New courses are coming for adult learners to gain funded access to university education

Posted Today

"People are increasingly looking to how they can build their education and skills around other responsibilities, including work and family life. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement provides the way to do this."

Image shows a computer with projected icons suggestive of learning: charts, a book and a person in a graduation cap

Preparations are underway at Harper Adams University to launch more programmes designed deliberately for anyone balancing responsibilities such as work and family care, to give them access to university qualifications.

Government reform has created a new, more flexible student finance system that will give learners access to bite-sized courses as well as full-time university degrees and apprenticeships.

Harper Adams has been confirmed as one of the first 130 universities and colleges approved to offer the new courses.

Welcoming the news, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan said:

“Harper Adams was delighted with the Government’s plan to make access to higher education more flexible for future students. People are increasingly looking to how they can build their education and skills around other responsibilities, including work and family life. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement provides the way to do this.

“We are delighted to be within the first wave of providers to develop provision which will contribute to the delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy”

Change

The system change is part of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, which was set out in the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper last year.

Harper Adams already offers a range of different ways to learn, including full-time programmes, apprenticeships, block study, and professional courses.

But the university understands that more options are important to people who need different ways to fit study around wider life commitments or who want to return to learning to upskill.

The funding of new, smaller courses means people can gain qualifications over time, allowing learners to proactively manage their study around existing important commitments. This means higher education will be accessible to many thousands more people.

Full-time degrees are composed of multiple modules and the new scheme will allow learners to buy into one module at a time, supported by student finance.

The scheme is prioritising subjects that will tackle skills shortages, including economics and computing, engineering and architecture, as well as health and social care.

Skills

Professor Lydia Arnold, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Digital) at Harper Adams, added:

“We have been reviewing our course portfolio, identifying existing modules that can be accessed through this new funding approach.

“At the same, as we have been developing new undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, we have been considering ways to teach and support each module in a way that is accessible to learners needing flexibility.

“This includes the planned introduction of more online provision and a new Harper Adams MBA*, with starting points throughout the year rather than just at one or two points in the year.

“We also have a suite of new degrees being delivered in central Telford, focused on key digital skills in demand by employers and the Government: digital business, data science, robotics and automation.

“LLE eligible module options will be announced as plans progress, alongside guidance on how to apply.”

Funding

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.”

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

Under the new system, people will be able to access funding equivalent to four years of post-18 study, currently worth up to £39,160. This money can be used flexibly across the new modules, shorter courses or full degrees over the course of their working lives.

Eligible students will also be able to apply for maintenance support to help with living costs and funding will be provided in smaller amounts linked to the size of the course being studied, rather than only through full academic years.

People who already have a degree may still be able to access the new funding, either if they have remaining student finance available in their pot or want to retrain in certain priority subject areas.

*Want to learn more about the MBA when it launches? Register your interest here.