Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Government Transformation and Service Delivery

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: Not disclosed
Published schedule: 30/09/2020 – Low: 31/03/2027, Mid: 31/03/2027, High: 31/03/2036
NISTA delivery confidence: Not disclosed
Senior responsible owner: Patrick Curry

What the project is for

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) was announced by the then Prime Minister in 2020 and responds to recommendations in the Augar review of post-18 education and training. The LLE will deliver a transformational change to the student finance system in England, by broadening access to high-quality, flexible education and training. The LLE will launch in academic year 2026/27 for learners studying courses starting on or after 1 January 2027. From launch, it will provide individuals with a loan entitlement the equivalent to four years of full-time undergraduate tuition fees for use over their working lives to learn, upskill and retrain. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities, or independent providers. It will create opportunities for both young people and adults to develop the skills needed to succeed in life, contributing to growth across the entire country.  

Departmental delivery commentary

Delivery confidence for 2025/26 remains Amber. The programme has made steady progress towards launch in 2026/27. The Amber rating is primarily driven by the programme’s inherent complexity, tight and inflexible legislative timelines ahead of launch, capacity pressures within delivery partners, and uneven sector readiness. These risks are ongoing and require careful management. The focus now is on delivering legislation to schedule, maintaining delivery partner capacity and strengthening engagement with providers to secure readiness. Confidence will improve if legislative milestones are met, sector preparedness becomes more consistent, and system testing remains on track. Delay in these areas will place pressure on launch plans given limited contingency.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 has been brought forward to 31/03/27. This recognises that the LLE will launch in September 2026 for courses starting in January 2027; after that the programme will transition into BAU operational delivery structures.

Cost

Exempt under Section 22 - Information intended for future publication

Benefits

Exempt under Section 22 - Information intended for future publication