Career Development Loan or 0% Credit Card

Neoshoegal

I'm about to start my second year of a part-time MA course. Last year, when I started the course, I applied for a Career Development Loan, but was declined by both Barclays and Co-op, claiming my credit rating wasn't good enough. I checked with Experian, which the Co-op informed me they were using, and my rating was fair. I managed to get the funds together for the first year, although it's not been easy and I'm considering applying for the loan again.
I've checked my credit rating with Experian again and it is now up to good, getting really close to excellent. The only negative listed is that the usage of my available credit indicates a higher risk. I still have a significant credit card debt (I know, shame on me) but am steadily paying it off and no longer spending on it.
I've had a look on Experian at their credit matcher to see if there are any interesting offers available to me and it comes up with an offer from Halifax for a credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer for up to 32 months.
So now I'm wondering if it would be better to apply for the credit card than for the loan. The loan is interest free until I graduate, which is only just over a year away. Last year the student guidance office also told me that there were a lot of students being denied their career development loans, even ones with a good credit rating. So I'm afraid of getting turned down again, which will negatively affect my credit rating. The downside of choosing the credit card option is that I won't know what credit limit I'd be able to get, if I even get the card, and again the search will affect my rating.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

DCFC79

The rating on experian means nothing as lenders can't see it. The credit matcher on Experian may not be correct, dont think it can tell you if you will get accepted for a credit card from Halifax.