Can I use an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for a course?

At a Glance

We're not able to support payment for our courses through an Advanced Learner Loan. This is because Advanced Learner Loans can only be used with training providers that hold a direct government funding agreement and have been inspected by Ofsted — and Counselling Tutor is a private training provider that operates outside that funding system.

Why we can't support this

An Advanced Learner Loan is a UK government-backed loan (via Student Finance England) that helps learners aged 19 and over pay tuition fees for approved further education courses. To accept these loans, a training provider must:

• Hold a direct funding agreement with the Department for Education (Adult Skills Fund or apprenticeship funding)
• Have held that agreement for at least the previous full funding year
• Have been inspected by Ofsted and rated good or outstanding

Counselling Tutor is a private, independent training provider. We don't hold a government funding agreement and aren't inspected by Ofsted, so we sit outside the funding system that Advanced Learner Loans operate within — regardless of the course or its level. This isn't something we're able to apply for or opt into; it's a structural requirement of the loan scheme itself.

How you can pay for your course instead

We offer flexible ways to pay that don't rely on government loan funding:

• One-off payment — pay in full at checkout
• Payment plans — spread the cost over instalments on many of our courses

See our article on how course payment plans work for full details.

Still need help?

If you have any questions about paying for a course, email us at support@counsellingtutor.com and we will be happy to help.