United Kingdom - Guidance to Apply for Student Loan

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Procedure

Applying for the Government's Student Loan Scheme

New students from England

Most full-time and part-time students can apply online to Student Finance England.

• Set up a student finance online account.
• Log in and complete the online application.
• Include details of your household income and get your parents (or partner) to support your application, if needed.
• Send in proof of identity, if needed.
• Sign and return the loan declaration, which you should receive within 6 weeks.

If you cant apply online, use the form finder to get the forms you need. You can call Student Finance England if you want to apply online but you cant use a computer without help.

Continuing students from England

Youre a continuing student if you got finance last year. Log in to your student finance account and apply online.

Theres a different process if you became a part-time student before 1 September 2012.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Theres a different process for students from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

New EU students

Download an application pack - use the form finder to get the forms you need. Send in proof of identity, if needed. Youll get a letter confirming how much youll get, usually within 6 weeks.

Continuing EU students

If youre a continuing student youll be sent the application forms.

Applying for a Student Loan Banks

Finding the right loan will depend on a number of factors, including your country of origin, the school you'll be studying at, what you need the money for and your existing credit history. The main things you should be looking for in a student loan will include the length of the repayment, the interest on the loan and the terms of repayment. Most student loans will require you to start your payments as soon as you've completed your studies, while others will allow you to find a job before asking for repayment.

Applying for an online loan is a relatively simple process. Just fill in the online form and a broker will get in contact with you via email or phone. Again, shop around and make sure that you've spoken to a number of people before accepting a loan.

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Required Documents

• Application form
• Identification documents
• A copy of your passport

Office Locations & Contacts

Students from England
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
Contact Student Finance England

EU students
Student Finance Services Non UK Team
Student Finance England
PO Box 89
Darlington
DL1 9AZ

Eligibility

Whether you qualify for student finance depends on:

• your university or college
• your course
• if youve studied a higher education course before
• your age
• your nationality or residency status

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Student finance forms

Sample Documents

Student finance guides

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

The application process is different if youre a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

EU students cant apply online. You must download the application forms and apply by post.

Required Information

• Title
• First name(s) and Last name
• Gender
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number (optional)
• Place of birth (the name of the town or village)
• Nationality
• Passport number
• Contact details
• Relationship status
• University or college details
• Course details
• Course type
• Term details
• Placement details

Need for the Document

The main student finance package includes a:

• Tuition Fee Loan
• Maintenance Loan - full-time students only
• Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant - full-time students only

You might get extra help on top of this, e.g. if you study abroad.

Information which might help

Your household income is made up of your income plus that of the people who live with you, for example:

• your parents
• your parent and their partner
• your partner

You must provide details of your household income if you apply for any of the following:

• full Maintenance Loan
• Maintenance Grant
• Special Support Grant
• Childcare Grant
• Adult Dependants Grant

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Tuition Fee Loans pay for your course. Maintenance loans and grants help with living costs (e.g. accommodation, books, and bills). You have to pay back loans but you dont need to pay back grants.

External Links

Student finance

Student finance: how to apply

Apply online for student finance

Student finance, loans and universities

Others

Change an application

Students from England

Use your online account to change your personal details, e.g. bank or contact details. You must contact Student Finance England by phone if:

• your household income changes
• your name changes
• your marital status changes
• your parents have more children

Change your course or university

If youre a full-time student you can tell Student Finance England that youve changed your course or university using your online account.

Youll need to contact Student Finance England by phone if youre a part-time student.