Guidance

Higher Education Short Course Loans

Information for students on funding and how to apply for Higher Education Short Course Loans for those living in England.

From:
Student Loans Company
Published
25 April 2022
Last updated
2627 MayJune 2022 — See all updates

Applies to England

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 or colleges.

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

Applications for HE Short Course Loans are expectednow toopen!

You openshould inonly summerapply 2022if your university or college has provided you with an offer letter.

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 dodon’t not have to borrow the full cost of your course, you can pay for some of it yourself.

There is no loan available to support with your living costs when studying a HE Short Course.

Maximum number of Loans

You can receive up to a maximum of 4 HE Short Course Loans and you can getreceive more than one at the same time.

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 qualify for a HE Short Course Loan depends on your:

  • course
  • nationality or residency status

Loan eligibility does not depend on your currentprevious qualificationsstudy held or previouscurrent study.qualifications held.

Course

Your course must meet the following criteria

The course must:

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

Ask your university or college if you don't know if your course is eligible.

Nationality and residency status

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

  • You’reyou’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
  • Youyou normally live in England
  • You’veyou’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

You may also be eligible if you have a different nationality, residency status or have lived elsewhere,elsewhere. findFind out more on our nationality and residency guidance page.

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’llYou will 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 youyour haveattendance has been in attendance.confirmed.

  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

The quickest and easiest way to apply is using your online account, onyou Studentshould Finance England and follow these steps:

  1. Set up a student finance account or log in if you already have one.

  2. Download the digital application form, do not print and scan it.

  3. Complete and upload the completed form to your online account.

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

When to apply

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

You should only apply if your university or college has provided you with an offer letterletter.

It’s important to apply before your course starts.

After you apply

AfterIt youcan apply,take you should allow up to 6 weeks to 8review weeksyour forapplication in full. To ensure we process your application toas bequickly processed.as possible, we ask that you do not contact us during this time.

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

Published 25 April 2022
Last updated 2627 MayJune 2022 + show all updates

  1. Updated guidance page as applications for Higher Education Short Course Loans are now open as of 27 June 2022.

  2. Added guidance for previous study and current qualifications held under eligibility section

  3. First published.

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