Investing in your future.
Enter what a programme will really cost you and see the payback based on real, sourced UK salary data — not a guess.
For guidance only — not financial, careers or professional advice. Figures are illustrative estimates based on third-party UK data (sourced below) and may not reflect your personal circumstances or a specific programme's real cost. Always confirm actual fees with the provider directly. See our Terms of Use for full details.
Your details
Based on the 2026/27 undergraduate tuition fee cap of £9,790/year in England, over a typical 3-year full-time degree. Postgraduate (Masters) programmes typically cost less overall — see below. Source: gov.uk: Changes to tuition fees, 2026 to 2027 academic year. Know the real figure for a specific programme? Type it in above.
Software & Development — 5-year projection
Payback point
Year 4
Net position after 5 years
£34,630
| Year | Band | Salary | Net position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | studying | — | £-29,370 |
| Year 2 | studying | — | £-29,370 |
| Year 3 | studying | — | £-29,370 |
| Year 4 | junior | £32,000 | £2,630 |
| Year 5 | junior | £32,000 | £34,630 |
This is an illustrative estimate based on real, published UK median salary data (junior for the first 2 years of the career, mid for years 3-5, senior from year 6), compared against a flat current-salary baseline — it isn't a forecast, a guarantee, or financial, careers or professional advice. Work-based routes like apprenticeships earn a salary from day one; a full-time Degree doesn't pay anything during the years you're studying (modelled here as "Studying" rows) — the career-salary timeline only starts once that route actually starts paying you. Sources: ONS ASHE Table 14, 2024 (revised) · IT Jobs Watch: Software Developer / Junior Software Developer / Senior Software Developer (UK) · Harvey Nash: Software 2026 UK Hiring Outlook · Coding and Software Development Job Market Report (UK), Learning People / Adzuna, Jun 2026 · Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 (Technology). Full data sources & methodology · Terms of Use.
How student loans actually work
Plan 5 — for undergraduates starting on or after 1 August 2023.
Repay threshold
£25,000/yr
Repayment rate
9% above threshold
Interest
RPI only
Written off after
40 years
Tuition Fee Loan — Covers your tuition fees in full, paid directly to your university or college — not means-tested, so every eligible student can borrow the same amount regardless of household income.
Maintenance Loan — A separate loan for living costs, means-tested against household income. Household income at or below £25,000 gets the maximum; it tapers down between £25,000 and £62,343 (no reduction is applied below £42,875); everyone eligible still gets at least a partial, non-means-tested minimum amount. 2026/27 maximums: £15,285/year in London, £10,544/year away from home elsewhere, £8,877/year living at home, or £12,074/year studying abroad.
How to apply — Apply online via your Student Finance England account at gov.uk — the Tuition Fee Loan goes straight to your provider and the Maintenance Loan is paid directly to you in termly instalments. It typically takes around 4 weeks to process.
Interest — Interest is capped at RPI inflation only (no extra percentage on top), currently 3.2% (1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026) — set each September based on the previous March's RPI.
Worked example: on a £32,000/year salary, you'd repay about £53/month — 9% of the amount you earn above £25,000, taken automatically from your pay like tax.
Worth knowing: this isn't like a commercial loan. There's no credit check to get one, it doesn't show up on your credit file, repayments stop automatically the moment your income drops below the threshold, and after 40 years anything still owing is written off completely — whether or not you've paid it all back.
Sources: gov.uk: Student finance for undergraduates · gov.uk: Student finance — how you're assessed and paid, 2026 to 2027 · gov.uk: Repaying your student loan; gov.uk: How interest is calculated — Plan 5 · gov.uk: Apply online for student finance. Figures verified 2026-07-20, apply to the 2026/27 academic year and change annually — always check current rates on gov.uk.