Advanced Learner Loans

• 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.

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.

You must be aged 19 or older on the first day of your course.

The course must be:

• a Level 3, 4, 5, or 6 qualification, for example, an A level or graduate certificate
• at an approved college or training provider in England

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.

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

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.