Get a student loan as mature student?

[AlmondFrangipani]

Hi, I'm looking for some advice...

I am 32 years old and hoping to go back to uni to retrain to be a paramedic. It's taken me a long while to work out what I finally want to do but with the tuition fees being as high as they are I can only do this if I can get a student loan. However I have heard that you can't get a loan if you already have an undergraduate degree (which I do as well as a MSc). I paid off my original loan a few years ago. Does anyone know if this is the case?

I have just started retraining as a teacher (in my 40s) and I have a degree. I believe that you can only get a tuition fee loan not maintenance. I am self funding - I don't like the high interest rate accruing all the time. I don't believe the Martin Lewis/ govt spiel that most people wont have to repay it back. The 21,000 repayment level includes all income (eg pension, investment income etc) and that isn't even national average salary. Best of luck - it has taken me weeks just to get registered. Not very impressed so far!

Unfortunately, as you already have a degree, and aren't going for an NHS funded course, you'll have to self fund entirely.

There's a list of NHS funded courses here www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Students/Documents/Students/FAQ_3_Am_I_eligible_for_an_NHS_bursary_v2.0_05.2013.pdf but unfortunately paramedic science isn't one of them (bonkers, I know)

However, this suggests that you may be able to train on the job www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/ambulance-service-team/careers-in-the-ambulance-service-team/paramedic/

No if you already have a degree you do not qualify for a tuition fee or maintenance loan. The only exceptions are NHS funded degrees and PGCEs. David Willetts has indicated a desire to offer tuition fee loans to students who already have a degree as long as they do Engineering or Computing though.

Most of my DTLLS class have students loans and already have degrees. Some are NHS but most are not. Perhaps teaching is also different.

Teaching is different.

If you already have a degree you can only get loans for teaching, social work and one or two other 'shortage' areas.