Educational Loans for International Students

One of the biggest worries for any international student who wants to study at a UK university will be the cost of tuition. This can vary from university to university but in general, study fees can range from £25,000 to £35,000 per year (for specialist degrees like Medicine).

There are also other costs to consider, like the cost of living (food and accommodation) to even the smaller things, like Wi-Fi bills. While getting a degree in the UK is definitely an investment worth doing, this can obviously seem daunting to a lot of people. 

Thankfully, there are organisations that offer funding options such as educational loans, to help international students pay for their tuition. 

Being Eligible for an Educational Loan

The first and most important part of applying for an educational loan is making sure that you are eligible, and this will depend on your nationality. Here are some important facts to know about eligibility: 

• Unfortunately, international students aren’t eligible for the government-backed student loans that UK citizens are.

• There are a lot of private lenders that offer student loans to international students who want to study in the UK, but it's important to note that these often come with specific conditions like having a UK-based guarantor (this means someone who is happy to pay the loan back if you aren’t able to).

• The Key Private lenders for educational loans in the UK are: Prodigy Finance, Lendwise and Future Finance. These tend to be the most popular lenders, each with their own criteria and strengths. Our counsellors at AHZ will be more than happy to discuss which lender would be best for you.

• Some students are able to get loans from international banks in their home country - again our counsellors will check this on your behalf to see if this is an option for you. 

• Some countries will have agreements or programs to help students pay tuition fees when studying abroad, for example: HDFC Credila in India, which provides loans for students studying in the UK.

The criteria also includes basic points such as:

• The student needs to be studying at a recognised university or college.

• The course they are studying should be recognised.

• The course should be the first funded course of the student in question.

• On the other hand, there is no upper limit for students looking to acquire tuition fee loans. Still, there can be specific conditions for older students if they are looking to get a maintenance loan.

Here is a list of eligible courses that undergraduate and postgraduate students can potentially get loans for:

• First degree

• Foundation degree

• Certificate of higher education

• Diploma of higher education

• Higher national certificate

• Higher national diploma

Part-time Students

Here are some factors that can help you understand if you can get a loan for your part-time degree or not:

• You can have a minimum undergraduate course intensity of 25%.

• The support is available for tuition fees and course costs as well.

Contact Us

If you’re considering coming to the UK to study, speak to our certified counsellors to find out about any potential educational loans that you could benefit from. Our team provides advice that is tailored to your specific situation, and will give recommendations based on what kind of student loan is best for you.