Applying for a SLC loan
To have your studies funded by the Student Loans Company (SLC), you need to make your application to one of the following organisations. Which organisation you apply to depends on where you live within the UK.
Undergraduate students: SLC loans and enrolment
Approved SLC loan applications
If your SLC loan application has been approved more than 24 hours ago, you should be able to see the Tuition Fee loan amount in the ‘Fee details’ section of your online registration for enrolment.
The SLC will make payments to UAL directly so you will not need to make any tuition fee payment to us yourself as long as the SLC continues to fund your fees and your loan amount covers the full tuition fee owed for your course.
In-progress SLC loan applications
You can still complete the online registration step of enrolment if your loan has not been approved.
When you get to the ‘Fee details’ section of online registration, upload a screenshot showing you’ve submitted your SLC application to receive funding in the 2024/25 academic year in order to complete this section.
If your SLC loan application is subsequently approved, we’ll be notified within 24 hours.
It’s important to remember that if for any reason your SLC loan application isn’t approved, we will ask you to pay your full tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year (or any subsequent year you attend while you are waiting for the final decision on your funding) to us directly.
Making changes to your SLC loan application
Up until 1 September you can make changes to your SLC loan application yourself. To make changes, log in to your student finance application. You’ll be able to change details about your course, College, course fees, additional funding (if applicable), your address and your bank details.
After 1 September, any changes to your chosen programme or course fees will need to be submitted to the SLC by our Funding team. Request changes by completing the funding enquiry form.
How we'll receive your SLC tuition fee loan payments
The terms of your SLC loan include a requirement for UAL to confirm your course attendance to then throughout the year – we will do this.
Your tuition fee is paid to UAL in 3 instalments
- Term 1: 25% of tuition fee loan
- Term 2: 25% of tuition fee loan
- Term 3: 50% of tuition fee loan
Postgraduate students (including Research): SLC loans and enrolment
If you’re funding your studies in 2024/25 with a student loan from the Student Loans Company (SLC), you’ll be able to pay your fees in instalments that match the dates your loan instalments are paid to you.
When it’s time to complete your online registration step of enrolment, upload evidence of your student loan application in the ‘Fee details’ section. If it covers your full tuition fees, we’ll set-up an instalment plan that matches your loan payment dates.
It is your responsibility to make your instalment payments to UAL when they are due because your loan is issued directly to you by the SLC. Once your loan is available to you, you then must make your payments to us.
Typically, our instalment plans for courses starting in 2024/25 are:
- Courses lasting up to 12 months: A total of 3 instalments paid in September/October 2024, January 2025 and April 2025.
- Courses lasting 4 terms: A total of 6 instalments paid in September/October 2024, January 2025, April 2025, September 2025, October 2025 and November 2025. Please also read our important note for students on courses lasting 4 terms later on this page.
- Courses lasting 2 years: A total of 6 instalments paid in September 2024, January 2025, April 2025, September 2025, January 2026 and April 2026.
- PhD and MPhil courses: 3 instalments per year paid in September/October 2024, January 2025 and April 2025.
Important information for students on courses lasting 4 terms
We’re required by the SLC to set-up payments for courses lasting more than 12 months as 2-year courses. Loan payments for the first year are paid in termly instalments, and payments for the final term are made each month for 3 months.
Your payment schedule may initially show termly instalments for the second year of your course which do not match the instalment plan we have listed, don’t worry – this will change in the summer of 2025 when we let the SLC know our term dates for the 2025/26 academic year.