Advanced Learner Loans
Aged 19 or over and thinking about further education? You may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan. These loans help you to pay the fees charged by colleges and training organisations. Most learners aged 19 and over, studying at Level 3 to 6, will qualify for these loans from the UK Government. It’s easy to apply, your household income isn’t taken into account and there’s no credit check. You won’t have to pay anything back until your income is over the repayment threshold.
Nationality or Residency Status
In most cases, all of the following must apply:
be living in the UK on the first day of your course,
have been living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course
be a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (this means there are no restrictions on how long you can stay)
You may also qualify if you’re:
are an EU national or a family member of one
are a refugee –
have humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for asylum) –
A migrant worker
The child of a Swiss national
The child of a Turkish worker
a stateless person , or a relative of one (To be eligible as a ‘stateless person’ you must: – be a new student starting on or after 1 August 2018 – have been ordinarily and lawfully resident in the UK and Islands for 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
a serving member of the UK armed forces (or their spouse or civil partner or a dependent parent living with them) not resident in the UK and your course started after 1 August 2017.
Here are some key facts about the loan:
Repayments are linked to what you earn and not how much you borrowed.
You only have to start making repayments when you’ve finished your course and you’re earning over £26,575 a year. Until then you don’t need to pay back anything, but you can make voluntary repayments at any time.
You pay 9% of the money you earn over £26,575, before tax. For example, if you earn £27,000 a year, your monthly repayment will be £9 a month; and if you earn £30,000 a year, it will be £32.00 per month.
Interest is charged on a sliding scale between the Retail Price Index (RPI) and RPI +3%, depending on how much you earn.