Student loan - OU 8 February 2019 at 1:32PM in Student MoneySaving 7 replies 1.5K views

gt568

Can you get a student loan for the OU in the same way you do for a bricks and mortar university? And can you get that loan even if you are working?

gt568

Edit - looks like you can.


Presumably then if you are earning above the threshold you'd start paying straight away?

Ed-1

gt568 wrote: »

Can you get a student loan for the OU in the same way you do for a bricks and mortar university? And can you get that loan even if you are working?

You can get tuition fee loans for distance learning courses.

You can't currently get maintenance loans although the Department for Education are still intending to extend these to distance learners from September 2019 (depending on robust controls being put in place) as consulted here:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-12-17/202813/

28. In light of these concerns, the Government intends to extend maintenance loans to part-time distance learning courses from Academic Year 2019/20, subject to the development of a robust control regime to manage the particular risks and challenges associated with this mode of study.

32.The Government intends to apply an adjustment to the amount of support available for distance learners to reflect the lower participation costs facing students on such courses. The exact amount will be based on analysis of available data on the costs of study, such as the Department’s Student Income and Expenditure Survey, and the basis for the final decision will be published. To ensure parity of treatment, distance learning courses offered on a full-time basis will also be eligible for maintenance support from the point that the part-time loan is extended in scope to distance learners.

Ed-1

gt568 wrote: »

Edit - looks like you can.


Presumably then if you are earning above the threshold you'd start paying straight away?

Loans enter repayment in the April after leaving the course.

gt568

Ed-1 wrote: »

Loans enter repayment in the April after leaving the course.

So I could do the degree over 6 years and not pay until it is finished even though I would be earning throughout?

Ed-1

gt568 wrote: »

So I could do the degree over 6 years and not pay until it is finished even though I would be earning throughout?

Yes. Unless it's part-time when the loan enters repayment on the earlier of the April after the 4th anniversary of the course start date, or April after leaving the course.

You'd only pay anything anyway if earning above the repayment threshold. If you already have loans in repayment from an earlier course then you may make repayments on those.

Mrs_Ryan

You can get a maintenance loan for OU (I have one) but only if you have a disability which stops you attending a brick uni. And this is virtually impossible to prove!!!

gt568

I'm in FT employment and earning over the threshold.

What I didn't realise was I could get a loan, which make this much more appealing.