Guidance for students who qualify for a Long Courses Loan

What is a Long Courses Loan

If you’re studying a full-time undergraduate course that lasts longer than 30 weeks and 3 days in an academic year, you could be eligible for a Long Courses Loan to help towards your living costs.

Who can get it

To qualify for a Long Courses Loan, you must:

• be studying on a full-time undergraduate course that lasts longer than 30 weeks and 3 days in an academic year
• have applied for help with living costs based on your household income

We’ll automatically award the additional amount of funding based on the course details provided by your university or college. Your entitlement will include the Long Courses Loan as part of your Maintenance Loan.

How much can you get

The amount of Long Courses Loan you can get depends on where you are living and studying during the academic year.

You get a fixed amount of support per extra week, or part of a week, for up to 45 weeks of study per academic year. If you’re studying for 45 weeks or more, you may qualify for Long Courses Loan support for the equivalent of 52 weeks in the year.

For information on current rates please see table:

How it’s repaid

The Long Courses Loan, plus any interest, has to be paid back but not until you’ve finished or left your course and your income is over the repayment threshold. However, if you’ve been overpaid Long Courses Loan, you’ll be expected to repay it before you’ve finished or left your course.