Eligible Home UK undergraduate students funded by Student Finance England (SFE) starting courses from January 2027 will be on a new funding system called the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

Full details about LLE are not yet finalised by the government, you can keep up to date about any changes on the LLE webpage.

What is Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)

If you are an eligible Home UK student funded by Student Finance England (SFE) and will be starting a course on or after 1 January 2027 you will need to apply for your funding through LLE. This will include students who defer their studies to start a course in 2027/28.

You will need to keep track of your LLE funding entitlement to make sure you have enough funding in place to cover both your tuition fees and living costs for the duration of your course. You should be able to do this via your Student Finance Account.

Loan figures for 27/28 are yet to be released, so please visit the Student finance if your course starts on or after 1 January 2027 webpage for more information.

What you can get

All courses that qualify for funding will be worth a certain number of credits e.g. a full-time undergraduate year of study is usually worth 120 credits.

There are two types of LLE Loan:

• Tuition Fee Loans to help pay for your course tuition fees
  
• Maintenance Loans to help pay for your living costs while you study

Tuition Fee Loans

You can apply for Tuition Fee Loans up to a total of 4 years of full-time study or the equivalent of 480 credits. If you are undertaking a 5-year course or integrated Masters with a placement for the first time, your tuition fee funding should be covered by LLE.

The amount of Tuition Fee Loan you receive will be proportional to the number of credits you study. You can study for a minimum of 30 credits up to a maximum of 180 credits per 12 calendar month period beginning 1 August and ending 31 July each year.

Tuition Fee Loans are not means-tested on your household income, so if you meet the eligibility criteria you should qualify for tuition fee support.

Maintenance Loans

The amount of Maintenance Loan available for designated courses with in-person attendance will be proportional to the number of credits you study i.e. if you are studying 50% of a full-time course (i.e. 60 credits), you will receive 50% of the full Maintenance Loan entitlement subject to a means-test based on household income.

For example, based on Maintenance Loan figures for 2026/27 if you are studying 100% of a full time undergraduate course and living away from the parental home, you may receive up to £10,830 subject to a means-test based on your household income. Therefore, if you are studying  50% of a full time undergraduate course then you may receive up to £5,415 based on your household income. You will need to ensure you have enough funding in place to cover your living costs.

If you are not studying full-time there will be an impact on the rate of your Maintenance Loan entitlement, you will need to ensure you are able to fully cover your living costs.

Your Maintenance Loan entitlement may be impacted by any course changes, such as repeat years of study or studying a full-time course on a part-time basis etc. You will need to think carefully before making any changes to your studies to ensure you have enough funding in place to complete your course.

Your Maintenance Loan entitlement will be linked to your Tuition Fee entitlement, so if you have a £0 Tuition Fee balance you will not be entitled to the Maintenance Loan unless you are in receipt of additional entitlement. If you are not sure of your funding entitlement, please contact Student Finance England.

Your Maintenance Loan entitlement can be means-tested based on your household income from the previous tax year. If you experience a drop in household income of 15% or more then SFE can reassess your Maintenance Loan entitlement based on your current year household income.

When to apply

You can apply from September 2026 for courses that start from January 2027 at the Student finance website.

If your course lasts longer than a year you need to reapply for funding for each year of your course.

How the LLE may apply to you

Previous study

If you have studied previously, we strongly advise that you carefully check to make sure you have enough funding in place for the duration of your course. If you are not sure of your funding entitlement, please contact Student Finance England.

Undergraduate Distance Learners

If you are undertaking an undergraduate distance learning course, you will not qualify for the Maintenance Loan unless you have a specific disability which prevents you from attending a physical campus. You can apply for Tuition Fee Loan funding for designated distance learning courses.

Gap year students

If you are starting your course in 27/28 after taking a gap year, then you will be on the new LLE funding system.

Placement students

If you are undertaking a qualifying placement year during your studies, then LLE provides a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan to cover your tuition fees and assist towards your living costs. Depending on the type of placement and duration of your placement the amounts you are eligible for will vary. Our planning your finances for your placement year guide provides more details about this and we will update specific LLE placement funding information when more details are provided by the government.

LLE loan interest and repayments

Interest accrues from when the loan is paid to you and throughout your studies. Interest on your loan can vary over time, please follow this link to find out more about how interested is calculated for plan 5 loans.

Any student loans you borrow need to be repaid, and LLE loan repayments do not start until you have finished or left your course and earn over a certain income threshold.

Loans taken out under LLE will be on Plan 5 of student loan repayments.