common questions
How much SAAS funding will I get in 2026/27?
Find your household income band. Below £21,000 a young student gets a £2,000 bursary plus a £9,400 loan; the bursary steps down through £1,125 and £500 as income rises, and from £34,000 the package is a £8,400 loan only.
What is the difference between a young and an independent student?
Age and dependence. Under 25 and supported by parents counts as young; 25 or over, married, or self-supporting counts as independent. Independent students get less bursary and more loan, so the same total arrives with more of it repayable.
Does it matter where in the UK I study?
Not for these amounts. SAAS pays Scottish students the same bursary and loan whether the course is in Glasgow, Cardiff or London, which no other UK nation does: the other three all pay more for London.
Do I have to pay the bursary back?
No. The bursary is a grant in all but name. The loan is repaid after you finish, through payroll, as a percentage of earnings above a threshold; Scottish borrowers repay on Plan 4 terms.