How it works

How previous study affects your options and funding

Your previous study can affect the funding available for your next course. We'll help you understand what may still be available and what options you could explore next.

1. 1

   The standard lifetime entitlement starts at £39,160

   £39,160 is the standard 2026/27 lifetime Tuition Fee Loan entitlement, used as the starting point for the calculation. It is not necessarily the amount a returning learner has available. If you've had government-funded tuition before, this will usually reduce the amount you have left. It is approximately equivalent to four years (480 credits) at the standard maximum fee of £9,790 per 120 credits, but the actual number of credits that can be funded depends on the fee charged.

2. 2

   Previous tuition support is taken off

   Government tuition support you received before (Tuition Fee Loans, grants, SAAS, Advanced Learner Loans) can reduce what you have left. This applies even if you withdrew or didn't get the qualification.

3. 3

   Older amounts are converted to today's value

   For study from September 2012, the exact tuition loan or grant paid is multiplied by today's limit and divided by the published amount for that year (for example £9,250 for 2012/13 to 2024/25). Your outstanding loan balance is not used — it includes maintenance, interest and repayments.

4. 4

   Study before September 2012 works differently

   For courses that began before 1 September 2012, fixed amounts per year apply, depending on full-time, part-time, placement or study-abroad years, and whether you paid fee contributions yourself.

5. 5

   Living-cost support never counts

   Previous Maintenance Loans and maintenance grants are not deducted from your LLE Tuition Fee Loan entitlement. Maintenance Loans, maintenance grants, Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants' Grant and Disabled Students' Allowance do not reduce your tuition entitlement.

6. 6

   Compelling personal reasons

   If Student Finance England formally recognised a period of study because of compelling personal reasons, it may not reduce your entitlement. Being ill on its own is not the same as a formal SFE decision.

7. 7

   Self-funded or employer-funded years

   If you, your family, an employer or a scholarship paid your fees, that year normally doesn't reduce your entitlement.