Statutory guidance

Higher Education Short Course Loans: Nationality and residency

Updated 24 June 2024

Applies to England

Before applying for a Higher Education Short Course Loan, it’s important that you understand if your nationality and residency status meets the requirements. Use this guide to understand if you meet the nationality and residency requirements for a HE Short Course Loan.

Visit our guidance page for information on funding and how to apply for Higher Education Short Course Loans.

1. You can apply for a HE Short Course Loan if all of the following are true:

• you’re a UK national or Irish Citizen or have settled status under the European Union (EU) Settlement Scheme or indefinite leave to enter or remain so there are no restrictions on how long you can stay

• you normally live in England

• you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday

2. You may also be eligible if you’re a UK national or family member of a UK national who:

• returned to the UK on or after 1 January 2018 and by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, or

• was living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein on 31 December 2020, and

• has been living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years prior to the start date of your course

3. If you’re a UK national Irish Citizen or have settled status in the UK, you can also apply if have lived in either:

• the UK, Islands and/or Ireland for the for the 3 years prior to the start date of your course or,

• the UK, Islands and/or the specified British Overseas Territories for the 3 years prior to the start date of your course

4. You may be eligible if you’re an EU national, or a family member of an EU national, and all the following apply:

• you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

• you’ve normally lived in the UK, overseas territories, EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years (this is also known as being ‘ordinarily resident’)

5. If you have a different residency status

You may also be eligible if your residency status is one of the following:

• the child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

• a migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, or a family member of one with settled or pre-settled status

• a resident of Gibraltar who is a UK or EU national, or their family member

• refugee (including family members)

• humanitarian protection (including family members)

• child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK - you and your Turkish worker parent must have been living in the UK by 31 December 2020

• a stateless person (including family members)

• an unaccompanied child granted ‘Section 67 leave’ under the Dubs Amendment

• a child who is under the protection of someone granted ‘Section 67 leave’, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as the person responsible for them (known as ‘leave in line’)

• granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain

• a child of someone granted ‘Calais leave’ to remain, who is also allowed to stay in the UK for the same period of time as their parent (known as ‘leave in line’)

• you have settled status in the UK (including family members)

• you or your parent have been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to enter or remain’) because you or your parent have been the victim of domestic violence

• you or your parent have been given settled status (‘indefinite leave to remain’) as a bereaved partner

• you’re the family member of a person of Northern Ireland and you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

• you or your family member have been granted leave under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)

• you or your family member have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or the Ukraine Extension Scheme

• you’re a person of Chagossian descent and have British citizenship

6. If you’re a non-UK national and have lived in the UK for a certain number of years

You could also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:

• under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years

• 18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course and held a lawful status issued by the Home Office continuously over these 3 years.

Visit our guidance page for information on funding and how to apply for Higher Education Short Course Loans.