Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Lifelong learning entitlement: what it is and how it will work

Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), a major reform to post-18 education funding in England set to be implemented for courses starting from January 2027.

The LLE will create a new, single funding system for students at levels 4, 5, and 6, replacing the current undergraduate student finance and Advanced Learner Loans for these levels.

Key features of the LLE include:

• Providing individuals with a loan entitlement equivalent to four years of post-18 education (£38,140 based on 2025/26 fee rates), which can be used flexibly throughout their working lives.
• Enabling funding for full courses (like degrees and Higher Technical Qualifications) but, crucially, also for modules (short courses) of at least 30 credits in subject groups, particularly those addressing priority skills gaps, which is highly relevant to our Engineering programmes.
• Allowing for increased flexibility in how, when, and where people study, supporting upskilling and retraining.

This change presents a significant opportunity could re-evaluate and adapt our current Level 4 and above Engineering programmes to embrace this new modular and flexible funding approach.

For more detailed information, please refer to these official government resources:

LLE Overview (GOV.UK)
Student Finance England Campaign Page