Loans for study
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Professional & Career Development Loans
Interest-free loans while you study
A Professional and Career Development Loan can give you the leg up you need to change career as the Government pays the interest on the loan while you're on the course. The scheme has now closed to new applicants. We've kept this guide as is for those who already have one.
They're useful while you study, but you need to give them the elbow sharpish after you graduate or the interest will pile up. The good news is that by manipulating them cleverly, you can finish your course in the money.
The Career development loan scheme is now closed to new applicants. You maybe interested in an Advanced learner loan for help with course or tuition fees, or a Postgraduate loan instead. For further info, see our Education grants guide.
In this guide
- What is a Career Development Loan?
- How to apply
- What courses can I apply for?
- How much will it cost?
- Earn while you learn
What is a Career Development Loan?
Career Development Loans are bank loans to pay for courses and training that help with your career or help get you into work.
The Skills Funding Agency foots the interest on the loan for the duration of your course (and for a month after it's finished). After this, it's down to you to start repaying the loan, plus interest.
The scheme closed to new applicants on 25 January 2019. Those with existing loans won't be affected.
Career Development Loan need-to-knows
To be granted a career development loan, your chosen course must help with your career – but it doesn't have to lead to a qualification. Examples of eligible learning includes:
- Postgraduate courses, for example an MSc or MA, although you may want to get a postgraduate student loan instead.
- A specialist course at a privately owned learning provider, for example, in homeopathy or studio sound engineering.
- Management courses, for example, a professional consultant's course.
- Technician level training, including plumbing or electrical installation.
- A National or Scottish Vocational Qualification (NVQ/SVQ) at a local college, for example in hospitality and catering.
- Courses leading to a professional qualification, for example, the Certificate in Programme Management.
You can always check with your course provider to find out if the course may qualify you for a career development loan.
Quick questions
How to apply
-
Check you're eligible
First things first you’ll need to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria for a loan.
To be eligible for a loan you must:
- Be between 18 and 69 (Barclays had no upper age limit so its existing customers may be older).
- Have been living in the UK for at least 3 years before your course starts.
- Plan to work in the UK, European Union, or European Economic Area after the course.
2. Check the course is eligible
Once you've chosen the course you want to do, you’ll need to make sure the provider is on the Professional Career and Development Loan Register (check with your course provider), or that they’re applying for registration.
Your learning provider should be able to tell you if it's registered. If it is, it will give you a registration number that you'll need to quote on your application form.
3. Apply to the bank
Next you’ll need to submit an application to the only bank which takes part in the programme (Co-op).
It’s important you follow the guidance when completing the form. Processing your application can take time, so make sure you factor this in.
Will it work?
Some MSE forumites have had success applying for a career development loan, while other posts demonstrate that it might not be as easy as it seems:
'If you get rejected,appeal!'
"It was the best decision to apply for the loan as it has allowed me to continue with my life rather than living on the edge. FYI - If you get rejected, appeal! I did and after much messing about with Co-op messing the application up, I was accepted."
Lost Prophet
'I didnt realise there were such strict regulations'
"I applied for a career development loan from the Co-op. I assumed I would get accepted for it as I didnt realise it had such strict regulations, but I unfortunately got turned down. I then buried my head in the sand about it for weeks until I decided to try and find out why I got turned down. All the Co-op would tell me is that I have a bad credit rating."
lizzybeth18
Share your career development loan successes and failures in the Career Development Loans discussion.
How much will it cost?
This depends on how much you borrow and how long you take to pay it back. By spreading your loan over a longer term, your monthly repayments may be lower, but the overall cost of borrowing may be higher as the APR for your loan will depend upon the length of your repayment period.
It's vital you know what the repayments will be after you've finished your course, and that you're confident you can meet them.
The table below demonstrates what repayments look like on loan amounts of increasing size with the Co-op:
| LOAN AMOUNT | REPRESENTATIVE APR | TERM | MONTHLY REPAYMENT | TOTAL PAYABLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £300 | 9.9% | 36 months | £9.63 | £346.49 |
| £5,000 | 9.9% | 36 months | £160.43 | £5,775.43 |
| £10,000 | 9.9% | 60 months | £210.39 | £12,623.58 |
After the interest holiday, rates are shocking (9.9%). So give your development loan the heave-ho as soon as the 0% period ends (one month after the end of your course). After checking any early repayment conditions, apply for the cheapest unsecured personal loan and use it to pay off the career development loan instead.
This should cost much less over the period you're paying back your loan.
The size of the saving
Borrow £5,000 with the Co-op professional career development loan, repay it over three years (after you finish study), and it would cost £800 in interest. Take out a development loan, pay it off with a personal loan as soon as the 0% period runs out and it would cost £540. That's £260 cheaper than taking out and sticking with the Co-op loan.
Example of a £5,000 loan, two-year course, then repaying over three-years.
| REP APR | TOTAL REPAYMENT | INTEREST | SAVING | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-op or Barclays development loan | 9.9% | £5,800 | £800 | |
| Personal loan (to pay off DL) | 4.1% | £5,322 | £322 | £478 |
Earn while you learn
Even if you don't need to use all the cash straight away, make any loan for living costs work for you. When you get the cash, plonk it in a savings account (see the Starting Savings guide) – and you could sneakily make a little money from study. However, don't rely on this for huge wads of cash - with savings rates so dismal, you won't be the next Rockefeller any time soon.
When you've finished studying, if you've any of the living cost element of the loan left over, repay as much of your loan as you can before any interest is charged. Then move whatever debt remains to a cheaper personal loan.
Savings interest won't make a huge difference to the big costs of further education, but it's a nice addition to your finances.
Professional and Career Development Loans
The Professional and Career Development Loan scheme is now closed for new applications.
You’ll not be affected if you have an existing loan.
Repaying your loan
Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans that have to be paid back. You start repaying the loan (plus interest at a reduced rate) 1 month after leaving your course.
The government pays the interest while you study and for 1 month after you leave your course. After this time, you start repaying the loan and interest.
You have to repay your loan even if you do not complete the course or your course provider goes out of business.
If you need help
Contact the National Careers Service for further advice on Professional and Career Development Loans.
National Careers Service
0800 100 900
Monday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm
Find out about call charges
You can also arrange for a National Careers Service adviser to call you. This will not cost you anything.