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Student Finance England

Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement

For eligible courses and modules starting from January 2027, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the student finance system in England. It will create a single funding system which gives you more flexibility over how you study.

You’ll be able to apply for LLE funding from September 2026 to help you develop new skills and gain qualifications at a time that’s right for you.

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 or module. This will be paid directly to your university or college and can be used to pay for:

  • full years of study on courses currently funded by HE student finance including:
    • a bachelor’s degree
    • Postgraduate Certificates in Education (PGCE)
    • Integrated Master’s degrees (a 4 year programme which 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
  • modules from full level 6 qualifications which align to priority skills gaps and align to the Government’s industrial strategy for example in engineering, midwifery or social work
  • some courses currently funded by Advanced Learner Loan 
  • Postgraduate healthcare courses

Find out more about what the qualification levels mean.

Tuition Fee Loan – How much you can get

You could get funding for up to £38,140 based on academic year 2025 to 2026 fee rates (equal to 4 years of full-time study) throughout your learning journey to help cover your course fees. 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 per year.

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

Full-time course funding example
Sam is starting a three-year full-time course. Sam will study 120 credits per year. It costs them £9,000 each year, which means by the time they’re finished they’ll have used £27,000 out of the £38,140 available to complete their studies. They’ll then have £11,140 remaining to use in the future for further study or repeat a year of their course (if they need to).
Part-time course funding example
Alex is going to be studying a part-time course. They’ll study 60 credits per year over six years. It costs them £4,000 each year, which means by the time they’re finished, they’ll have used £24,000 out of the £38,140 available. They’ll then have £14,140 remaining to use in the future for further study.
Modular study example
Charlie previously used £18,000 out of the £38,140 available to pay for a two-year full-time course where they studied 240 credits. Once they finished their course, they began to focus on their career. Now, Charlie is planning to study while also working full-time to advance in their career. They’re planning to do this by studying two more modules worth 30 credits each. In total, the extra modules will cost them a further £4,000 in tuition fees (£2,000 each). After they’ve completed these two modules, they’ll have used £22,000 out of the £38,140 available. If Charlie decides to go back to study in the future, they’ll still have £16,140 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, course or module details and where you’ll be living during your studies.

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

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

It’s important to know that your student finance might not cover all of your living costs.

Students are expected to cover the difference between the funding available to them and their total living costs.

What’s next

If you’re starting an eligible course or module on or after 1 January 2027, you’ll be able to access the LLE by applying for student finance from September 2026.

If you’re starting a course before January 2027, you should apply for the current student finance that’s available. You can apply online when applications open.

Find out more

For more information and updates, visit the Department for Education’s Lifelong Learning Entitlement overview page.