Tuition fees total calculator
Total tuition is the yearly fee multiplied by the course length. England caps full-time fees at £9,790 a year under gov.uk's student finance rules, so a three-year course at the cap comes to £29,370. This calculator also shows how much of that a tuition fee loan can cover.
That yearly fee is above the £9,790 England cap, so the loan is limited and the rest is self-funded.
How is the total tuition fee worked out?
Tuition is charged per year, so the total is the annual fee multiplied by the number of years on the course. A three-year degree at the England cap of £9,790 a year, set out on gov.uk's student finance pages, comes to three times £9,790. Change the fee or the length and the total moves straight away, which makes it easy to compare a three-year and a four-year course, or a placement year.
The tool then shows how the tuition fee loan sits against that total. For a fee at or below the £9,790 cap, the loan can cover the whole amount and is paid directly to the university, so nothing is paid upfront. If a fee is above the cap, the loan is limited and the difference shows as an estimated amount to fund another way. This tool covers tuition fees only, not living costs.
Does this apply outside England?
No. The fee used here is the England position, and gov.uk decides which nation's rules apply by where a student normally lives rather than where they study. Its eligibility guidance routes a student who lives in Scotland to the Student Awards Agency Scotland, one who lives in Wales to Student Finance Wales, and one who lives in Northern Ireland to Student Finance NI.
Each of those bodies sets its own fee and funding arrangements, and they differ from England's. Student Finance Wales and Student Finance NI both provide a tuition fee loan paid directly to the university. A student who does not normally live in England should check the figure with the body for the nation they live in before relying on this total.
What would three years at the cap cost?
Take a three-year course at £9,790 a year. The total tuition is £29,370. Because the fee is at the cap and the tuition fee loan is taken, an estimated £29,370 is covered and paid to the university, leaving £0 to fund another way. That loan is normally repaid later through payroll, not during the course.
Common questions
How much are tuition fees in the UK?
Full-time tuition in England is capped at £9,790 a year, so a three-year course is about £29,370 in total. Fees can be lower at some providers and for some courses, but few charge less than the cap for a standard degree.
Do I have to pay tuition fees upfront?
No. Most eligible full-time students in England take a tuition fee loan that is paid straight to the university, so no money changes hands upfront. You only repay later, through your payslip, once you earn over the repayment threshold.
Does the tuition fee loan cover the whole fee?
For a standard fee at or below the cap, yes, the tuition fee loan can cover the full amount. If a course charges above the cap, or you are not eligible for the full loan, the difference has to be paid another way, which the tool shows as the self-funded amount.
Is tuition the only cost of university?
No. Tuition is the fee for teaching. Living costs, rent, food and travel, are separate and usually add up to more than the fees over a course. A maintenance loan helps with those, but rarely covers them in full.
Does a longer course cost more in fees?
Yes. Fees are charged per year, so a four-year course costs a full extra year of tuition compared with three. The tool multiplies the annual fee by the number of years, so changing the course length changes the total directly.
How is the total tuition fee worked out?
The tool multiplies the yearly fee by the number of years on the course, then compares that total against how much of it a tuition fee loan can cover. England's cap for full-time courses is £9,790 a year, under gov.uk's student finance rules, so a fee at the cap over three years comes to three times that figure. Changing either the fee or the length updates the total straight away.
What would three years at the cap cost?
A three-year course charged at the England cap of £9,790 a year comes to £29,370 in total tuition. If the tuition fee loan is taken and the fee sits at or below the cap, the loan can cover that full amount, leaving nothing to fund separately for tuition, though living costs are separate.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.