Advanced Learner Loans explained

WarningThese are the rules for England in the 2026/27 academic year (1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027). They change each August.

An Advanced Learner Loan helps adults pay for a course at Level 3 to 6 at a college or training provider in England. It’s run by Student Finance England. You only pay it back once you earn over a set amount.

From 1 January 2027, most courses at Level 4 to 6 move to the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement. The government describes the new entitlement as covering Level 4 to 6 courses. It doesn’t say what happens to Level 3 courses, including Access to HE Diplomas, so check with your provider which type of loan applies before you apply.

Check if your course could be free first

Many Level 3 courses are free, so you may not need a loan. You can usually study a Level 3 course for free if:

you’re 19 to 23, don’t already have a full Level 3 qualification, and the course is on the approved list, or
the course is on the Free Courses for Jobs list and you’re unemployed or earn under £26,800 a year

Ask the provider about free funding before you apply for a loan.

Who can get one

You can usually get an Advanced Learner Loan if:

you’re 19 or over on the first day of your course
the course is at Level 3, 4, 5 or 6, at an approved college or training provider in England
you live in the UK on the first day of your course, and in most cases you’ve lived in the UK, British overseas territories, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years in a row before that
you’re a UK national, an Irish citizen, or have settled status (some other people can apply too, such as refugees)

Your income doesn’t matter, and there’s no credit check.

You can have up to 4 loans, and more than one at the same time. You can only get one loan for an Access to HE course.

How much you can get

The loan covers your course fees, up to the full cost. It doesn’t cover living costs. The smallest loan you can get is £300, and you don’t have to borrow the full cost of your course. You can pay for some of it yourself.

Student Finance England pays the money straight to your college or provider.

Paying it back

You only pay it back once you earn over the repayment threshold. If you never earn that much, you don’t pay anything.

If your course started on or after 1 August 2023, you repay on Plan 5:

you start paying when you earn over £25,000 a year before tax
you pay 9% of what you earn over that amount
interest is added from the day your first payment is made to the provider (the Plan 5 rate is currently 4.1%, checked on 20 October 2026, and it can change)

If you took out your loan for a course that started between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023, you’re on Plan 2, which has a different threshold.

The Access to HE write-off

If you take a loan for an Access to HE Diploma and then finish an eligible higher education course, such as a degree, Student Finance England writes off what’s left of your Access to HE loan. You won’t have to pay it back.

If you choose to make extra repayments yourself, you can’t usually get them back.

Help with other costs: the Bursary Fund

Once your loan is approved, you can apply to your provider for help from the Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund. It can help with:

childcare
travel
course materials and equipment
accommodation, if you have to live away from home
classroom support for a disability or learning difficulty

You apply to your college or provider, not to Student Finance England.

How to apply

Check the course with your college or provider, and ask if you could get it free instead.
Get a “Learning and funding information” letter from your provider. You can’t apply without it.
Apply online through a Student Finance account, or by post if you can’t apply online.
If you apply online, you’ll usually get a letter confirming your loan within 2 weeks.

You can apply without a National Insurance number, but you’ll need one before the loan can be paid in full.

What changes in January 2027

For courses at Level 4, 5 or 6 that start on or after 1 January 2027, you’ll usually apply for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement instead. The exception is a course with a provider that isn’t registered with the Office for Students. For those, Advanced Learner Loans carry on for now.

Some Level 4 and 5 Higher Technical Qualifications are handled differently. Ask your provider which type of funding applies.

For Level 3 courses, including Access to HE, gov.uk doesn’t say the funding moves to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. Ask your provider which type of loan applies to your course.

Check if you can get a course for free

Whether you can study for free depends on the course you choose and on finding a provider that can fund you. So start with the course:

Choose a course you're interested in.
Answer a few quick questions in the "Am I eligible?" check on its page.
See whether you're likely to be eligible, and which providers offer that course.

Find a free course

Or choose a subject:

The check is a guide, not a promise. The provider makes the final decision.

Questions

Is there a credit check for an Advanced Learner Loan?

No. There's no credit check, and your income doesn't affect whether you can get one.

Do I have to pay back my Access to HE loan?

Not if you go on to finish an eligible higher education course, such as a degree. Student Finance England then writes off what's left of your Access to HE loan. If you don't go on to finish a degree, you pay it back in the normal way.

Should I take a loan for a Level 3 course?

Check first whether you can get it free. If you're 19 to 23 and don't have a full Level 3, or you earn under £26,800, a Level 3 course may be free through the Adult Skills Fund or Free Courses for Jobs. Ask the provider before you apply for a loan.

Can I have more than one loan?

Yes. You can have up to 4 loans, and more than one at a time. You can only get one loan for an Access to HE course.

Does the loan cover living costs?

No, only course fees. But once your loan is approved, you can ask your provider about the Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund, which can help with things like childcare, travel and course materials.

Sources

Last reviewed: 20 October 2026

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