YouTube Shorts · UK Student Loan Reform 2026 for September Starters
YouTube upload details (paste these)
Title (paste exactly, under 100 chars):
UK Student Loan Reform 2026: What September Starters Actually Need to Know #Shorts
Visibility / Audience / Category: Public · No, it's not made for kids · Education
Description (paste in the description field):
Worried about UK student loan reform after the recent news? If you are starting university in England in 2026/27, the short answer is: you are on Plan 5, not Plan 2, and the published Plan 5 terms on GOV.UK still apply to your application today.
Full breakdown (£25,000 threshold, 9% above, RPI only, 40-year wipe, and what to actually do this month):
https://unistart.app/blog/uk-student-loan-reform-2026-september-starters
Book a free consultation with UniStart:
https://unistart.app/booking
UniStart helps adult and EU applicants returning to UK university.
#Shorts #StudentFinance #StudentLoan #Plan5 #UKUniversity #MatureStudent #SeptemberIntake #UKStudent
Tags (comma-separated, paste in the tags field):
uk student loan reform 2026, plan 5 student loan, plan 5 vs plan 2, uk student finance 2026, mature student uk, september intake 2026, uk university adult, student finance plan 5, return to study uk, eu student uk
Cinematic script (4 scenes + outro)
Identical shape to the IG Reel — single MP4 serves both surfaces.
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 (Shorts thumbnail)
Editorial photograph in warm natural light: a calm woman in her mid-30s at a kitchen table reading printed documents, soft afternoon light. British domestic interior. Important: large clean negative space across the upper third of the image for a bold headline overlay.
Headline overlay in the upper third: "PLAN 5, NOT PLAN 2" in clean uppercase serif, brand blue (#1a57c8). Optional sub-line: "What the loan reform news really changes". No logos in image.
Render command
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
Auto-uploads MP4 + poster JPG to R2 + patches metadata on both the YT and IG drafts because the JSON includes uploadTargets.
Upload steps
After MP4 is in out/:
- studio.youtube.com → Create → Upload videos
- Drag
out/loan-reform-shorts.mp4 - Paste the title, description, tags from the section above
- No, it's not made for kids · Education category
- Click "Mark as posted (manual)" in dash after the Shorts URL is live