Please see an update from the DfE regarding Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) fee limits – impact for part-time Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses and a message (below) from Emma Hollis, CEO, NASBTT
Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) fee limits – impact for part-time Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses
How tuition fees will work
When LLE launches, it will change the way tuition fee limits are set. The government sets limits on the amount of money accredited ITT providers can charge students for tuition. The limits depend on:
- the institution’s OfS registration status and whether it has an access and participation plan (APP) (for undergraduate ITT provision)
- the fee limit designated by the Department for Education (for accredited providers not registered with the OfS and for all postgraduate provision)
- the type of study it offers
The most common fee limit for a full-time course in 2025 to 2026 is £9.535 per year.
In the current system, all fee limits are set per academic year.
In the LLE system, we’ll set fee limits per credit. Credits are a measurement used by colleges and universities to identify how much learning is in a period of study. One credit generally equals 10 hours of learning by the student. This includes all tuition, assessment and any self-guided study in the student’s own time. The level of the per credit fee cap will be set on an academic year basis.
The credit-based system means that providers will only be able to charge for as much learning as they offer. A course containing 60 credits will have half the fee limit of a course containing 120 credits at the same provider. This is regardless of whether the learner is studying part-time or full-time.
How this will affect ITT courses
ITT courses are non-credit-bearing. For the purpose of calculating the tuition fee limit, we use a default of 120 credits for a one-year full- time equivalent ITT course. The total cost of the course cannot exceed the cost of a 120 credit full-time equivalent course, which in 2025/26 is £9,535 (around £79 per credit). Full-time ITT courses will not be affected by the move to LLE. Providers will still be able to charge up to the fee limit shown in the designation letters received from DfE.
However, the move to LLE will affect the amount providers are permitted to charge for part-time courses. These changes will come into effect for courses starting in January 2027 onwards. Under the current system, providers may charge up to £7,145 per academic year for a part-time course in 2025/26. This means for a part-time ITT course over two years, providers may charge a total of £14,290 for the course.
Under LLE, this will no longer be the case, and the total cost of the course will be capped at the amount providers may charge for a full-time equivalent course (120 default credits), which is £9,535 in 2025/26. Providers can choose how much of this fee to charge each year based on the number of default credits for that year of study. For non-credit-bearing part-time courses of at least 15 weeks, the default annual amount is set at 90 credits, subject to the remaining 120 credit course cap.
For example:
- providers could choose to spread the default credits equally into 60 default credits per year for two years. This would mean providers could charge £4,767 per academic year of the course.
- providers could choose to frontload 90 default credits in the first year of study, leaving 30 default credits for the second year. This would mean providers could charge £7,151 (75% of the fee limit) for the first year of study and £2,383 (25% of the fee limit) for the second year.
- In all cases, the total fees chargeable for the ITT course are capped at the applicable maximum fee cap (for most providers £9,535 in 2025/26) , the same amount as a full-time equivalent course over one year.
The following guidance gives more information Tuition fee limits in the Lifelong Learning Entitlement – GOV.UK
We have raised significant concerns with the Department about the potential impact of this change. The costs of delivering part-time programmes do not reduce proportionally simply because the course is spread over a longer period. Providers still need to deliver the same levels of trainee support, placement coordination, mentor training, quality assurance, administration and compliance, but over a longer period of time.
At a time when government policy is encouraging greater flexibility and more part-time routes into teaching, we believe that there is a real risk that these changes could make part-time programmes financially unviable for some providers.
We have shared these concerns with officials and will continue to raise the issue with the Department as discussions around LLE implementation develop.
We recognise that many providers will have questions about how this may affect future programme design and financial planning. We will continue to keep members updated as further information becomes available.
Emma Hollis, CEO, NASBTT