24+ Advanced Learning Loan

How we can help:

1. Check with your college or training provider that the course qualifies;
2. Ask them for a ‘Learning and funding information’ letter - you need this to complete the application. It contains the details about your course;
3. Prepare and submit your application form;
4. You’ll get a letter confirming your loan - usually within 2 weeks if you apply online (postal applications take longer).

Who can apply:

You can apply for a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan to help with the costs of a college or training course if you’re 24 or older.

Whether you qualify for a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan depends on your:

• course (course must start between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2015, and be a Level 3 or 4 qualification - eg A Levels);
• college or training provider (you must be studying at a college or training provider in England approved for public funding);
• age (you must be 24 or older on the first day of your course).

Nationality or residency status

You will qualify to obtain the loan if you:

• 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’s no restrictions on how long you can stay)

You may also qualify if you’re:

• an EU national or a family member of one
• a refugee
• a migrant worker
• the child of a Swiss national
• the child of a Turkish worker

How much you get depends on the:

• type of course
• course fees
• the maximum loan available for your course

The minimum loan you can get is £300.

You don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course - you can pay for some of it yourself.

How the money is paid - The money is paid directly to your college or training provider.

How many loans can you get? - How many loans you can get depends on your course.

Non A Levels

You can get up to 4 loans, but:

• you can only get 1 loan at a time
• you can’t apply for another loan to repeat the same level of a course (eg you can’t get a loan to fund a Level 3 certificate in French when you’ve already had a loan for a Level 3 certificate in Italian)

A Levels

For A Levels (including AS and A2 qualifications) you can apply for up to 4 loans at the same time - 1 for each A Level you take.

You can also get 3 more loans for non A Level courses.

What else you need to know

• You can’t apply until you get a ‘Learning and funding information’ letter from your college or training provider.
• Your course must start between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2015.
• You can apply for a loan without a National Insurance number but you must have one before the loan can be paid.
• Repayments don’t start until April 2016.
• You pay back your loan (plus interest) when you finish your course and earn more than £21,000 a year. Your repayments will stop if your income drops below £21,000 a year.
• Your monthly repayment amount will be 9% of any income you earn over £21,000;
• The loan doesn’t depend on your income and there are no credit checks. 

Example
Your repayments would be:

• £7 a month - if you earned £22,000 a year
• £30 a month - if you earned £25,000 a year