TheParagon-Education

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the post-18 student finance system to create a single funding system. It will replace:

higher education student finance loans
advanced learner loans
From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for LLE funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards.

The LLE will allow people to develop new skills and gain new qualifications at a time that is right for them.

From its launch, the LLE loan will be available for:

•full courses at level 4 to 6, such as a degrees, technical qualifications, and designated distance-learning and online courses
•modules of high-value technical courses at level 4 to 5

Under the LLE, eligible learners will be able to access:
•a tuition fee loan, with new learners able to access up to the full entitlement of £38,140 – equal to 4 years of study based on academic year 2025 to 2026 fee rates
•a maintenance loan to cover living costs, for courses with in-person attendance

Extra financial help will also be available for:
•earners with disabilities
•support with childcare

An additional entitlement may be available for priority subjects or longer courses such as medicine.

Why we need the LLE
The government is committed to ensuring the country develops the skills needed to:

•drive sustained economic growth
•break down barriers to opportunity
•improve the living standards of hard-working people
The LLE will deliver transformational change to the current student finance system by:

•broadening access to high-quality, flexible education and training
•supporting greater learner mobility between institutions
This will enable individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. It will create opportunities for both young people and adults to develop the skills needed to succeed in life, contributing to growth across the entire country.

The LLE will support the government’s skills agenda to boost growth in all corners of the country and give people the opportunity to get on in life.

We will provide more information in the coming months on how we will work with Skills England to ensure that the LLE:

•aligns to the government’s skills priorities
•creates opportunities across the country for young people and adults to develop skills

Who will be eligible for the LLE
The LLE will be available to new and returning learners.

For returning learners, the amount they can borrow will be reduced depending on the funding they have previously received to support study.

LLE tuition loans will be available for people up to the age of 60. The age limit is designed to offer the vast majority of the working population access to tuition loans, enabling them to:

•train, retrain and upskill
•make a significant contribution to the economy over a longer period of time
Learners who are over 60 may still qualify for maintenance support, though not a tuition fee loan.

Eligibility criteria for the LLE will track existing higher education student finance nationality and residency rules.

LLE in devolved administrations
In the UK, education is devolved. The government is working closely with partners in the devolved administrations ahead of the LLE roll-out in the 2026 to 2027 academic year. This is to ensure students can move seamlessly between institutions throughout the UK.

If students living in England already have funding in place (through the current HE student finance system) to study courses at providers in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, it will be carried over.

Courses included under the LLE
The LLE will be available for:

•full years of study at levels 4 to 6, including higher technical and degree qualifications
•modules of technical courses of clear value to employers

LLE learners will apply for their funding in September 2026 for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. The LLE will fund:

•full years of study on courses currently funded by HE student finance including:
traditional bachelor’s degrees
•postgraduate certificates in education (PGCE)
•integrated master’s degrees – a 4-year programme that awards a master’s degree on top of a bachelor’s degree
•foundation years available before some degree courses start, as long as these form part of an overall bachelor’s degree
•foundation degrees
•all higher technical qualifications (HTQs), including both full courses and modules of those courses
•level 4 to 6 qualifications currently funded by advanced learner loans where there is clear learner demand and employer endorsement
•the tuition for designated distance-learning and online courses