As a student studying at a UK institution outside Scotland you are liable to pay up to £3,145 each year for tuition fees. If you are not sure what fees your college or university will charge, you should check with them. If you are not able to pay your fees before you start your course, instead, you can defer paying them until after you leave your course. You can do this by taking out a student loan for the full amount, or, if you are able to pay some of your fees before you start your course, you can ask us for a loan to pay the balance up to the maximum your institution are charging you.
Your college or university will tell us the amount of fees they are charging for the course you want to do. If you apply for a loan, we will pay the same amount of fees straight to your college or university on your behalf. If you do not take out a loan to pay your fees, you will have to make your own arrangements to pay the fees to your college or university.
Students who choose to take out a student loan to pay part or all of their tuition fees will do so on the same terms as a student loan for living costs. Because the amount of the monthly repayment depends on the level of your income rather than the size of the loan account, the monthly payment will not increase as a result of taking out a loan to pay your fees as well as a loan for your living costs.
How do I apply for a loan for my tuition fees?
If you apply online, you can apply for the loan for your fees at the same time. You must apply before the closing date (this is 31 December 2008 if you course starts in the autumn term). We will 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 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.
If you fill in a paper form, when we receive it, we will send you another form to fill in. You should fill it in and send it back to us if you decide to apply for a loan for some or all of your tuition fees. You must send the form back to us before the closing date (this is 31 December 2008 if your course starts in the autumn term).
When we receive the filled-in form, we will assess your support again and send you a new 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 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.