Loan Application for Student Loans

The simple short answer on applying for student loans is to visit the student finance website (now called Student Finance for England and is under the umbrella of direct.gov.uk) - The longer version is shown below on what you can expect to receive to help pay your tuition fees and if any grants or bursaries are available.

Student Loan Application Deadline

You need to ensure you get your application in good time. The general deadline for the majority of courses is 31st May after your term begins. The absolute deadlines are:

• For full-time students send in your student loan finance application no later than nine months after the start of the academic year.
• For part-time students no later than six months after the start of the year.

The sooner you process the paperwork, the faster the money gets sent to your university.

Applications by Term Start Date

You can apply at any time before these dates and don't need a confirmed place to begin the process.

Online Loan Application

For students starting in the current term, you can apply for all your student loans and repayments online at the government's website. If you don't want to do this, you can also use the old method and apply in writing from the same website. The online process is simple where you just need to enter your details.

The general student loan only covers tuition fees (see below) and you can also use the same application to apply for a maintenance loan for living expenses. Other specialist grants and bursaries that may be offered by your college or university have a separate process.

Most grants are strictly means tested and limited, although you don't need to pay them back. Find more information on student grants available and the student university bursaries on this site.

Student Loans - an Overview

Loans For Tuition

Although there is more information about the loans here, we have provided an overview of what it is for and how to pay it back.

• The standard student loan is to cover tuition fees now charged by colleges and universities in the UK.
• This loan is not means tested (i.e., not based on your parent's income).
• It's at favourable interest rates based upon inflation rates and run by the Student Loans Company.
• You only have to pay the loan back once employed and earning over an agreed threshold.
• If you do not pay it back because you are not employed, then interest incurs each month.
• If you have not paid it back after 30 years, the government writes off the debt, and you will never have to pay it back.
• Any balance remaining after 30 years gets written off as well. So if you've paid some back, the rest is cleared.
• You can get a new loan for each year of your course.

Loans for Maintenance

The standard student loan only covers your annual tuition fees, and if you need an additional loan to cover living expenses, you can apply to have a maintenance loan. This advance differs slightly depending on where you're based (in London the available loan is higher). This type of advance is not means tested, and you can also get a loan if you're living with your parents while studying.

Tuition and Maintenance Grants

All government backed grants for tuition and maintenance are no longer available. Although you can still receive a range of grants in certain circumstances, the base level grant system ceased several years ago.

How to Apply

To apply for any of the finance options, you need to go online to the following addresses:

• New students need to apply online at the government's website.
• Continuing students should log into their online account