Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Starting university or college from January 2026

If your course or module starts from January 2026 and you need student finance, you could apply for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

Having access to the LLE will allow you to develop new skills and gain new qualifications at a time that is right for you. This could be through a full or part-time degree, modular study, or other courses like higher technical qualifications (HTQs).

When studying you’ll have two main costs:

  • Tuition fee costs
  • Living costs

Your Tuition Fee Loan

You could access a Tuition Fee Loan to help cover the cost of your course. This’ll get paid directly to your university or college.

This money can be used to pay for:

  • Most full courses from level 4 to 6 – this includes undergraduate degrees, and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)
  • Individual or groups of modules from technical level 4 to 5 qualifications
  • Postgraduate certificates in education (PGCE)
  • Postgraduate healthcare courses
  • Integrated Master’s degrees (a 4 year programme which awards a Master’s degree on top of a Bachelor’s degree)

Find out more about what the qualification levels mean.

Flexible study with your Tuition Fee Loan

You could be eligible to use up to £37,000 (in today’s fees) throughout your learning journey. For most students this would be the equivalent of 480 credits worth of study.

Your Tuition Fee Loan can be used for a maximum of 180 credits in any 12 month period.

Check out our examples to see how you can use your loan:

Full-time course funding example
Hayley is starting a three-year full-time course. This means she’ll study 120 credits per year. It costs her £9,250 each year, which means by the time she’s finished she’ll have used £27,750 out of the £37,000 available to complete her studies. She’ll then have £9,250 remaining to use in the future for further study or repeat a year of her course (if necessary).
Part-time course funding example
Luke is going to be studying a part-time course. He’ll study 60 credits per year over six years. It costs him £4,625 each year, which means by the time he’s finished he’ll have used £27,750 out of the £37,000 available. He’ll then have £9,250 remaining to use in the future for further study.
Modular study example
Mitchell previously used £18,500 out of the £37,000 available to pay for a two year full-time course where he studied 240 credits. Once he finished his course he began to focus on his career. Now, Mitchell is planning to study while also working full-time to advance in his career. He’s planning to do this by studying two more modules worth 30 credits each. In total, both modules will cost him a further £4,625 in tuition fees. After he’s completed these two modules, he’ll have used £23,125 out of the £37,000 available. If Mitchell decides to go back to study in the future, he’ll still have £13,875 available to go towards any tuition costs.

Living costs

You can also apply for a Maintenance Loan to help towards your living costs. To calculate how much you can get, we’ll use your household income, your course details and where you’ll be living during the academic year.

We also offer extra support if you have children or an adult who depends on you financially, or you have a disability, a long-term health condition, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty. Our extra support includes:

  • Disabled Students’ Allowance
  • Childcare Grant
  • Parents’ Learning Allowance
  • Adult Dependants’ Grant

Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for extra help from other sources.

It’s important to know that your student finance might not cover all of your living costs. Students are expected to make up the difference between the funding available to them and their total living costs.

What’s next

You’ll be able access your LLE by applying for student finance from September 2025.

Keep checking this page for regular updates. There will be more information available throughout the year.

Students who are starting a course before January 2026 will still be able to apply for the usual undergraduate student finance.