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.
The course must have started on or after 1 August 2013 and be an eligible Level 3 or 4 course, eg A Levels. Loans have to be paid back. Repayments don’t start until April 2016 and you won’t have to pay anything back until you earn more than �21,000 a year.
The loan doesn’t depend on your income and there are no credit checks. You can get independent money advice from the Money Advice Service.
You may also be eligible for money from the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan Bursary Fund if you need help with your learning or living costs, eg childcare or accommodation expenses.
You need to apply to your college or training provider directly for the Bursary Fund. You can apply as soon as you’ve received a letter confirming your 24+ Advanced Learning Loan.
In most cases you don’t have to pay back money from the Bursary Fund.
How much you get depends on the:
* type of course
* course fees
* 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.
You can get up to 4 loans, but:
* you can only get one 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
You can apply for a loan to fund each course you take towards your A Levels - up to a maximum of 4 A Levels.
This means you can have up to 8 loans at once if you’re taking each A Level as separate AS and A2 Level courses.
The AS and A2 courses must be in the same subject to qualify for a full A Level.
You can also get 3 more loans for non A Level courses once you have completed your A Levels. Download ‘Terms and conditions’ (PDF, 250KB)
