An Advanced Learner Loan helps with the costs of further education courses. Content provided by Student Finance England.
If you’re aged 19 or over and studying an approved course at Level 3, 4, 5, or 6 at an approved college or training provider in England, you can apply for an Advanced Leaner Loan.
Eligibility for the loan doesn’t depend on your income, and there are no credit checks. Interest is charged from the date the first payment is made to the college or training provider.
The Advanced Learner Loan, plus any interest, has to be paid back, but not until you’ve finished or left your course, and your income is over the repayment threshold.
What's available?
The amount available depends on:
- your course
- the fees charged by your college or training provider
You can choose the amount you want to borrow, up to the maximum available. This is then put towards the fees charged by your college or training provider. The minimum you can borrow is £300.
Colleges and training providers may charge more than the maximum loan available. You’ll need to self-fund any difference between your loan and your course fee.
How many loans can you get?
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A levels
- You can apply for a loan to fund each course you take towards your A levels, up to a maximum of four A levels.
- This means you can have up to eight loans if you’re taking each A level as two separate courses.
- The courses must be in the same subject to qualify as a full A level.
- You can get three more loans for non-A level courses, either before or after your course of A levels.
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Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund
You can also apply to get money from the Loan Bursary Fund.
This money can help pay for things such as:
- accommodation and travel
- course materials and equipment
- childcare
- classroom assistance for a disability or learning difficulty
You should speak to your college or training provider to find out more, and to apply for the bursary.
Eligibility
Whether you qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan depends on your:
- course
- age
- nationality and residency status
- previous study
Student Finance England has created an eligibility tool to use if you’re considering an Advanced Learner Loan.
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Course information
You must be aged 19 or older on the first day of your course.
The course must be:
-
Course length
The course must last at least two weeks to be eligible for funding, but there’s no maximum time limit in which you have to complete your course. However, there are maximum limits on how long Student Finance England can pay a loan for.
The following table shows the maximum amount of time Student Finance England can pay a loan for, depending on the course.
Course |
Maximum time limit |
AS or A level |
Two years |
QAA Access to Higher Education Diploma |
Two years |
Certificate |
Two years |
Diploma |
Three years |
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Nationality or residency status
You must usually:
- be living in the UK on the first day of your course
- have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for three years before starting your course
- be a UK national, or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK)
You may also qualify if you:
- are a UK national, or someone with settled status, but you live somewhere else in the European Economic Area (EEA)
- are an EU national, or a family member of one
- have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)
- are a refugee, or the relative of one
- are an EEA or Swiss migrant worker, or the relative of one
- are the child of a Swiss national
- are the child of a Turkish worker
- have been granted humanitarian protection, or you’re the relative of someone who has been granted humanitarian protection
- are a stateless person* (including any eligible family members)
- are granted leave to remain (or enter and remain, depending on domicile), under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016*
- you're granted indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence or abuse (for new students starting a course on or after 1 August 2020).
- you're granted 'Calais leave' to remain, or are a child of someone granted 'Calais Leave' to remain (for new students starting a course on or after 1 August 2020)*.
*To be eligible under Section 67 or Calais Leave, you must have been living in the UK for at least three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.
Most EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals starting courses on or after 1 August 2021 will not be eligible for support from Student Finance England.
Students whose courses start before 1 August 2021 will continue to get student finance for the rest of their course. Find out more on GOV.UK.
If you live outside of England, you may also be eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan if you’re:
- a serving member of the UK armed forces
- the spouse or civil partner of a serving member
- a child, step-child, or adoptive child living with a member of the UK Armed Forces serving outside of England
- a dependent parent living with a serving member
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Previous Advanced Learner Loans
You can usually only get a maximum of four Advanced Learner Loans.
The exception to this is if you’re studying an AS or A level, where you can apply for up to eight loans, and can still get a further three loans for courses that are not AS or A Levels. Previous study won’t affect your entitlement to your first loan.
You’ll be able to get up to four loans for the same type of vocational qualification. However, you’ll still only be entitled to one loan for a programme of A levels, or an Access to HE Diploma.
How to apply
To apply for an Advanced Learner Loan, simply follow these steps:
- Check with your course provider that the course qualifies for an Advanced Learner Loan
Your college or training provider should then send you a 'Learning and Funding Information' letter. You need this to complete the application.
- Apply online
If you've applied for student finance from Student Finance England before, you should use the same login details.
They'll ask for information about:
- your personal details, National Insurance number, and contact information
- your nationality and residency
- your course
- how much you'd like to borrow
- Student Finance England will write to you to confirm your loan
This will usually be within two weeks, if you applied online – paper applications will take longer to process.
You should check the information on the letter to confirm the amounts and course details are correct. Make sure you let Student Finance England know immediately if anything is wrong, or has changed since your application.
If Student Finance England needs more information or evidence, you should send this as soon as possible to avoid any delays with your payments.
Any other forms Student Finance England may ask for can be found at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.
Change of circumstance
If your circumstances change, this can affect your eligibility. You can update your information using your online Student Finance England account. You can also change your loan amount using Student Finance England's loan request form.
If you can’t update your information online, you should contact Student Finance England.
How it's paid
Payments are made directly to your college or training provider each month. Your attendance must be confirmed before any payments will be made.
Confirmation of attendance
Your uni or college will need to confirm your attendance two weeks after you’ve started your course, and every three months after that.
If you stop attending your course
If you stop attending at any point, your uni or college should let Student Finance England know as soon as possible, so they can stop any further payments.