Learning and funding information letter guidance 2024 to 2025
Updated 5 August 2024
Applies to England
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow this guidance.
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Before applying for an advanced learner loan (ALL), learners must speak to you, as a college or training organisation that receives a loans facility from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), to establish the availability of a place on an appropriate course.
The learning and funding information letter is an essential stage in the prospective learner鈥檚 journey. The learner will use it as they consider investing in further education at levels 3 to 6 with a loan. You must issue the letter as part of your discussion with learners when they are considering their education and training and funding options. You must also make learners aware of the loans information available on the and ALL 188体育 page.听
Supporting the learner
You must make all learners, including those learners who are considering funding their course through a loan, aware of your policy on fees and charging. You must do this before they decide on their payment method.听
You must either attach a copy of your fee policy to the learning and funding information letter or include a link to your fee policy on your website within the letter.
The availability of loans for learners at level 3 does not replace their entitlement to full funding if they are earning under the earnings threshold.
For 19 to 23 year olds undertaking level 3 qualifications, you must check a聽learner鈥檚 legal entitlement聽to full funding and make them aware of this entitlement.
You can find more information on eligibility and offers available in the adult skills funding rules and ALL 188体育 page.听
The learning and funding information letter gives learners the information necessary to help them consider their options for financing their course. It is important that learners are fully informed and do not feel pressured to apply for a loan.
It also gives the essential information they need to complete an application, should they decide to apply for a loan. It will help to produce accurate applications, ensuring a swift application and assessment process.
Benefits for colleges and training organisations
The learning and funding information letter can also:
- support your management of learners鈥� places, particularly when considering the capacity within the agreed loans facility
- place some distance between you and the learner鈥檚 funding choice giving the learner time to consider their options
Learning and funding information letter
How to create
To enable learners to consider their options and equip them with the necessary information to make an application for a loan, if they decide to proceed, you must retain the format and order as set out in this guidance and the template letter.
You can download the letter template to populate it with the relevant detail and send it to your learners. Alternatively, you may want to revise the letter to include specific information about the course offer, alternative payment options and so on. However, you must not change any of the text or the order of the information in the tables as this is designed to be consistent with the data fields as they appear on the loans application form.
Information to include
Tables 1 and 2 provide you with the specific definition and requirements of the information you will need to populate the letter.
Table 1: College or training organisation information
Data item | Application description | Information |
---|---|---|
Provider name | College or training organisation name | The name of the college or training organisation that directly receives a loans facility from ESFA. This must be the same as the name of your organisation on the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) and Student Loan鈥檚 Company鈥檚 (SLC) Learning Provider Portal. The SLC will decline the loan if you give a subcontractor name. |
Delivery location | Postcode of delivery location | The postcode of location where the training takes place. |
UK provider reference number (UKPRN) | UKPRN | The UKPRN of the college or training organisation that directly receives a loans facility. |
Table 2: Qualifications information
Data item | Application description | Information |
---|---|---|
Learning aim title | Course name | The specific title as published by ESFA on the learning aims section of . This should match the data you will provide on the learner鈥檚 individualised learner record (ILR). |
Learning aim reference | Course code | The learning aim reference as published by ESFA on the learning aims section of . This should match the data you will provide on the learner鈥檚 ILR. |
Learning start date | Start date | Required for assessment and profiling of payments and repayments. This information should match the data you will provide on the learner鈥檚 ILR. |
Learning end date | End date | Required for assessment and profiling of payments and repayments. This information should match the data you will provide on the learner鈥檚 ILR. |
College or training organisation fee | Fee amount | Fee amount the college or training organisation is charging the learner following any reductions (taking into account recognition and/or accreditation of prior learning). |
VAT (if applicable) | This is not required for application but individuals will need to understand this | To be completed by 鈥榝or profit鈥� organisations. |
Total fee | Total college or training organisation fee plus VAT | College or training organisation fee + VAT. |
Maximum loan amount | Maximum loan available | This allows the learner to identify whether a loan can fund the full cost. |
You should direct learners to information on ALL on the and our ALL 188体育 page.听
Further information
If you have questions after reading our guidance, or if there鈥檚 anything else you need help with, you can find more support in our .