Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) – undergraduate courses from January 2027 onwards

Student Finance England Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) – New for students starting undergraduate courses from January 2027 onwards

This information is for students starting courses from January 2027 onwards and who are ordinarily resident in England and eligible for home fees status.

LLE provides eligible students in England with a total loan entitlement equivalent to four years of tuition fee loans to cover tuition fees for undergraduate study. This can be used to fund a full-time bachelor’s degree. The ‘pot’ of the fee loan funding will be registered with the Student Loans Company and drawn down for each year of study and paid to the University.

If you’re starting a full-time undergraduate course, you can apply for the following government-backed support:

Tuition fee loan

• Covers your tuition fees (up to the maximum annual fee limit).
• Available for up to four years of study (for example, a three-year degree plus an additional year if needed).
• Paid directly to your university.
• No upfront payment required.

Maintenance Loan

• Helps with everyday living costs such as rent, food, travel and bills.
• Paid directly to you in instalments across the academic year.
• The amount you receive depends mainly on your household income and whether you live at home or away from home.

Extra Support (if eligible)

You may also be able to apply for:

• Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
• Childcare support
• Adult Dependants’ Grant
• Travel support for certain healthcare placements

Repayment of student loans

Loans will be repayable in the April following graduation but only if you are earning a gross salary above £25,000 per year. Your monthly loan repayment will be calculated on 9% of earnings above the gross income threshold of £25,000 which is £2,083 per month. 

Using the current Plan 5 repayment threshold of £25,000 and a repayment rate of 9% of earnings above the threshold, the estimated monthly repayments are shown below:

Plan 5 Student Loan Estimated Monthly Repayment

Graph

Table

Salary	Monthly repayment
£25,000	£0.00
£30,000	£37.50
£35,000	£75.00
£45,000	£150.00
£60,000	£262.50

How this is calculated

Monthly repayment = (Salary − £25,000) × 9% ÷ 12

Note that actual payroll deductions may vary slightly because HMRC calculates repayments per pay period and rounds deductions through PAYE.

If you are employed, a deduction will automatically be taken from your monthly salary, via your National Insurance Contributions.

If you are self-employed, repayment will be arranged when you complete your self-assessment.

Please note that interest begins to accrue as soon as you receive the first instalment of the Maintenance Loan, or when the first instalment of the Tuition Fee Loan is paid to the university.

Interest will continue to accrue until the loan is repaid in full or has been written off. The interest rate is in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). RPI is a measure of inflation. The interest is calculated daily and then applied to your balance of loan each month.

Balance of loans that remain outstanding after 40 years will be written off.

Applying

You will be able to start applying for LLE at the end of October 2026.