Guidance for students who qualify for a Long Courses Loan
If you're studying on a long course, you may be eligible for additional funding.
Applies to England
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 get extra money included as part of your Maintenance Loan to help towards your living costs. This is called a Long Courses Loan and it’s based on your household income.
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
- be getting a Maintenance Loan that’s 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 income assessed living costs support.
If your course is extended during an academic year, making you eligible for a Long Courses Loan, then your university or college will have to update us so we can award you the additional funding.
How much can you get
The amount of Long Courses Loan you can get depends on your household income and where you’re living during the academic year.
You can get a fixed amount of support per extra week, or part of a week for any course which lasts longer than 30 weeks and 3 days, for up to 45 weeks of study each academic year.
If you’re studying for 45 weeks or more in an academic year, you may qualify for a maximum of 22 weeks Long Courses Loan support.
For information on current rates please see table:
| Student’s living arrangements | Maximum amount for each extra week - 2024 to 2025 academic year | Maximum amount for each extra week - 2023 to 2024 academic year |
|---|---|---|
| Living with parents | £73 | £71 |
| Studying in London and not living with parents | £141 | £138 |
| Studying outside London and not living with parents | £110 | £107 |
| Living and studying abroad | £152 | £148 |
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.
Updates to this page
Last updated 26 January 2024 + show all updates
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Added 2024 to 2025 academic year figures and removed 2022 to 2023 figures.
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Highlighted that funding is based on household income, and updated 2022/23 figures.
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Amounts have been updated for the 2023 to 2024 academic year
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Added information under the 'How it's repaid' heading related to overpayments
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First published.