The amount you can get depends on your course, the tuition fees charged by your college and the maximum amounts set by the Government. The minimum loan amount is £300. You can take out a loan for the maximum amount to cover your tuition fee or you can pay all or part of the tuition fee yourself.
Repaying your advanced learner loan is straight forward:
-Repayments start the April following the completion of your course
-Your monthly repayments will be based on your income, not what you borrowed
-You'll only start making repayments when your income is more than £25,725 per year
-Repayments are made directly through the tax system
-You'll only pay back 9% of any income above £25,725 a year, see the table for examples of what you'll repay
| Income each year before tax | Monthly repayment |
| Up to £25,725 | £0 |
| £27,000 | £9 |
| £29,500 | £28 |
| £31,000 | £39 |
| £33,000 | £54 |
| £35,000 | £69 |
No. Getting a loan doesn't depend on your income, and credit checks aren't carried out.
No. There's no upper age limit.
If you meet the residency criteria, you'll be eligible to apply for a loan.
Once you've decided on the qualification you wish to do, you'll need to contact the college who will be able to confirm whether there are places available on the course. The college will provide you with a Learning and Funding Information letter, which provides all the information you'll need to make a loan application.
You will use the information from the college to complete an application via http://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan
Yes, applying online is quick and easy. You can register and apply online now at: http://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan
You can also download an application form.
You will need to provide details about your course and the fees, which will be provided to you in the Learning and Funding Information letter from the college.
A National Insurance number is required in order for the loan to be paid to the college on your behalf. This may mean that you'll need to arrange an appointment with your local Job Centre to have one assigned to you.
Yes. As long as your course started on or after August 1st this year. It's possible to apply for a loan at any time during your course, but not after you've completed it.
Applications submitted online that don't require any further supporting evidence (because you've provided your valid UK passport details) should be processed within two weeks. If you don't apply online or don't send the evidence required, the application process will take longer.
If you decide before the start of your course you no longer want to undertake your course or you don't want to take out a loan for the course, log onto your online student finance account and follow the instructions. Your loan application will be cancelled and you won't have any loan to repay.
No loan payments will be made to your college on your behalf until you've attended the course for at least two weeks. If you leave the course after more than two weeks, you'll be liable to repay the loan payments made to the college on your behalf, for the time you have been on the course.
It'll depend on how much of the course you've undertaken. If you've done less than two weeks you can simply cancel the loan and this will not count against you.
The Advanced Learner Loan only covers the tuition fee you're being charged by the college for your course. However, the college may be able to provide financial support for course related costs for those facing financial hardship.
Yes. Previous qualifications you've achieved won't affect your ability to apply for your first loan. However, you might not be able to get another loan to do the same type of course at the same level.
Repayments will start in the April after you complete or leave your course, if you are earning more than £22,000 a year. However you can make voluntary repayments at any time in order to pay off your loan quicker.
You'll need to consider whether it's the best value loan for you in your circumstances. If you want impartial advice on managing your money, contact the Money Advice Service at: http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/
Yes. If you go abroad the Student Loans Company (SLC) will make arrangements with you to collect repayments whilst you are outside of the UK tax system. However, if you move abroad the repayment thresholds will vary according to price level indices for that country. You will be required to pay a fixed instalment to be calculated by the SLC.
Some of the interest on your loan will be based on inflation (Retail Price Index (RPI)) + 3% during the period of study and up until the end of April after you leave the course.
The Retail Price Index (RPI) is a measure of UK inflation. It measures changes to the cost of living in the UK. The UK government uses the rate or RPI for many purposes, including setting the interest rate charged on student loans.
