Just under 60 English universities will be able to offer short courses that qualify for student loans when the new lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) is introduced later this year.

The Department for Education has announced the first institutions approved through the new system, with those on the list able to offer single modules for study in several priority areas.

Ministers have billed the move as a “radical” change to the student finance system, intended to allow people to return to education in later life or stagger their learning over a longer period.

But critics have argued there is little appetite for the change, with questions over whether universities will see it as worth the effort of unpackaging entire degree courses, and learners being seen as unwilling to take on more debt.

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Of the 130 institutions approved in the first stage, 58 are members of Universities UK, meaning less than half of the umbrella body’s membership is taking part.

Eight Russell Group universities are approved providers, less than a third of the organisation’s 21 English members.

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Among those from this group that have signed up are the universities of Durham and Newcastle, along with Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London and the universities of Leeds, Bristol, Exeter and Warwick.

Notable absentees include UCL, King’s College London, LSE and the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and Nottingham.

The LLE will offer four years of undergraduate-level loan funding across a person’s lifetime, currently worth up to £39,160. It can be used to pay for traditional three-year degrees or a selection of cheaper 30-credit modules.

Unlike under current loan terms, learners will be able to spend it on courses at the same level as or lower level than qualifications they have previously obtained.

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But the Labour government tweaked the rules last year, restricting the individual modules covered to ones that “address priority skills needs and align with the government’s industrial strategy”. Examples given include computing, engineering, physics, nursing, economics and health and social care.

Universities had to apply to gain approval as part of the scheme and those with silver or gold ratings in the Teaching Excellence Framework were promised a “simpler and quicker approval process” than those without.

Despite only having a bronze TEF rating overall, Birkbeck, University of London – one of the country’s main lifelong learning providers – does feature on the DfE list.

The Open University – another specialist in lifelong learning – has also been approved. Its vice-chancellor, Dave Phoenix, said the changes have “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”.

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Skills minister Jacqui Smith said that financial support “should be available whether you want to do a degree, take a short course, or retrain later in life”, promising the LLE would “open up new opportunities for thousands more people to build the careers they want and get on in life”.

Applications for student finance will open in September 2026, for those starting courses or the new modules from January 2027.

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Eligible students will also be able to apply for maintenance support to help with living costs, with funding being provided in smaller amounts linked to the size of the course being studied.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com