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/:

1. studio.youtube.com → Create → Upload videos
2. Drag out/loan-reform-shorts.mp4
3. Paste the title, description, tags from the section above
4. No, it's not made for kids · Education category
5. Click "Mark as posted (manual)" in dash after the Shorts URL is live