Advanced Learner Loans

Don’t let fees hold you back from the perfect course – our advanced learner loans help thousands of people get the qualifications they need to succeed.

Due to the success of our previous 24+ loans in helping our students achieve nationally recognised qualifications, we have altered the age restriction to allow people as young as 19 to apply for the loan.

They won’t affect your credit rating. These loans aren’t means tested and aren’t based on your income or current financial situation. This means that you can take out an advanced learner loan if you need it to pay for your course or not.

Repayment is generous. With an advanced learner loan you won’t have to pay a penny back until you’re earning more than £25,000 a year. When you start earning this amount, you’ll only pay back 9p in every £1 of what you earn above it.

You can take out up to four loans at once. They can be used to pay for vocational, technical and professional qualifications at Level 3 and above. This means you can take them out to pay for A Levels, Access to Higher Education, some apprenticeships, and a number of other courses at Weston College.

It’s low interest and easy to repay. Repayments will be automatically calculated by your employer and taken from your salary. While you’re studying you’ll only be charged the Retail Price Index (RPI) + 3%. If you finish your qualification and are earning £25,000 a year or less you’ll only be charged RPI + up to 3%. If you earn over £25,000 you’ll only be charged the RPI + up to 3%. 

Plus, Student Finance England will write off the loan if you use it to pay for an Access to Higher Education course and progress on to complete a university degree, which means the debt will be cancelled.

It’s easy to apply for the advanced learner loan, as long as you are aged 19 or over and living in the UK on the first day of your course, studying in an approved training organisation such as Weston College, and studying at Level 3 to 6 on the National Framework.

Apply for one of our courses on our website and we’ll send you more details about the loan. 

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Frequently asked questions

From the 2016-2017 academic year anyone aged 19 or over can qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan. The scheme has also been expanded to cover not only level three and level four courses, but also some level five and level six courses.

To qualify for a loan you must be aged 19 and living in the UK on the first day of your course and you must have been living in the UK for at least three years.

To be eligible for a loan you need to be a UK national or have ‘settled status’, meaning there are no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK. 

The loan covers a range of courses including A Levels, Access to Higher Education, Certificates, Diplomas and more. Apprentices may also be able to apply for a loan if they take applicable courses in addition to their apprenticeship programme.

Yes. Any qualifications you have already achieved will not affect your ability to apply for your first loan.

However, once you have taken out one loan you will not be able to get another loan for the same type of course at the same level. For example, if you have taken out a loan to complete a Level 3 Certificate in Plumbing you could not take out another loan for a Level 3 Certificate in Construction but you could take out another loan for a Level 4 Certificate in Plumbing.

You can take out up to four Advanced Learner Loans in total, but for courses which are not A Levels you can only take out one loan at a time.

If you take your A Levels as two separate courses – AS Level and A Level – you can take out up to eight Advanced Learner Loans.

The minimum Advanced Learner Loan is £300 and the maximum you can borrow will depend on the cost of your course.

To apply for a course you can fill out an application form by visiting us at one of our campuses and we can help you with your application.

After submitting your application you will be assessed by the Student Loans Company and they will contact you and the College once you have fulfilled the criteria.

For more information call 01934 411 411.

You will need details of the course you want to study, the fee you are being charged and the amount of loan you want to take out.

You will also have to provide your personal details, including your National Insurance number and evidence to confirm your identity (e.g. a valid UK passport). 

You do not have to pay back any of your loan until you are earning more than £21,000.

Once you begin earning £21,000 loan repayments will be automatically deducted from your salary at a rate of 9 per cent. For example, if your income is £22,000 you will pay back 9 per cent of £1,000, which works out at £7.50 each month.

If you take out an Advanced Learner Loan for an access to higher education course and go on to complete a higher education course your loan will be wiped off completely and you will not have to pay it back.

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