Fees and Eligibility

Funding is not available for any individual if any of the following apply:

• Those who are here without authority or lawful status
• Those who are resident in the UK on a student visa unless they are eligible through meeting any other of the categories described in the residency eligibility section
• Those who are in the UK on holiday, with or without a visa
• Those who are a family member of a person granted a student visa, who have been given immigration permission to stay in the UK and have not been ordinarily resident in the UK for the previous 3 years on the first day of learning
• Those whose biometric residence permit or residence permit imposes a study prohibition or restriction on the individual

Most individuals will be eligible for funding if they:

• Are individual’s resident in areas of England outside of devolved authority areas
• Are aged 19 or older on 31 August within the 2024-25 academic year or are aged 16 to 18 in that academic year
• Fulfil the residency requirements that are set out in one or more of the categories found in the residency eligibility section:

Learners will have an eligible residency status if they meet the conditions laid out in one of the following sections. If you are unsure of your residency eligibility then please speak to a member of staff who will assist you:

UK nationals and other persons with right of abode

UK nationals or other person with a right of abode who have been ordinarily resident in the UK, or the British Overseas Territories, or the Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning.

All family members of UK nationals must meet the required residency eligibility criteria in their own right, unless they meet the criteria in the section entitled “UK nationals in the EEA and Switzerland”, or the criteria in the section entitled “Family members of an eligible person of Northern Ireland”.

UK nationals in the EEA and Switzerland

UK nationals who have resided in the EEA, Switzerland or EU overseas territories have an eligible residency status if they:

• resided in the EEA or Switzerland, EU overseas territories or Gibraltar by 31 December 2020 (or resident in the UK, having moved to the UK from the EEA, Switzerland, EU overseas territories or Gibraltar after 31 December 2017), and
• resided in the EEA, Switzerland, EU overseas territories, Gibraltar or the UK for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning, and
• remained ordinarily resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA, Switzerland or EU overseas territories between 31 December 2020 and the start of the course and
• the course starts before 1 January 2028

Family members of UK nationals, where both the UK national and the family member have resided in the EEA, Switzerland or EU overseas territories, have an eligible residency status if:

• both the UK national and the family member resided in the EEA, Switzerland or EU Overseas Territories by 31 December 2020 (or resided in the UK, having moved there from the EEA, Switzerland or EU Overseas Territories after 31 December 2017), and
• both the UK national and the family member remained ordinarily resident in the UK, the EEA, Switzerland or EU Overseas Territories between 31 December 2020 and the start of the course
• the UK national to whom they are a family member has been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA, Switzerland or EU Overseas Territories for at least 3 years on the first day of the first academic year of the course
• the course starts before January 2028

A “family member” for these purposes is either:

• the husband, wife, civil partner of the UK national (principal) or
• the child, grandchild, spouse/civil partner’s child or spouse/civil partner’s grandchild of the UK national (principal) who is either
  • under 21, or
  • dependant on the principal and/or his/her spouse/civil partner

EEA and Switzerland nationals in the UK

EEA and Switzerland nationals who have obtained either pre-settled or settled status under EUSS, and have lived continuously in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning.

Although the deadline for most people to apply to EUSS was 30 June 2021, there may be individuals who have reasonable grounds for making a late application to EUSS and there may also be some individuals who have made an EUSS application on time but are still waiting on a final decision on their status from the Home Office, including those that have lodged an appeal. Once a valid application has been made to EUSS (evidenced by receipt of a certificate of application), the applicant will have temporary protection, pending the outcome of that application.

Irish citizens in UK or Ireland

Irish citizens in the UK or Ireland who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands, and/or Ireland for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning.

Irish citizens in EEA and Switzerland 

Irish citizens have an eligible residency status if they:

• resided in the EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 (or resident in the UK, having moved to the UK from EEA or Switzerland after 31 December 2017), and
• resided in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar or the UK for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning and
• remained ordinarily resident in the UK, Gibraltar, the EEA or Switzerland between 31 December 2020 and the start of the course and
• the course starts before January 2028

Other non-UK nationals

Non-UK nationals who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning and:

• have permission granted by the UK government to live in the UK and such permission is not for educational purposes only, or
• have obtained pre-settled or settled status under EUSS

Family members of EEA or Swiss nationals

 A family member of an EEA national is eligible for funding if:

• where required to do so, they have obtained pre-settled or settled status under EUSS and
• the EEA national (principal) has obtained pre-settled or settled status under EUSS and has been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA and/or Switzerland for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning

Family members of an EEA or Swiss national can apply to EUSS after 30 June 2021 if they are joining them in the UK on or after 1 April 2021. They have 3 months to apply to EUSS from the date they arrive in the UK. They will have temporary protection and therefore be eligible for funding during those 3 months and pending the outcome of any EUSS application made during that period (and of any appeal).

A “family member” for these purposes is either:

• the husband, wife, civil partner of the EU national (principal) or
• the child, grandchild, spouse/civil partner’s child or spouse/civil partner’s grandchild of the EU principal who is either:
  • under 21, or
  • dependant on the principal and/or his/her spouse/civil partner, or
• the dependant parent or grandparent of the principal or of the principal’s spouse/civil partner

Individuals with certain types of immigration status and their family members

Any individual with any of the statuses listed below, or leave under the listed schemes, is eligible to receive funding and is exempt from the 3-year residency requirement rule:

• Refugee status
• Discretionary leave to enter or remain
• Indefinite leave to enter or remain
• Humanitarian protection status
• Extant leave to remain as a stateless person
• Leave outside the immigration rules
• Ukraine schemes: individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, the Ukraine Extension Scheme or the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
• Afghan schemes: Individuals with leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan under Operation Pitting or British Nationals evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK government before 6 January 2022
• Additional leave to remain: Individuals with indefinite leave to remain or enter granted:
  • as a victim of domestic abuse where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to remain
  • as a bereaved partner, where they have been ordinarily resident in the UK since they were given leave to remain or enter
  • under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 leave
  • under Calais leave to remain

In relation to the above categories, we will need to see evidence of your immigration permission. This would include the biometric residence permit (BRP) and in some cases an accompanying letter from the Home Office.

Children of Turkish workers

A child of a Turkish worker is eligible if both the following apply:

• the Turkish worker is ordinarily resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020 and has Turkish European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) rights or extended ECAA leave and
• the child has been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA and/or Turkey for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning and is resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020

Asylum seekers

Asylum seekers are eligible to receive funding if they:

• have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office, and no decision on their claim has been made, or
• are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014

An individual who has been refused asylum will be eligible if:

• they have appealed against a decision made by the UK government against granting refugee status and no decision has been made within 6 months of lodging the appeal, or
• they are granted support for themselves under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, or
• are receiving local authority support for themselves under section 23Cor section 23CA of the Children Act 1989

What is funded?

Adult Education courses are for learners aged 19+, however funding is available for 16-18-year-olds on some accredited courses. Please ask for details.

Fee remission is available in accordance with ESFA co-funding rules.

• ‘Fully Funded’ – the course is free to learners and is fully subsidised by the ESFA.
• ‘Co-funded’ – the learner pays the advertised fee which is subsidised by the ESFA.
• ‘Loan funded’ – the learner pays 100% of the full fee and can apply for an Advanced Learning Loan. Learners in receipt of a loan who withdraw before the end of the course will be liable to pay the balance of the fees owed directly to Leicester Adult Education.
• ‘Not funded’ – The course costs will be the full ESFA listed funded fee for the qualification or, for Community Learning, £10.00 per hour plus any materials / model costs.

For funding purposes, we define a learner as unemployed if one or more of the following apply, they:

• receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits only
• receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• receive Universal Credit (UC), and their take-home pay as recorded on their UC statement (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
• are released on temporary licence, studying outside a prison environment, and not funded by the Ministry of Justice
• receives other state benefits (not included in the list above) and their take-home pay (disregarding UC payments and other benefits) is less than £892 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £1437 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
• are not receiving any benefits, wants to be employed, and you are satisfied identified learning is directly relevant to their employment prospects and are under the earnings threshold.

We will fully fund learners who are taking qualification courses who are employed, or self-employed, up to and including level 2 and the level 3 offers.

• The learner is eligible for co-funding.
• The learner earns less than £25,000 annual gross salary.
• We have seen evidence of the learner’s gross annual wages that supports this. This could be a wage slip or a Universal Credit statement within 3 months of the learner’s learning start date, or a current employment contract which states gross monthly/annual wages.

Full level 2

Full level 2 is the level of attainment which, is demonstrated by:

• a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 5 subjects, each at grade 4 (C) or above, or
• a Technical Certificate at level 2 which meets the requirements for the 16 to 19 performance tables

If a learner, aged 19 to 23, has achieved a level 2 qualification that was, at the time they started, or still is, classed as a full level 2, any subsequent level 2 qualifications will be fully funded if they meet the definition of unemployed or meet the eligibility criteria for learners in receipt of low wage.

Full level 3

Full level 3 is the level of attainment which is demonstrated by a:

• General Certificate of Education at the advanced level in 2 subjects
• General Certificate of Education at the AS level in 4 subjects
• QAA Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma at level 3
• Technical, or applied general qualification at level 3, which meets the requirements for the 16 to 19 performance tables
• Core maths at level 3

If a learner has achieved a level 3 qualification that was not classed as a full level 3 at the time they started it but has since been classed as a full level 3 and wants to enrol on any subsequent level 3 qualification, of any size, they may apply for an advanced learner loan (provided the qualification is designated for funding, and subject to learner eligibility conditions), or pay for their own learning. From the 1 April 2022 there is an exception to this rule; a learner will be fully funded under the level 3 adult offer if they meet the definition of unemployed or meet the eligibility criteria for learners in receipt of low wage.