IG Reel · UK Student Loan Reform 2026 for September Starters

Caption (EN)

The news about student loan reform made you nervous about applying for September? Read this first.

If you start a UK undergraduate course in 2026/27, you are on Plan 5, not Plan 2. The debate in the news is mostly about Plan 2 borrowers already repaying.

Plan 5 terms published on GOV.UK and applying to your application today: £25,000 repayment threshold 9% above the threshold RPI-only interest 40-year write-off

The bigger risk is not the loan terms moving. It is missing the September 2026 intake because the headlines made the decision feel too uncertain.

Full guide link in bio.

Hashtags (EN)

#UKStudent #MatureStudent #StudentFinance #Plan5 #SeptemberIntake #UKUniversity #ReturnToStudy #StudentLoan #AdultLearner #UniLife

Cinematic script (4 scenes + outro)

Scene 1 — Hook

• eyebrow: STUDENT LOAN REFORM 2026
• headline: Worried about the loan reform news?
• primaryValue: Plan 5
• primaryLabel: Your plan if you start 2026/27
• supportingFact: The news is mostly about Plan 2 borrowers
• tone: neutral
• photoFilename: loan-reform-scene-1.jpg

Scene 2 — Which plan?

• eyebrow: WHICH PLAN ARE YOU ON?
• headline: It is Plan 5 for new starters
• primaryValue: Sep 2012 → Jul 2023
• primaryLabel: Plan 2 cohort window
• supportingFact: Aug 2023 onwards is Plan 5 territory
• tone: neutral
• photoFilename: loan-reform-scene-2.jpg

Scene 3 — Plan 5 numbers

• eyebrow: PLAN 5 TERMS 2026/27
• headline: Published on GOV.UK
• primaryValue: £25,000
• primaryLabel: Repayment threshold
• supportingFact: 9% above · RPI only · 40-year wipe
• tone: positive
• photoFilename: loan-reform-scene-3.jpg

Scene 4 — Action

• eyebrow: WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH
• headline: Apply now, do not wait
• primaryValue: Sep 2026
• primaryLabel: Intake still open
• supportingFact: First repayment not due until 6 April 2027
• tone: positive
• photoFilename: loan-reform-scene-4.jpg

Outro

• hook: Do not let the headlines decide for you.
• ctaText: READ THE GUIDE
• ctaUrl: https://unistart.app/blog/uk-student-loan-reform-2026-september-starters
• subline: UniStart: UK Student Finance for EU & Mature Students
• photoFilename: loan-reform-outro.jpg

Cover prompt (Reel cover image)

A calm, focused woman in her mid-30s sitting at a kitchen table in a modest British home, late afternoon soft window light, reading a printed document. Warm cinematic colour grading. Text overlay area at the top: "STUDENT LOAN REFORM 2026" in clean uppercase serif. No logos in image.

Upload steps

Render MP4 with:

cd ~/Documents/GitHub/Content_Factory/video-pipeline/demo
node scripts/render-shorts.mjs --script /tmp/loan-reform-shorts.json \
  --out ./out/loan-reform-shorts.mp4 \
  --composition cinematic

After render, auto-upload to R2 + sync drafts because the JSON has uploadTargets.

Upload to Instagram Reels:

1. Open IG → New Reel
2. Add MP4 from out/loan-reform-shorts.mp4
3. Add the cover image (R2 poster auto-generated as reels/<id>.jpg)
4. Paste Caption (EN) + Hashtags (EN)
5. Add the blog link to bio via Linktree / direct
6. Publish

Mark as posted in dash after publishing.