The Student Loans Company (SLC) said Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) applications opened to eligible learners in England for courses or modules starting Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, 2027, with up to £39,160 in tuition loans.
The LLE replaces higher-education student finance loans and Advanced Learner Loans for some eligible qualifications. It covers most undergraduate courses, some postgraduate qualifications and selected further-education courses at approved providers. The government says the change applies in England and does not alter student finance across the whole U.K.
At 2026-27 rates, the tuition-loan maximum is equivalent to about four years of full-time study or 480 credits. Previous government support for higher-level study can reduce the amount available to returning learners. Modular loans are limited to approved Higher Technical Qualification modules at levels 4 and 5, and eligible modules from full level 6 qualifications in specified priority subjects.
For eligible in-person study of no more than 30 weeks, maintenance support can reach £15,415 per course year. Household income, location and credits studied affect the amount. Applicants need a new LLE account and must apply for each course or module; students in courses lasting more than a year must reapply for each year they seek funding.
Repayments follow Plan 5 terms. Borrowers start paying after leaving their course and earning more than £25,000 a year, at 9% of earnings above that threshold. Any debt left after the 40-year repayment period is written off; that period begins in April when repayment first becomes due.
A Department for Education-commissioned evaluation of the grant-funded Modular Acceleration Programme recorded 560 learners across 65 modules at 18 providers from April 2024 to December 2025. Provider proposals had projected 1,800 learners and 108 modules. The evaluation cited low awareness, recruitment difficulties and employer engagement as challenges, and said recruitment could be harder under the LLE's repayable-loan model.
A May Department for Education release had set September as the expected opening month. FE Week reported Sept. 24 that SLC moved the launch to late October for additional testing. The GOV.UK launch announcement says the next application round, for the 2027-28 academic year, is scheduled to open in spring 2027.
