Find out more about how the LLE will be changing student finance if you’re beginning your studies from 1 January 2027, and your home is in England.
How the LLE is changing student finance
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will help you get the skills and qualifications you need, when you need them.
If you’re beginning your studies from 1 January 2027, and your home is in England, you’ll need to apply for student finance through the LLE.
The LLE will:
- make access to student finance more flexible to use across your working life
- allow you to use loan funding for short blocks of study, called modules
Whether you’re starting out, retraining or learning new skills, the LLE will help you to fit study around your life.
Learn more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) on GOV.UK.
Who the LLE is for
The LLE is designed to work for you at every stage of your life.
This means you could:
- go to university or college straight after school or when it’s right for you
- return to study, which might be possible if you already have a degree
- retrain or upskill if you’re already working
- study flexibly around work or caring responsibilities
You can access LLE loan funding for:
- full courses at qualification levels 4 to 6, such as degrees, technical qualifications and some distance learning and online courses
- modules of approved Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) at level 4 to 5
- modules from full level 6 qualifications in priority skills areas (for example, degrees)
- some postgraduate level 7 courses and modules
You can check with your university, college or provider if your course or module qualifies for LLE loan funding.
What LLE loan funding you could get
You could apply for:
- Tuition Fee Loans to pay for course fees that cover up to 4 years of full-time study
- maintenance support if you’re studying in-person to help with living costs (such as a Maintenance Loan)
If you already have a degree, you may qualify for extra loan funding.
This covers course fees in priority skills areas like medicine, nursing, or social work. This is called Priority Additional Entitlement.
You might also be able to apply for extra funding, like a grant or bursary.
Using the LLE to fund modules
You’ll also be able to use your LLE loan funding to study modules.
Modules are blocks of learning that focus on a specific topic or skill.
You can study individual modules instead of a full course to:
- learn just what you need, when you need it
- work towards a qualification over a longer period of time
- fit study around your other commitments
Modules will help give you more choice over how and when you study.
Find out which universities, colleges and providers have been approved to deliver modules on GOV.UK.
When to apply for the LLE
You can apply for the LLE from September 2026 for courses and modules starting from 1 January 2027.
If your course started before 1 January 2027, find out about student finance on GOV.UK.
Further guidance
Use the student finance calculator to check how much you could get.