Advanced Learner Loans

You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to help with the costs of your course if you're 19 or older and the course you are studying is an eligible Level 3, 4, 5 or 6 course.

In order to qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan, you need to:

• be aged 19 or over at the start of your course;
• be undertaking an eligible course at Level 3 to 6 at an approved college or training organisation in England.
• be living in the UK on the first day of your course
• have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years immediately before starting your course
• be a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (this means there’s no restrictions on how long you can stay). You may also be eligible if you: - 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) - are a migrant worker - are the child of a Swiss national - are the child of a Turkish worker.

If you fit the above criteria then you will be eligible for the Advanced Learner Loan.

From 1 August 2017 if you are not resident in the UK, you may still be eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan if you're:

• A serving member of the UK armed forces
• The spouse/civil partner of a serving member
• A dependent parent living with a serving member

The Advanced Learner Loan is not means tested and is not subject to credit checks. You will start to pay back your loan when you finish your course and earn over £25,000 a year.

The application process is easy - you can apply online here or by post using the application forms available to download here. Online applications get processed much quicker than postal applications. Please make sure you have received your Learning and Funding information letter from the College before trying to apply.

Don't forget, if your loan is to cover the cost of an Access to HE Diploma and you progress onto and complete a Higher Education course, the loan is completely written off.