Tuition Fee Loan

Q1: What is the tuition loan entitlement within the LLE?

A: New students (those who have not yet had government support to undertake courses at level 4 to 6) will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £39,160, based on the 2026/27 maximum fee limit of £9,790 per year. This means a student could use their £39,160 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 £39,160 and they use £6,000 for a 120-credit course, they would have £33,160 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 support from the government administrations of England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland to undertake courses at level 4 to 6) may only have some, or none of their entitlement left, depending on previous funding they’ve 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 £29,370 in today’s fees will have a residual entitlement of £9,790.

An additional entitlement, above the core 4-year entitlement, will be available for some priority subjects. Priority additional entitlement will give learners whose LLE balance is £0 as much tuition fee loan as they need to complete their course. It will come with the usual maintenance support and repayment terms.

Course types that will be eligible for Priority Additional Entitlement are as follows -

• medicine
• dentistry
• nursing
• midwifery
• allied health profession subjects
• initial teacher training
• social work

Priority additional entitlement will only support full courses. Individual modules in these subjects will not be eligible.

Existing graduates who have already used their fee support can access priority additional entitlement to retrain in an eligible subject.

Q2: SLC currently pays providers on a 25/25/50 split across a standard 3 academic terms in HE, and in monthly instalments for Advanced Learner Loans. What is the arrangement under LLE?

A: Under the LLE, tuition fee payment instalments will be made to providers in respect of the number of quarters (13-week intervals) between the start and end date of the specific year of the course. This starts on the first day of study as recorded on CMS and ends with the last day of study as recorded on CMS, inclusive of any holiday periods within these study periods, but exclusive of any holiday periods that fall after the final study day. This will mean a minimum of 1 payment, and a potential maximum of 4 payments are made for each course year.

The total Tuition Fee Loan for the year will be split evenly across each instalment. This would exclude a course year that qualifies for 3 instalments where the established 25% / 25% / 50% payment split will apply.

Payment dates under this model will be scheduled based on traditional HE student finance payment points with sequencing relative to the appropriate AY quarter in which the course start date falls.

All Tuition Fee Loan payments will remain subject to a positive confirmation of attendance.

The table details an example of tuition fee loan instalments based on the start and end dates of the specific year of the course.

This table illustrates the sequencing of TFL payments under the TFL payments model for service year 1 of the LLE:

* under the current HESF system, the July payment date is only used in respect of summer AY quarter start courses. This will continue to be the position under the LLE.

Q3: Do the tuition fees instalment points define the maximum fee that a provider may charge at each point? Or can providers charge according to the number of credits studied, with the SLC releasing the outstanding balance should a student withdraw?

A: Tuition Fee Loan payments are made in set instalments. Each instalment is a pre‑determined percentage of the total tuition fee for that course year.

As with the existing system, if a student leaves their course before the end of the year, the provider will receive an amount that reflects the number of credits the student is liable for at the time they withdraw, in line with the terms and conditions of the provider, as agreed with the student. Providers are responsible for determining the number of credits a student is liable for when they leave.

If a provider determines that the student has studied more credits than the value of the tuition‑fee payments already received, the provider must state the number of credits they consider chargeable at the point of withdrawal when submitting the Change of Circumstances notification.

If the chargeable amount is higher than the amount already paid, the outstanding balance will be scheduled for an additional payment.

Q4: If a student has 60 credits worth of TFL left and they need to repeat 80 credits of study, will they be able to use up their remaining pot and then pay the difference themselves?

A: Yes, the student will be able to self-fund the difference.

Q5: Is there tuition fee funding for distance learning courses? 

A: Students undertaking designated distance learning courses can apply for tuition fee funding under the LLE. Distance learning courses will still be out of scope of maintenance support, as they are in the current system. The government intends to roll over the existing exemptions.

Q6: How much LLE entitlement will be used up if a student withdraws/suspends?

A: The fee limit/fee charge will directly relate to the number of credits that the provider considers the student to have completed at the point of withdrawal. The amount charged will be based on the applicable cost per credit rate for that provider. The fees charged is not dependent on completion of the credits, but the credits the student enrolled for and what the provider considers the student to have undertaken at the point they exit the course.