What's changingFamily & life stages
Student finance has changed in England. How the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement works for courses from January 2027
Applications are now open for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, which replaces the old student loan system for new courses starting from 1 January 2027. It gives adults under 60 up to £39,160 of tuition loans to use over their working life, including for single modules.
Published 2 November 2026Last checked 2 November 2026EnglandFrom Student Loans Company and Department for Education
Illustration generated with AI
What's happening
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) is England's new student finance system for courses and modules starting on or after 1 January 2027. Instead of loans tied to one degree, you get a lifetime total of up to £39,160 in tuition loans, about four years of full-time study, which you can use for a full course or for shorter modules over many years. Applications opened on 30 October 2026, and you repay only once you earn over £25,000 a year.
The question: What is the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, who can get it, how much can you borrow, and how do you apply?
This applies to you if…
- Your home is in England
- You'll be under 60 on the first day of your course (over 60s may get a loan for living costs only)
- Your course or module starts on or after 1 January 2027
- It's at a college or university registered with the Office for Students
- It's at level 4 to 6 (such as a bachelor's degree, foundation degree or Higher Technical Qualification), or one of some level 7 courses such as a PGCE
- You meet the nationality and residency rules, usually having lived in the UK for 3 years before your course starts
Not for you if…
- Students whose course started before 1 January 2027, who stay on the old system
- People who live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, who have their own student finance bodies
- Courses at providers not registered with the Office for Students
What it's worth
Lifetime limit for courses from 1 January 2027, reduced by government tuition funding you've had before. Maintenance Loans for living costs are separate and depend on household income.
Tax year Courses starting 1 January 2027 onwards
How much could be left if you studied before
- Start with the lifetime limit: £39,160
- Suppose you borrowed tuition loans of £9,250 a year for 3 years on the old system: £27,750
- £39,160 minus £27,750 = £11,410
About £11,410 of tuition loan could be left
Illustrative calc. Your real figure is shown in your LLE account, and some courses such as medicine, nursing, social work and teaching can get extra.
How to do it
- 1
Check your eligibility and remaining amount
Read the guide to student finance for courses from 1 January 2027. Your LLE account shows an estimate of what's left, even before you apply.
Takes about 15 minutes
- 2
You need one to apply online. You need a new LLE student finance account even if you already have a Student Finance England account.
Takes about 15 minutes
- 3
Apply for each course or module
You apply separately for each course or module you want funded. You don't need a confirmed place first.
Takes about About an hour
- 4
Apply by the last day of the ninth month of your course or module year, or by its end date if that comes sooner. For a course starting on 15 January 2027, that means by 30 September 2027. Applying early helps your money arrive on time.
- 5
Contact Student Finance England if you can't apply online.
Deadline
First courses and modules funded by the LLE start — 1 January 2027 (in 60 days)
Applications for courses starting from 1 August 2027 open in spring 2027.
The catches
It's a loan, with interest
Interest is currently 4.1% and starts from the day the first payment is made. The rate can change.
What you use now is gone later
Every module you borrow for comes off your lifetime total. Once it's used up you usually can't borrow more, apart from some courses like medicine, nursing and social work.
Past study counts
Government tuition funding you had before, such as an earlier student loan, is taken off the £39,160.
Living-cost loans have conditions
To get a Maintenance Loan you need to attend in person and have at least £1,587.50 of your tuition entitlement left.
Minimum and maximum study
You're normally only eligible when you study between 30 and 180 credits a year. One credit is about 10 hours of learning.
Illustrative example
Priya, 38, retraining one module at a time
Priya works full time in England and has never had a student loan. She wants to move into accounting, taking one module a term at a registered college while she keeps working.
- She checks her LLE account, which shows her full £39,160 available.
- She applies for her first module, starting in February 2027.
- The tuition loan for that module comes off her lifetime total.
- She repays only once she's finished or left the module and earns over £25,000 a year.
Priya can spread her study over several years without taking on a full degree's debt up front.
Illustrative example. Real amounts depend on the course fee and credits.
What this means for…
- Student: If your course starts on or after 1 January 2027, you apply through the LLE, with a lifetime tuition limit of £39,160.
- 25–54: You can borrow for single modules or shorter technical courses to retrain while working, not just a full degree.
- 55 to State Pension age: You can get a tuition loan if you're under 60 on the first day of your course. From 60, you may only get help with living costs.
- Under 25: If you start a degree from January 2027 or later, it's funded through the LLE. What you borrow comes off your lifetime total.
Common misreadings
You might hear: It's only for school leavers going to university.
Actually: It's for anyone under 60 who meets the rules, and it can fund single modules and technical courses as well as full degrees.
You might hear: It's free money or a grant.
Actually: It's a loan. You repay it once you earn over £25,000 a year, and interest is added.
You might hear: If I studied years ago, I can't get anything.
Actually: Past funding is taken off your total, but you may still have some left. Your LLE account shows an estimate.
Where the UK nations differ
- England
- The LLE applies to people who normally live in England, through Student Finance England.
- Scotland
- The LLE doesn't apply. Students who live in Scotland apply to SAAS.
- Wales
- The LLE doesn't apply. Students who live in Wales apply to Student Finance Wales.
- Northern Ireland
- The LLE doesn't apply. Students who live in Northern Ireland apply to Student Finance NI.
What you could do
are thinking of starting a course or module in England from January 2027
By Before your course starts
have a course or module starting between 1 January and 31 July 2027
Apply now so your money is ready for the start date. You don't need a confirmed place first.
had student finance before
Check how much government tuition funding you've already used, as it reduces your lifetime total.
Timeline
30 October 2026
Applications open
For courses and modules starting on or after 1 January 2027
1 January 2027
First LLE-funded courses start
The detail
The rules
- Lifetime tuition loan limit: £39,160, about 4 years of full-time study or 480 credits.
- Up to £9,790 for every 120 credits.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £15,415 for a course year of up to 30 weeks, depending on household income, where you live, credits and weeks studied.
- Normally 30 to 180 credits a year. One credit is about 10 hours of learning.
- Tuition Fee Loan: you must be under 60 on the first day of your course.
- Provider must be registered with the Office for Students.
- Courses: most level 4 to 6 qualifications and some level 7, such as a PGCE.
- Repayment Plan 5: repay once you earn over £25,000 a year, after you finish or leave the course or module. Repayments are 9% of income over £25,000. Written off 40 years after the April you're first due to repay.
- Interest: currently 4.1%, from the day the first loan payment is made.
- Extra entitlement for some courses, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, midwifery, initial teacher training and social work, and for foundation years and placements.
References
- GOV.UK: Student finance for courses on or after 1 January 2027: Lifetime limit, repayment threshold, interest
- GOV.UK: Apply for student finance, Lifelong Learning Entitlement: How and when to apply
- Student Loans Company news, 30 October 2026: Applications open, what the LLE replaces
Words explained
- Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)
- England's new student finance system, giving you a lifetime pot of tuition loans to use over many years.
- Credit
- A measure of study. One credit is about 10 hours of learning, and a year of a full-time degree is usually 120 credits.
- Module
- A single part of a course that you can study and get funded for on its own.
- Maintenance Loan
- A loan to help with living costs while you study, based on household income.
- Repayment Plan 5
- The student loan repayment plan for these loans, with repayments starting once you earn over £25,000 a year.
- Office for Students
- The regulator for higher education in England. Your provider must be registered with it.
In short
If you live in England and start a course or module from 1 January 2027, student finance now comes through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. Adults under 60 get up to £39,160 of tuition loans for life, usable for single modules, minus past funding. Applications are open now, and repayments start once you earn over £25,000.
Related dates
- 1 Jan First Lifelong Learning Entitlement courses startChange · in 60 days
- 1 Apr National Living Wage rises to £13.21Change · in 150 days
Sources
- Applications for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement are now open, Student Loans Company, GOV.UK (2026-10-30)
- Student finance for courses starting on or after 1 January 2027, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
- Eligibility, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
- Student loans, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
- Getting extra Tuition Fee Loan, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
- Apply for student finance: Lifelong Learning Entitlement, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
- When to apply, GOV.UK (2026-11-02)
This is guidance, not regulated financial advice. Check figures against the linked official source before you act. Written with AI assistance and checked against primary sources. How Kitty works. For free, impartial help, try MoneyHelper or Citizens Advice.