Higher Education Short Course Loans

Overview

You may be able to borrow money to help pay for university or college tuition fees if you have been accepted onto an eligible Higher Education (HE) Short Course.

HE Short Course Loans are only available for specific courses at specific universities.universities or colleges.

Your university or college can confirm if a course is eligible for the HE Short Course Loans funding.

What you can get

Tuition Fee Loan

Your university or college sets your tuition fee, and the loan is paid directly to them. You have to pay it back.

You can get funding for 30 or 40 credit short courses up to a maximum amount.

Number of course credits	Maximum Tuition Fee Loan available
30 credits	up to £2,310 per course
40 credits	up to £3,080 per course

You do not have to borrow the full cost of your course, you can pay for some of it yourself.

Maximum number of Loans

You can either apply for all 4 HE Short Courses on the same application, or apply separately as long as you don’t exceed the maximum number of HE Short Course Loans.

Eligibility

Whether you qualityqualify for a HE Short Course Loan depends on your:

• course
• nationality or residency status

Course

Your course must meet the following criteria

The course must:

• be 30 or 40 credits
• be aat Level 4, 5 or 6 qualification
• start on or after 1 September 2022
• last no longer than 1 year
• be delivered by a university or college in England

Nationality and residency status

You can apply for a HE Short Course Loan if all of the following are true:

• You’re a UK national or Irish Citizen or have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or indefinite leave to enter or remain so there are no restrictions on how long you can stay
• You’reYou studyingnormally live in England
• You’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

Before you apply

Before you apply for a HE Short Course Loan, it’s important to know a few facts:

1. You will need to repay any HE Short course loan you borrow.

2. You’ll be charged interest on any HE Short Course Loans you borrow. Interest will be charged from the day the loan is paid to your university or college.

3. We will not pay your university or college until 2 weeks after your course starts and you have been in attendance.

4. You only start repaying your loan once you earn over a certain amount. The size of your monthly repayments will depend on how much you earn, not what you owe. For more information on Repayment Plan 2, read our Repaying your student loan guide.

For more information on our terms and conditions, read our Student loans: a guide to terms and conditions. The terms and conditions can change.

Read the student finance privacy notice to find out how the information you provide will be used.

How and when to apply

How to apply

If you cannot apply online, download the HE Short Course Loans application form, print and send by post.

When to apply

Applications for HE Short Course Loans are expected to open in summer 2022.

It’s important to apply before your course starts.

After you apply

After you apply, you should allow up to 6 to 8 weeks for your application to be processed.

If you do not hear from us after this time, you should contact us.