Advanced learner loan
If you're aged over 19, you may be able to receive help towards the costs of fees for your course.
Key facts about Advanced Learner Loans:
- The minimum loan amount is £300.
- A loan can be taken out and used to pay the full or partial amount of the tuition fees.
- Your household income does not hinder your ability to apply.
- There is no credit check involved.
- Interest on the loans is low and linked to inflation.
- Any balance outstanding will be written off after 40 years.
Getting a loan doesn't depend on your household income and you will not have to pay back a penny until you are earning more than £25,000 a year. After that, your repayments will be deducted directly from your salary and you will pay back 9% of however much you earn above £25,000. Even if your income doesn’t exceed £25,000 a year but is over £480.77 a week or £2,083.33 a month at any point in the year (e.g. if you work overtime) then a loan deduction will be made.
If your Level 3 course is an Access to Higher Education course and you go on to successfully complete an undergraduate degree then your Advanced Learner Loan will be written off!
If you are approved an Advanced Learner Loan, you could also apply for the for Advanced Learner Loan Bursary, this bursary is to support learners who are 19 and over and are a low income with the additional costs incurred by the course
Additional infomation
Whether you qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan depends on when your course is scheduled to start.
- You must be 19 or older on the first day of your course.
- Loans can only be used to fund the following types of qualification:
Access to Higher Education Diplomas, vocational qualifications including technical and professional qualifications at Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If the loan is for an Access to Higher Education course and you subsequently go on to complete your degree then you won’t have to pay back your Advanced Learner Loan.
- You must be living in the UK on the first day of your course.
- You have been living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before starting your course.
- You are a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (this means there are no restrictions on how long you can stay).Â
You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan using an online application form available on the GOV.UK website.
To apply online, you must first have been issued with a Learning and Funding Information Letter (LAFL). You will receive this only once you have been accepted onto the course and the loans portal is open to applications (usually at the end of May).
The loan amount you are able to receive will depend on the type of course you take and how much the fees are for the course. The minimum loan you can receive is £300.
For more information, please take a look at the following websites:
Need further assistance?
Please get in touch with the Advice & Guidance Centre:
