TheParagon-Education

Personal account and record of learning
LLE personal account
The LLE personal account will transform the way individuals engage with student finance.

This accessible, digital service will enable individuals to easily manage their LLE entitlement. Individuals will be able to:

•check their LLE balance
•apply for tuition and maintenance support
•track the progress of applications
•get information, advice and guidance to help them plan their learning and further their career aspirations

Record of learning
All universities, colleges and other providers currently record learners’ achievements in some form.

To support the LLE, the government will introduce a standardised transcript template. This will make sure that a learner’s assessed achievements are always captured under the new modular, credit-based system.

How government will regulate providers under the LLE
Regulation of higher education:

•protects students from poor experiences and outcomes
•protects taxpayers’ money
•ensures the sector remains viable

By law, OfS must regulate providers in a way that is proportionate to risk. The government will support OfS to ensure that providers are fully aware of the regulatory regime.

In the current system, a provider can choose to apply in one of the OfS registration categories:

•approved
•approved (fee cap)

Consultation response
In our consultation response, we asked OfS to develop a third category of registration to provide an appropriate approach for smaller providers offering level 4 and 5 qualifications.

If providers are registered with OfS, then courses will be funded through the LLE from January 2027 if they:

•are level 4, 5 and 6 courses currently funded by advanced learner loans
•meet the criteria for LLE funding
This includes the majority of FE colleges.

Details of the courses in scope for advanced learner loan funding in the 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 academic years will be announced separately.

We are working closely with OfS towards the implementation of a full regulatory approach for a third category. We will announce further details in due course.

If providers want to deliver LLE-funded provision before the delivery of a third category, they can apply to OfS to register within the existing categories.

What is happening now
We will continue to work at pace with our delivery partners, the Student Loans Company (SLC) and OfS, to deliver the LLE. This includes communicating details of:

•priority additional entitlement
•maintenance
•credit transfer
•modular expansion
•OfS regulation

Modular Acceleration Programme
In September 2023, the government launched the modular acceleration programme (MAP).

This is a targeted programme to accelerate the delivery of individual modules of HTQs ahead of the launch of the LLE in the 2026 to 2027 academic year. This DfE-led grant competition will deliver up to £5 million in new funding to successful providers during the 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 academic years.

The programme will see 25 providers delivering up to 108 HTQ modules in occupational routes such as:

•engineering and manufacturing
•construction, design and build

Next steps
In 2025, we will:

•provide further information, together with the OfS, on the regulation of providers under the LLE in spring
•share further details and plans for delivery alongside the multi-year spending review in June, including:
•information on maintenance loans, supplementary grants, priority courses and additional entitlement
•information on the expansion and regulation of modular funding (together with the OfS)
•provide more information to the sector on the qualification gateway
•open the qualification gateway – an approval process that allows new Ofqual-regulated qualifications to access LLE funding

In 2026, we will:

•lay secondary legislation to implement the LLE fee limits and funding system

Note that the dates provided are indicative and subject to change.