anyone studying at university in UK is entitled to the minimum loan (tuition loan and maintenance, tuition loan goes straight to the uni, and is whatever your tuition fee is, maintenance is meant for rent and stuff and is about 3k a year), if you apply for income-assesed however it may influence their assessment (but even if you are rejected for income assessed you will still get minimum)
they dont check credit rating (afaik) since most uni starters simply dont have one hehe