Lifelong Learning Entitlement FAQ

Q1: When does the LLE come into effect?

Updated 18 April 2024

A: The LLE system is intended to launch within academic year 2025/26 for new students and students with previous study, looking to start a new course in January, who are ordinarily resident in England.

Q2: Does the LLE replace the current SFE funding package? 

Updated 18 April 2024

A: For new students, yes, from January 2026. The LLE will be the replacement for the current HE student finance system for level 4-6 study delivered by OfS registered providers.

Q3: What are the eligibility rules for returning (continuing) students?

Updated 18 April 2024

A: It’s expected most students who started a course in academic year 2024/25 or earlier will continue studying using the funding system under which the course was started that is under relevant existing HE Student Finance (HESF) or ALL rules. This includes course transfers where the rules on continuation of study apply (in relation to no breaks of study, the same qualification level, subject area and mode of study). We will share further updates in due course.

Students with prior study starting a course from January in academic year 2025/26 may have access to a residual entitlement, calculated based on reductions from the starting “fixed entitlement” to reflect previous government-funded study. Students who started and finished their course before January in academic year 2025/26 will fall under the LLE system for any new courses they start from January in academic year 2025/26.

Funding for students who start a course from January in academic year 2025/26 or later will be through the LLE. Students who defer entry from 2024/25 to courses starting from January 2025/26 onwards, will fall under the LLE system.

Eligibility and qualifying conditions for LLE funding will broadly mirror existing HE student finance nationality and residency rules, meaning most students will need to have been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the three-year period preceding their course start date.

Loans for LLE courses and modules will be repaid under Plan 5 terms and conditions (or any future plan types which apply at the time a loan is taken out), and any unpaid loan balances will be written off after a period of time (currently 40 years) at no detriment to individual borrowers.

Q4: If a student needs to repeat a full year of their course or part of a year, how would this be funded?

Added 23 November 2023

A: A student’s fee loan funding for repeat study would be taken from their residual entitlement balance, except in cases of Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). We will share further details in due course.

Q5: Will providers be given training on eligibility rules and new system requirements ahead of the launch of the LLE? 

Added 23 November 2023

A: We have an extensive training and awareness programme planned for Information and Guidance (IAG) practitioners and education provider administrators. We intend to deliver an intensive programme in Summer 2024. We will share details of this in early 2024.

Q6: What is the tuition loan entitlement within the LLE? 

Added 23 November 2023

A: New students (those who have not yet received government support to undertake courses at level 4-6) will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £37,000 across four years based on today’s maximum fee limit of £9,250 per year.

This means a student could use their £37,000 to pay for more than 480 credits of learning, depending on the per-credit cost of the course. For example, if a student can borrow £37,000 and they use £6,000 for a 120 credit course, they would have £31,000 of their Lifelong Learning Entitlement left for other courses, regardless of the size or duration of the original programme.

Returning students (those who have previously received government support to undertake courses at level 4-6) may only have some, or none of their entitlement left, depending on previous funding received.

Those who have not used it all will have access to a residual entitlement. For example, a typical graduate who completed a 3 year degree worth £27,750 in today’s fees will have a residual entitlement of £9,250. This amount will be adjusted should the modern fee limit change.

An additional entitlement, above the core 4 year entitlement, will be available for some priority subjects and longer courses such as medicine. DfE will publish eligible courses in early 2024.

We'll provide more information in due course.

Q7: What repayment plan will be used for LLE loan repayments? 

Added 23 November 2023 

A: Students must start repaying their loan once they have left their course and earn more than a certain amount. This amount is known as the repayment threshold. A student’s repayments will depend on what they earn over the threshold; not the total amount that’s owed.

Repayment of LLE loans will follow the new system of student-loan repayments, introduced on 1 August 2023 for academic year 2023/2024, known as Plan 5. This means that repayments will only start once a student earns more than £25,000 a year before tax, equal to £2083 a month or £480 per week.

The amount repaid is 9%, or 9p for every £1, of a student’s gross salary over the repayment threshold. For most, this is automatically deducted from their salary at the same time as tax and National Insurance. Repayments continue unless:

• students have repaid their loan
• a student’s salary drops below the threshold
• a 40 year period has passed, and the loan is cancelled

Those with an existing undergraduate student loan, who then choose to use the residual entitlement they have left under the LLE to fund further undergraduate level study, will continue to make a single repayment of 9% of their gross salary above the repayment threshold.

Q8: Will a provider need to capture a record of a student’s learning?

Added 23 November 2023 

A: All universities, colleges and other providers currently record students’ achievements in some form. The government will not impose credit-transfer arrangements, but instead seek to facilitate credit transfer through other methods including through introducing the requirement for providers to provide a standardised transcript on completion of modules. This is to ensure a student’s assessed achievements are consistently captured under the new modular, credit-based system. Each student will be issued set pieces of information for each module that they can use to help when asked for evidence of prior learning when they enter a new course or module, or as evidence of learning to share with employers. It will also facilitate students to transfer between university, college or training centre.

Q9: Will currently funded Advanced Learner Loan courses at levels 4-6, move to the LLE system from 2025?

Added 14 December 2023

A: DfE has announced that Advanced Learner Loans will be extended for a further 2 years until 2027 for courses provided by Learning Providers that are not on the OfS Register.  

If you’re a provider that has already registered with the OfS, courses currently under ALL at levels 4-6 will be become eligible for LLE, if they meet LLE requirements and will be administered through the LLE system.

If you’re a provider that intends to register with the OfS before 2027, any courses currently under ALL at levels 4-6 will be become eligible for LLE, if they meet LLE requirements.

A third category of OfS registration will be introduced for providers not already on the OfS register but offering existing Advanced Learner Loan-funded courses at levels 4-6. This category will be available from 2027/28.

Q10: For providers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales how will the implementation of LLE impact their course submission? 

Updated 18 April 2024

A: Providers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with new England domiciled students in January of academic year 2025/26 will be impacted by the introduction of the LLE. To allow new England domiciled students in January of academic year 2025/26 to access LLE funding, regardless of where they are studying in the UK, providers need to submit an LLE version of the course so that students can be assessed correctly. More information on course submission will follow in due course.

Q11: SLC currently pays providers on a 25/25/50 split and students on a termly basis. Will this change? 

Added 21 March 2024

A: SLC is currently analysing various delivery options to address the new needs introduced by LLE. Using and building upon SLC’s existing Student Finance infrastructure and platforms to deliver the LLE will help maximise efficiencies in terms of delivery timescales. 

Q12: Will loans to help students with living costs still be available when LLE is implemented.

Added 21 March 2024

A: Maintenance loans are designed to help students with living costs while they study. There is a maximum limit based on a student’s course features, location and personal eligibility. This will broadly remain the same as the current criteria.

Q1: Which courses are in scope of the LLE funding?

Updated 14 March 2024

A: The following qualifications are in scope:

• Courses delivered in the UK that are eligible for funding for English-domiciled students under the current SFE HE student finance service.
• All qualifications which currently attract SFE funding as undergraduate courses, as detailed in Annex C of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement Government Consultation Response.
• Some ALL-funded Level 4-6 qualifications offered by OfS registered providers. The finalised list of approved qualifications will be confirmed in mid 2024 following a technical consultation, which will consider student demand and employer endorsement.

Q2: What new modular courses are in scope for the LLE?

Updated 18 April 2024

A: Modular funding will be phased in, initially focusing on higher technical courses, which have clear links to employment or where they address skills gaps to support students into jobs that employers need. From January of academic year 2025/26, this will be initially targeted at:

• All HTQs (approved to deliver skills employers need); and,
• Technical qualifications at levels 4 and 5 currently funded through the ALL system which have a clear line of sight to an occupational map and employer support and are offered by an OfS registered provider.

This will pave the way for expanding out new modular funding to broader level 4, 5 and 6 provision in 2027.

Q3: What courses, in scope of the LLE, will attract maintenance support?

A: Maintenance loans will be available for all designated courses and modules that require in-person attendance under the LLE, as will targeted support grants such as the Disabled Student Allowance and the Childcare Grant.

• Maintenance support will be subject to personal criteria such as income, and these criteria will broadly remain the same as now.
• As now, maintenance support will be available for disabled distance students who are unable to attend a course for a reason related to their disability.

Q4: Are Distance Learners in scope for the LLE?

A: Distance learners are in scope for tuition fee funding under the LLE. However, they will not be eligible for maintenance support. This is a continuation of the current system, and any existing exemptions will roll over so that distance learning students with disabilities will continue to be eligible for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).

Q5: Are apprenticeships in scope?

A: Apprenticeships are not in scope and will continue under current arrangements.

Q6: What is the Qualification Gateway?

Added 21 March 2024

A: The Qualification Gateway is an approval process that will allow new qualifications to be approved for LLE funding. The gateway will launch in September 2025 and we will publish further information in Summer 2024. 

It is separate from the HTQ approval process, which will continue to operate.

Qualifications approved through the gateway must be:

• level 4 to 6
• Ofqual regulated
• at least 30 credits
• occupational (but not necessarily employer-led or developed)

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) will be notified when technical qualifications submitted to the gateway. IfATE’s approval process will ensure that technical qualifications align with employer needs and lead to positive employment outcomes for learners.

Q1: What is the mechanism for FE providers to join the OfS Register?

Updated 14 December 2023

A: FE colleges will be able to apply for either of the existing OfS registration categories. In addition, the OfS is consulting on introducing a permanent third category of registration for learning providers that have been under the regulatory oversight of the ESFA for ALL-funded courses.

The OfS will deliver the regulatory approach for any third category from academic year 2027/28. In the interim, the existing ALL funding system will remain in operation for providers that have not registered with the OfS under either of the existing categories.

Q2: If a provider wants to extend delivery beyond its current ALL offering, will they need to change to an existing registration category?

Updated 14 December 2023

A: Currently, yes, they will need to be registered under the category of either “approved” or “approved/fee cap”.

Q3: What should providers do if they are not currently registered with the Office for Students (OfS)? 

Updated 18 April 2024

A: The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. By law, OfS must regulate providers in a way that is proportionate to risk.

To access the LLE from January of academic year 2025/26, providers must be registered in one of the OfS registration categories:

• approved
• approved (fee cap)

To find out more about registering with the OfS, please email regulation@officeforstudents.org.uk or call the OfS on 0117 931 7305.

The registration process can take approximately 12 to 18 months to complete.

Q1: Are there changes to the course information required?

Updated 14 December 2023

A: If you are currently an HE provider submitting course information to our Courses Management Service (CMS), it is likely that we will need some additional course information to support the LLE. We have an HE Advisory Group and a system user group to help confirm feasibility and to explore the timescales that information becomes available.

If you are an FE only provider, that chooses to register with OfS, you will need to submit course information onto CMS to allow English students to apply for LLE funding. We will provide a comprehensive engagement and training programme in due course.

Q2: When will SLC need course information?

A: The planning assumption is that the course management system will go live in November 2024 for providers to begin uploading courses, in advance of the launch of the application system, in respect of both part-time and full-time courses.

Q3: Will HE providers need to upload both courses for continuing students and courses for the LLE for English domiciled students?

A: Yes, HE providers will need to supply courses for continuing students under the current Student Finance Regulations, as well as the courses starting after January 2026 that will be LLE funded.

Q4: Will HE providers need to upload courses starting after January 2026 for Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish students separately to the new LLE courses?

A: Yes, HE providers will need to provide courses for Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish students separately from the LLE version.

Q5: Will ALL provision at level 3 continue?

A: ALL providers will continue to provide level 3 Learning Aims following the current process.

Q1: Do I have to modularise all my courses?

A: Providers will not need to offer any modules separately from their parent course. They will have the freedom to choose which courses and modules they offer. The Government has set out the criteria for modules to be eligible for funding as part of its LLE Consultation Response.  

Q2: Are credits required only for modules?

Credits will be the basis of fee limits and fee loans under the LLE. To support this, certain types of provision will need to be credit-bearing to be designated for LLE funding.

Credits will be needed for all LLE funded modules and also for the following LLE funded courses:

• Ofqual regulated qualifications
• Any new course types designated for LLE funding
• All parent courses of any modular provision
• All courses shorter than a year

Courses not listed, such as degree programmes, do not need to be credit-bearing. However, all LLE courses in CMS will need to have a credit value recorded. For courses/course years which are not credit-bearing, a default credit value will be captured in CMS (for example 360 credits for a three-year undergraduate degree). 

Providers will continue to have full autonomy over whether or not to modularise any given course or whether to make it credit bearing. The government has created a mechanism that will allow providers to choose whether or not to use credits for degree courses, without any penalty or impact on the overall fee limit for those courses.

Q3: Can a module be designed as standalone?

Updated 14 December 2023

A: For a modular course to be funded, it cannot be designed as “standalone”. It must form part of a designated full course (“parent course”). Initially, just HTQs and some Level 4 / Level 5 former ALL funded qualifications will be eligible to be “parent courses”. Modules of a smaller size can also be funded through the LLE, provided they are “bundled” together from a parent course in a single entry to meet the minimum requirement of 30 credits, to allow sufficient flexibility for retraining purposes. For example, funding would be available for a 20 credit module and a 10 credit module of the same course, if combined.

Q4: Is there a fee cap on what a HE Provider can charge for a foundation year?

Added 23 November 2023

A: If a foundation year is integral and allows progression to a full degree course designated for student finance, students enrolling on the foundation year can access tuition fee and maintenance loans for the full duration of their extended course. The government has announced that from January in academic year 2025/26, the maximum fee and loan limit for foundation years for courses fully delivered in a classroom setting (OfS price group D) will be lowered depending on the category of OfS registration and TEF status. For approved (fee cap) providers with TEF the fee cap will be lowered to £5,760. The maximum fee and loan limit for foundation years for all other providers will be announced in due course.

For courses not fully delivered in a classroom setting (OfS price group D), the current fee and loan limit will remain as is.

Q5: How will credits help determine the fee limits in LLE? 

Added 23 November 2023

A: The government’s introducing a credit-based method for setting fee limits that will work across all courses and modules funded by the LLE, regardless of whether they’re studied on a full-time, part-time, or accelerated basis. This means that the fee limit will directly relate to the amount of study in the course, rather than the number of academic years that are studied.

Q1: Will existing Equivalent of Lower Qualification rules still apply?

Amended 23 November 2023

A: The LLE will remove the existing Equivalent or Lower Qualifications rule meaning that students can use their entitlement to train, retrain and upskill flexibly, regardless of prior qualifications attained (subject to having sufficient entitlement left).

Q2: Are all Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) restrictions removed or, as the LLE covers levels 4 – 6, would someone with a higher qualification than level 6, such as masters, not be eligible?

A: The ELQ restrictions that are currently part of SFE funding policy would limit the LLE system in supporting flexible lifelong learning. As such, they will not be a feature of the LLE. An applicant with a qualification at level 7 would still be eligible for LLE funding at levels 4-6, although this would depend on the details of the funding for their level 7 qualification, their residual entitlement may be reduced.

Note that level 7 courses will not typically be available within the LLE, and separate ELQ rules for the postgraduate funding system may still apply. Courses leading to qualifications at level 7 that are currently eligible for funding, such as integrated master’s courses, will typically continue to be designated for funding under the LLE.

It follows, therefore, that students completing a qualification at any level in academic year 2024/25 will have the option of progressing to any course or module designated for LLE funding, regardless of its level (subject to them having sufficient residual entitlement).

Q3: What happens to students already in study when LLE launches?

Updated 18 April 2024

A: Any students currently in study at the point of the LLE’s launch in January 2026 will remain on their current funding arrangements until at least 2028/29. Consideration is being given to their legacy funding offer, if still relevant, in subsequent years, with a focus on ensuring students retain sufficient funding to complete their course.

It is expected that if a student is still in receipt of government support for a course they are on in January of academic year 2025/26, their access to LLE funding may be restricted until they have completed their original course. We will provide further details in due course. 

Q4: Will the students’ previous loans be taken in account?

Updated 18 April 2024

A: Students with prior study starting a course from January in academic year 2025/26 may have access to a residual entitlement, calculated based on reductions from the starting “fixed entitlement” to reflect previous government-funded study.