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The University has a loan scheme to support student who will be undertaking international placements. It is there to support pre-departure / up front costs (e.g. the costs of booking flights, getting visas etc) and is aimed at Widening Participation (WP) students in the first instance. It is not open to all students going on a placement abroad and is primarily for students whose placements will be supported by Turing funding.

Important caveat

Funding and bridging loans are there to support students to undertake international placements. However, they do not replace sound financial planning and may not cover the full cost of a placement abroad. Students must consider all costs and their affordability before undertaking an international placement. Students experiencing financial difficulties should consult the University's Financial Support pages, which include sections on hardship funding.

What is Widening Participation?

The loan scheme is in place primarily to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may otherwise not be in a position to undertake a placement abroad. This may include (non-exhaustive):

• Students with a household (e.g. combined parental, if not estranged) income assessed at less than £47,200. 
• Students receiving Universal Credit or income-related benefits because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner.
• Further WP criteria include care givers, refugee status etc.

A small number of non-WP students may also be supported by the loan scheme, where the University is aware that there are up-front costs for international placement schemes that it runs.

Who may apply for a loan?

Currently the scheme is by invitation only for students on international placement schemes that the University runs. We kindly ask students not to make speculative applications since they will be rejected. 

How to apply?

The application form can be accessed by registered Durham students by clicking on the link in the purple section at the bottom of this page.

How does the loan scheme work?

1. The Global Opportunities team will invite eligible students to express an interest in a loan.
2. If the student expresses an interest, the GO Team will calculate the maximum eligible loan amount and issue a loan agreement.
3. The student will have to sign the loan agreement and, where appropriate, demonstrate registration on the programme for which the loan is being sought.
4. The GO team will check the documentation before sending the payment request to Finance for processing.
5. In terms of repayment this is covered in the section below.

How much may I receive?

Loan calculations are based on the Turing scheme travel grant calculations (regardless of whether the placement receives Turing funding or not). The rates are set by the Department for Education based on distance from the UK:

• 100 to 499km: £165 
• 500 to 1,999km: £250
• 2,000 to 2,999km: £325 
• 3,000 to 3,999km: £480 
• 4,000 to 7,999km: £745 
• 8,000 to 12,000km: £905 
• 12,000km+: £1,360 

How will loans be repaid?

This will depend on whether the international opportunity is funded by Turing or not:

1) Turing Funded Student Repayments 

If you have been officially notified by the University that your placement that will be supported with Turing funding, the loan will be deducted from any future Turing grant payments. Therefore, if your overall Turing grant is set to be £1,500 and a £1,000 loan is taken further grant payments will only be up to £500.

Note: The amount of Turing funding a student receives is based on the exact dates of the actual time on placement abroad. If a student curtails their time placement and spends less time on placement than they originally planned, the Turing grant they receive will be equally curtailed / pro-rated. This may result in cases where the loan (paid in advance of the placement and based on planned dates) is greater than the total actual Turing grant (based on the actual dates abroad). In such cases the student will be invoiced after their placement to repay any outstanding balance. E.g. if the planned grant and loan was £1,500 , but the student only goes on placement for 4 weeks, and is thus only eligible for £1,000 Turing grant, the student will be invoiced and required to repay the £500 outstanding balance.

2) Repayments for students funded by schemes other than Turing

If your placement is being funded by something that is NOT Turing (e.g. MITACS, Venice Biennale), you will be invoiced by the University for the loan amount to be repaid by you. 

Will I have to pay interest?

No.  These are short term loans intended to bridge a gap until a student receives either Turing funding or another source of funding such as MITACs. 

What happens if I do not repay?

Not repaying debts is generally inadvisable and may have serious consequences. Students experiencing financial difficulties should consult the University's Financial Support pages. In accepting a loan you will have to sign a loan agreement. Failure to repay will be handled in line with the university's Student debt policy (see: Information and Guidance).