Student Loan FAQ's

Generally this will depend on your personal circumstances, but the main difference is that paying through the IDI payment plan allows you to pay your fees as you study rather than accumulating a debt at the end of your studies. You won't be charged interest on your fee whilst you repay the balance we simply add a small admin charge.

Alternatively, by taking out a tuition fee loan in 2012, as a student living in England you will benefit from having your repayments deferred until 2016, and only having to start repayments when you are earning above £21,000. At that stage, you start to pay back 9 per cent of the income you earn above that threshold. So, for example, if your annual salary is £25,000, you'll pay 9 per cent of £4,000 - £30 per month. After 30 years, with a student loan, if there is outstanding debt it will be written off.

No. Government-backed tuition fee loans in England do not count as income and therefore will not affect your benefits entitlement.

Under current legislation distance learning students can not apply for a maintenance loan or grants in addition to a tuition fee loan. If you are on benefits and ordinarily resident in England, some other sources of funding may be available to you. If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you should contact your own funding administration who will be able to advise you. However, even if you are not eligible for any additional financial help, studying by distance learning means you won’t incur additional travel and living costs, and a key benefit of learning with IDI is that it enables you to study part-time while continuing to work.

Scotland: Student Award Agency Scotland

Wales: Student Finance Wales

Northern Ireland: Student Finance Northern Ireland

If you are a disabled student you may be eligible for a Disabled Student allowance in addition to your tuition fee loan.

In England government-backed student loans through the Student Loans Company are only available for first undergraduate degrees. If you are a graduate in England and want to study another undergraduate degree, you will be able to take advantage of one of our Early Payment Discounts, an IDI payment plan or alternatively you may wish to talk to your employer about supporting your studies through our Employer's Discount Scheme.

If you hold an undergraduate qualification that isn't a full degree (for example, a certificate or diploma of higher education, or a foundation degree) you may be eligible to continue your studies up to full degree level with the support of a tuition fee loan.

No. Continuing students who started their studies prior to the 1st of September 2012 continue to get the old student finance package i.e. students with a household income under £28,066 will continue to receive a fee grant and course grant instead of a tuition fee loan. You will be able to learn more about grant funding available in your area here.

No. The changes to tuition fee loans only affect students living in England. Students living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply for varying degrees of means tested grant funding but not tuition fee loans. You will be able to learn more about grant funding available in your area here.

If you're a European Union (EU) student, resident in England and your course starts after 1st September 2012 you might be able to get help with tuition fees. There are rules on who can qualify for finance. To check if you qualify, see the link 'EU students: what type of finance do you qualify for.'

The funding rules are different if you want to study in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

EU students: what type of finance could you qualify for?

Tuition Fee Loans are paid directly to your university or college.

If your course starts on or after 1 September 2012 you can get a Tuition Fee Loan of up to:

• £6,000 for full-time students, including full-time distance learning students studying an approved course at a private university or college

• £4,500 for part-time students studying, including full-time distance learning students an approved course at a private university or college

The 'intensity' of a part-time course must be at least 25 per cent of a full-time course. Ask your university of college to confirm your part-time course intensity.

Intensity is how long the part-time course takes to complete compared with the full-time equivalent.

• How to apply for finance - EU students

Part time and Full time students can apply online now for the 2013/14 session (February 2013, June 2013 and October 2013) for the following courses: Graphic Design, Illustration, Product Design, Photography and Interactive Media Design. For all other courses details are currently being added to the Student Finance England database. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for guidance. by visiting the gov.UK website: http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=153,4680119&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Apply as soon as possible to ensure you receive your funding in time for the February start date.

Students studying full-time with IDI and living either in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who for reasons of serious illness or disability cannot study on an attendance based course, may be eligible to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan. To find out more please contact the IDI finance team on 01875 320 597

For disabled students ordinarily resident in Scotland our courses are approved for part time grant funding assistance and for Disabled Student Allowances.

The loan will be paid directly to your university/college. It isn’t paid to you.

Yes, you can normally apply for a loan for tuition for every year of your course.

Even if you don’t finish your course you still have to pay back any money you have borrowed, but not until you are earning over £21,000 a year.

You repay 9% of your income above £21,000. So for example, if your salary was £25,000, the 9% would only apply to £4,000, meaning you would repay £30 per month. You will find an independant student loan repayment calculator here

Since the repayments you make will be based on your income, it depends on the size of your loan and how much you earn after you have finished your course.
IDI’s fees for a full BA (Hons) are £12000 in total. When you start working your loan repayments are deducted from 9% of your salary. For example if you earn £35,000 per annum, your loan repayments would be £105 per month and your loan would be repaid in 9 and a half years.  
 
On a salary of £40,000 you would repay £105 per month and your loan would be repaid in seven years.
 
If you compare this to the average university tuition fee of around £8536, you would pay £25,608 in fees for a full BA (Hons) Degree course. On a salary of £40,000, you would still pay £105 per month but you would continue to make repayments for 20 years.

Interest on your loan will be applied at inflation (RPI – Retail Price Index) plus 3% while you are studying, and up until the April after you leave university. From the April after you leave university if you are earning below £21,000, interest will be applied at the rate of inflation.
For graduates earning between £21,000 a year and £41,000 a year, interest will be applied between RPI and RPI + 3% on a gradual scale depending on income.

If your salary falls below £21,000 a year your repayments stop. So if you take a career break or are unemployed your repayments will be suspended until you are earning over £21,000 again.

If your salary falls below £21,000 a year your repayments will be suspended until you are earning over £21,000 again.

You don’t have control over how much you repay each month as when you are employed and earning over £21,000 a year it will come directly out of your salary.
If you are self-employed, separate arrangements are in place with HMRC to make your repayments.

Depending on the outcome of the Government’s forthcoming consultation, a charge may be applied to any additional payments to repay part or all of a loan early.