19+ Advanced Learner Loans

Available to Further Education Students only

19+ Learner Loan Overview

If you are aged 19 or over and are thinking about further education, you may be eligible for a Advanced Learner Loan, for help with your tuition fees.

Applicants must be studying further education at level 3 to level 6.

Most learners that fall into this bracket will be eligible, it doesn’t depend on your household income and there’s no credit check!

Am I eligible?

To qualify for this loan you must be:

19 years old or over on the first day of your course (there’s no upper age limit)
Living in the UK on the first day of your course, and have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years immediately before this
Taking an eligible course that’s level 3 to level 6

What can I get?

The Advanced Learner Loan, to help pay your tuition fees. The minimum loan you can get is £300 but the maximum will depend on how much the fees are and the type of course you take.

You don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course – if you wish to pay some of it yourself, and take the rest as a loan, you can choose to do that.

How is the loan paid?

The money is paid directly to the College.

How many loans can I apply for?

You are entitled to access up to 4 loans, which you can take out one after the other or at the same time.

You will need to complete an application form for each course.
You are restricted to only one loan for the completion of an Access to Higher Education Diploma Course.

Repayments

Repayments are linked to what you earn and not how much you borrow.

You will start to repay your loan in the year after you finish studying or after three years from the start of your course, whichever is earlier, if you are earning more than £27,295.
Repayments will automatically be deducted from your earnings through the tax system, once you have left the course and your income is £27,295 a year.
If your income falls below £27,295, your repayments will stop.
The repayment rate is 9% of your income, above the first £27,295 before tax, so for example, if you were earning £30,000 a year your monthly repayment would be £37.50
You can pay some, or all of your loan at any time without an extra charge.
Any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years.

Access to Higher Education (HE)

If you get a loan to cover tuition fees for the Access to HE course and then complete a higher education (degree) course, you won’t have to repay the remaining loan for the Access course.