Eligibility and fees

 

Learners Chatting

2023/24 funding eligibility

Eligibility Criteria:

✔ You must be aged 19 or over by 31st August 2023, be a resident of London

and

Have permission to live in the UK for at least 12 months on the first day of learning

or

Have pre-settled or settled status

or

With specific status such as:

  • Refugee Status
  • Discretionary Leave to Enter or Remain
  • Exceptional Leave to Enter or Remain
  • Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain1
  • Humanitarian Protection
  • Leave Outside the Rules
  • Ukraine Family Scheme
  • Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)
  • Ukraine Extension Scheme
  • The husband, wife, civil partner and child of any of the above
  • Asylum Seeker in the UK for over 6 months
  • Calais Leave to Remain3
  • British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan under Operation Pitting
  • British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK government before 6 January 2022

Required documents:

  • Proof of residency (Passport\Biometric Residence Permit \ Home Office Documents)
  • National Insurance Number

Eligible for funding, asylum seekers:

✔ Resident in London and

  • Have lived in the UK for six months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office, and no decision on their claim has been made, or
  • If they are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014.

Not eligible for funding:

✔
  • Those who are in the UK without authority or lawful status
  • Those who are resident in the UK on a Tier 4 (general) student visa (unless eligible through any of the above)
  • Non-EEA citizens who are in the UK on holiday, with or without a visa
  • Non-EEA citizens who are a family member of someone on a Tier 4 visa, and have not been resident in the UK for three years
  • Individuals who are ordinarily resident in the Channel Island or isle of Man, unless they are also, resident within England and live in London
  • Those whose biometric residence permit or residence permit imposes a study prohibition or restriction on the individual.

Advance learning loans:

The advanced learning loans have been introduced by the government to support learners in further education in a similar way to university loans for higher education learners. Your household income isn’t taken into account, there’s no credit check and you won’t pay anything back until you’ve completed your course and you are earning over £23,302.50 per year.

You can take out a loan for the entire cost of your course or you can pay some of it yourself and take out a loan for the rest of the fee, subject to a minimum loan of £300.

We do not receive any other funding for these learners and so the full cost of the course has to be covered through the loan or directly by you.

Eligibility for advance learning loans:

✔ You might be able to qualify for a government loan to help pay for your course fees, if you

  • Are aged 19+ at the start of your course
  • Are studying an eligible course at Level 3

or

Have UK residency
If you need more information about the loans, how they work and how to apply, please talk to a member of our staff by calling 0208 825 5577. We cannot advise you whether or not a loan is right for you or whether to take out one. You should consider all your options for funding your course, including taking independent financial advice through the Money Advice Service

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