The government has announced the first 130 universities and colleges approved to offer short, flexible higher education courses under a major overhaul of student finance aimed at widening
access for adult learners.
Applications for the new system will open in September 2026, ahead of courses beginning in January 2027. For the first time, students in England will be able to access government-backed finance for individual “modules” — shorter, bite-sized courses — rather than only full degree programmes.
Ministers say the reforms are designed to help adults who have previously been unable to commit to traditional full-time study because of work, childcare or other responsibilities.
The changes form part of the government’s wider Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), first outlined in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper. Under the scheme, learners will be entitled to funding equivalent to four years of post-18 education, currently valued at up to £39,160, which can be used flexibly over the course of their working lives.
The new modular courses will focus on sectors facing skills shortages, including engineering, computing, health and social care, economics and architecture.
Higher education funding has traditionally been tied to full qualifications studied over fixed academic years, a model critics say has excluded many adults seeking to retrain or upskill later in life. Under the new system, learners will be able to build qualifications gradually by studying individual modules over time.
Eligible students will also be able to apply for maintenance support to help cover living costs, with funding awarded in smaller amounts linked to the size of each course rather than an entire academic year.
The government said some people who already hold degrees may also qualify for the new funding if they have remaining entitlement available or are retraining in priority sectors.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “Financial support should be available whether you want to do a degree, take a short course, or retrain later in life. Our changes will make that happen, with the option to access student finance in any stage of life.
Whether it’s fitting study around a job, retraining for a completely new career, juggling childcare, or getting qualifications later in life, the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement will open up new opportunities for thousands more people to build the careers they want and get on in life”.
The reforms are also linked to the Prime Minister’s target of ensuring two-thirds of young people are in apprenticeships, higher training or university education by the age of 25, as part of wider efforts to tackle skills shortages and boost economic growth.
Alex Stanley, National Union of Students Vice President said: “Everyone should be able to study in the way that works best for them. For some that is going to university at 18, for others a changing job market might mean getting new qualifications at 40.
We welcome the flexibility that the Lifelong Learning Entitlement allows, especially through the modular study. Higher education plays a vital role in our society, and we hope that this funding shift will allow more people study, gain new qualifications and invest in their future”.
Professor Dave Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, said: “As pioneers of flexible learning, The Open University has long focused on reaching learners where and how they need to study. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement provides a real opportunity to deliver a post-18 education system for the 21st Century, one that better reflects how people, live learn and work today.
It has the potential to truly stimulate lifelong learning, by enabling institutions to build more flexible, modular pathways both into and through higher education, enabling people to train, retrain and upskill throughout their lives.
Realising that potential will depend on ensuring the system works in practice for learners, employers, and further and higher education providers alike and require providers to challenge themselves as to what the future could look like”. Photo by Sebastiandoe5, Wikimedia commons.
