Can I apply for a student loan to pay my fees?
You can apply for a loan to pay your fees if you are studying at a UK institution outside Scotland and started your course in 2006-2007 or later, or you returned to your studies after a break in your studies of a year or more. If you want to take out a loan to pay your tuition fees you will do so under the same terms and conditions as loans to cover living costs.
You may not be entitled to apply for a student loan to pay your tuition fees if you are repeating any period of study or have done a course of higher education before.
How much can I apply for?
If you are studying at a UK institution outside Scotland, you may have to pay up to £3,290 each year towards your own tuition fees. The amount you will pay will vary depending on which college or university you choose to study at. If you are not sure what fees your college or university will charge, you should check with them.
You can choose to apply to us for a loan to pay some or all of your fees up to the maximum amount you are being charged.
The amount of loan for tuition fees you can get does not depend on your own income and that of your parents or your husband, wife, civil partner or partner, as appropriate.
How will you know what fees I'm being charged?
Your college or university will tell us the amount of fees they are charging for the course you want to do.
How do you pay my fees?
If you apply for a loan to pay some or all of your fees we will pay the same amount of fees straight to your college or university on your behalf.
What if I don't want to take out a loan to pay my fees?
If you do not take out a loan to pay your fees then you will have to make your own arrangements to pay the fees to your college or university.
Remember - you don't have to pay your fees before or during your course. If you apply to us for a student loan to pay part or all of your fees we can pay your tuition fees straight to your college or university. It means you can defer paying your fees until after you leave your course, are working and earning over £15,000 a year.
When should I apply?
You can apply for your fee loan along with your main support. The closing date for applying for a fee loan is 31 December 2010 if your course starts in the autumn term.
If you decide to apply for the fee loan after you have applied for your main living cost support, contact us and we can send you the appropriate form.
When we receive your fee loan application, we will send you an award notice to confirm the fees we are paying. We will also tell your college or university the amount of fees we are paying on your behalf, in the form of a loan. We will add the amount to your loan account.
When will I repay my fee loan?
When you leave your course we will send your details to the Student Loans Company (SLC) and they will make arrangements for you to repay your loan after you have left your course.