StepEx

Paying for a University of Buckingham two-year degree

A £27,750 two-year degree, a Student Finance England loan that stops at £15,660 or £16,310, and a future earnings agreement for the rest. What an FEA is.

  • £12,090 or £11,440

    Gap after the fee loan

Find courses you could afford

Buckingham teaches four terms a year, so a bachelor’s degree takes two years (eight terms, or nine from a September start) and costs £27,750 in total for UK students. Student Finance England’s tuition fee loan is capped below that: £15,660 on an eight-term degree and £16,310 on nine terms. The rest is paid to Buckingham, or part of it can be deferred under a future earnings agreement (FEA) on the StepEx partner offer; the FEA is explained below.

ItemFigure
Total fee, UK student, two-year degree£27,750 (January 2027 and September 2027 entry)
Student Finance England tuition fee loan£15,660 (8 terms) or £16,310 (9 terms)
Gap after the fee loan£12,090 or £11,440
Maintenance loanAvailable; amount depends on household income
From January 2027New undergraduates apply through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)

Courses for this guide

University of Buckingham in the finder

Enter your details once to see the position on the Buckingham offer. This is an undergraduate degree; the postgraduate loan rules do not apply.

You are seeing example figures, not yours

We have filled in figures for a typical applicant so you can see how the finder works. Change them to yours and every result updates.

Courses with a StepEx loan

StepEx Lender Ltd offers loans for these courses. Approval is not guaranteed.

University of Buckingham

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Two-year undergraduate degree (University of Buckingham)

Undergraduate · Full time · 2 years

StepEx loan: income-based · 34.3% APR representative

Fee
£27,750

Fee for January and September 2027 entry (university page, 7 November 2026)

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

Our ranking is impartial: whether a course has a StepEx loan is not a factor. All courses are ranked by affordability, then graduate pay at 5 years. Courses with a StepEx loan are also shown in a separate section above.

More about how we rank

Top 5 of 15 courses

14 likely affordable · affordable first, then highest graduate pay at 5 years

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University of Buckingham

Fee
£10,300

Fee for Jan 2027 start (2026/27)

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 89%

University of Buckingham

MSc Accounting and Finance

MSc · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£12,000

Fee for Sep 2027 start

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 89%

University of Buckingham

MSc Finance and Investment

MSc · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£12,000

Fee for Sep 2027 start

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 89%

University of Buckingham

MBA Strategic Leadership

MBA · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£13,840

Fee for Jan 2027 start (2026/27)

£634 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 89%

University of Buckingham

MSc Applied Data Science

MSc · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£12,000

Fee for Sep 2027 start

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 83%

Open Affordability or Outcomes on any course for the detail. Courses with a StepEx loan are marked and get no preference in the order. How we work it out

Paying the university directly assumes three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months. Estimates based on the figures shown, not advice. A StepEx loan is subject to identity, affordability and credit checks; approval is not guaranteed.

Why the fee loan does not cover the fee

Buckingham is a private university, and its page says its loan levels are lower than at standard universities: the maximum tuition fee loan is £15,660 on an eight-term programme (£7,830 a year) and £16,310 on nine terms. Buckingham states plainly that its students will not get a loan that covers the full fee. A maintenance loan for living costs is available on top, paid to you in instalments; the amount depends on household income.

What a future earnings agreement is

A future earnings agreement (FEA) is a credit agreement with StepEx Lender Ltd that defers part of the fee. Instead of a fixed monthly amount, you repay a share of your gross income in each month your income is at or above a threshold; in a month it is below the threshold you pay only the monthly platform fee set out on the University of Buckingham page, and nothing towards the deferred fee. Repayments stop at whichever comes first: a set number of repayments, a long-stop date, or a maximum total payable. If you reach the set number of repayments without reaching the maximum total, the rest is written off.

Three things to understand before you apply:

  • You report and evidence your income to StepEx by the due dates. If you do not, or report it inaccurately, you are likely to repay more.
  • The representative APR on the University of Buckingham page is calculated on the earliest repayment the agreement allows. Over a longer period the APR is lower but the total you pay can be higher, up to the maximum total payable shown there. The representative example on the University of Buckingham page shows the figures, the share of income, the threshold and the limits.
  • It is credit. Approval is subject to eligibility and affordability checks. Approval is not guaranteed.

Putting the two together

On January and September 2027 starts the fee is £13,875 a year. The fee loan is paid to the university each year. The StepEx partner offer defers a fixed amount of the fee, set out on the University of Buckingham page; how it sits alongside the fee loan is set out there too. What is covered by neither is paid to Buckingham on its own instalment dates.

Ways to pay

  • Student finance. The tuition fee loan of £15,660 or £16,310, paid to Buckingham, and the maintenance loan, paid to you.
  • Pay the university. Buckingham sets its own instalment dates for the balance.
  • Scholarships and bursaries. Buckingham lists its own on its fees and funding pages.
  • Employer. Some employers fund part of a degree, usually with a condition that you stay for a period afterwards.
  • StepEx loan. On the StepEx partner offer, part of the fee is deferred under a future earnings agreement with StepEx Lender Ltd. Approval is not guaranteed. The representative example is on the University of Buckingham page.

The LLE from January 2027

Buckingham’s page says new undergraduates starting from January 2027 apply through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement rather than the old student finance route. GOV.UK says LLE loans cover courses starting on or after 1 January 2027, with repayment starting when you earn over £25,000 a year and the loan written off after 40 years. The fee loan caps above are Buckingham’s figures for the 2026/27 year; check its page for the LLE amounts when they are published.

A StepEx loan is credit from StepEx Lender Ltd, available on the courses listed on the finance availability page. Approval is not guaranteed. The representative example for each course is on the provider’s page.

Ways to pay

  • SLC

    The government SLC master's loan. The amount depends on where you live.

    How the SLC master's loan works

  • Pay the university directly

    Usually in three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months.

  • StepEx loan

    Available on some courses here. See the representative example on the provider page.

    Check finance availability

Questions people ask

No. A student loan is government credit from the Student Loans Company, repaid through tax at 9% over the threshold for undergraduate plans. An FEA is a private credit agreement with StepEx Lender Ltd, repaid as a share of income reported to StepEx each month, with its own limits and write-off rule.

In a month your income is below the threshold you pay only the monthly platform fee, and nothing towards the deferred fee. The agreement’s long-stop date still runs. See the University of Buckingham page for the charges that apply.

Yes, in full or in part. Ask StepEx for a settlement figure.

Related guides

Sources and dates

Checked 7 November 2026. Figures are for UK students and change each year; check the university's page before you apply. Not advice.

Estimates, not advice.

Questions about these guides? Contact us.