How to Pay for an Access to HE Course: Free Places and Loans

In England, an Access to HE course is free if you're aged 19 to 23 and don't already have a full level 3 qualification. If you're 24 or over, or you've used that free place, you can pay with an Advanced Learner Loan. Go on to complete a degree and gov.uk says that loan is written off.

That last part surprises a lot of people, and it's good news. It means the Access course can end up costing you nothing, as long as you finish a degree afterwards. This guide explains each route in plain English, based on gov.uk. It covers England only; the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are different.

Is an Access to HE course free?

For some people, yes. It depends mainly on your age and on what you've already studied.

Every college sets its own fees, and QAA's Access to HE site says fees "vary" and "may also change from year to year". So your first step is always to ask the college what the course costs and which funding it can offer you.

Who gets a free Access to HE place?

The government's adult skills fund rules for 2026 to 2027 say: "Learners aged 19 to 23 who have not previously achieved a full level 3 qualification must be fully funded, regardless of the earnings threshold (including the unemployed), if they choose a qualification from the level 3 legal entitlement or FCFJ list. You must not charge them any course fees."

This is known as the level 3 legal entitlement, and it's set out in law. A few things decide whether it applies to you:

• Your age. It covers people aged 19 to 23.
• What you already hold. The rules list what counts as a "full level 3". It includes A-levels in 2 subjects, AS levels in 4 subjects, and a QAA Access to HE Diploma. If you already have one of those, you've used your free level 3.
• Whether the course is on the list. The Department for Education's list of approved qualifications shows Access to HE Diplomas approved for "Legal Entitlement L2/L3" funding. Each Diploma has its own entry, so ask the college to confirm yours.

Colleges must check this before offering you a loan. The loan funding rules tell them to "check whether the learner is legally entitled to full funding for their first full level 3 qualification", and a college with an adult skills fund contract must "not offer a loan-funded place to a learner who can access full funding through an entitlement".

Some areas, such as London, have their own devolved adult skills budgets and publish their own funding rules, so what's on offer can differ slightly by where you live. Your college will know the local rules.

How does the Advanced Learner Loan work for an Access course?

If you're not eligible for a free place, the Advanced Learner Loan is the main way to pay. It's run through student finance, and it works like this:

gov.uk also lists residency rules. In the usual case, you must be living in the UK on the first day of the course, be a UK national, an Irish citizen or have settled status, and have lived in the UK for 3 years in a row before the course starts. Other routes, such as refugee status, are listed on the eligibility page.

How do you apply?

You can't apply straight away. gov.uk says: "You cannot apply until you get a 'learning and funding information letter' from your college or training provider." Once you have it, you apply online through student finance, and you'll usually get a letter confirming your loan within 2 weeks if you apply online.

Is the Advanced Learner Loan written off if you go to university?

Yes, once you complete a degree. gov.uk says: "Student Finance England will 'write off' any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balances you owe for an Access to HE course once you complete a higher education course. This means you do not have to repay it."

The details matter, so here they are in full:

• The higher education course "must be eligible for student finance".
• The funding rules say you need to complete the Access to HE Diploma, then progress to and complete a higher education course at level 4, 5 or 6 that Student Finance England funds.
• If you made extra repayments before starting university, gov.uk says those "are non-refundable".

So the write-off comes at the end of your degree, not the start. Until then, the loan sits on your account like any other student loan.

What if you don't go on to a degree?

Then you repay the loan, but only once you're earning enough. gov.uk says you start repaying "when your income is over a certain amount (the 'threshold' amount)", and "You'll be charged interest from the day you get the first payment."

If your course started on or after 1 August 2023, an Advanced Learner Loan is on Plan 5. Here's how that works today:

Thresholds and interest rates can change, so check the gov.uk repayment pages for the current figures.

Can you get help with other costs?

Yes. Two funds can help with the costs around your course:

• Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund. You apply to your college after your loan is approved. gov.uk says it can help with things like accommodation, travel, course materials, childcare and disability support, and "Your college or training provider decides how to award funding."
• Learner Support. For people aged 19 or over, studying at level 3 or below, who are in financial hardship. You must be 20 or over for help with childcare, and gov.uk says 19-year-olds needing childcare help should apply for Care to Learn instead. The money can be a loan or a grant.

gov.uk says you can get both if they're used for different costs. Ask the college's student support team early, as each college runs its own process.

Will the Lifelong Learning Entitlement change Access course funding?

Not for the Access course itself. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) is a new student finance system for courses starting on or after 1 January 2027. gov.uk says it covers "certain courses and modules from levels 4 to 6 or some courses from level 7", and applications open from the end of October 2026.

The Access to HE Diploma is a level 3 qualification, so it stays outside the LLE. The Advanced Learner Loan funding rules for 2026 to 2027 say: "You will be able to continue to offer level 3 courses funded through an Advanced Learner Loan."

Where the LLE does matter is your next step. If your degree starts on or after 1 January 2027, you may apply for its funding through the LLE. Our guide to student finance basics covers how university funding works.

Is Free Courses for Jobs an option for Access to HE?

No. Free Courses for Jobs offers some free level 3 qualifications to adults, but gov.uk's approval criteria say a qualification must "not be an Access to Higher Education diploma, because this offer focusses on directly entering and progressing through employment, rather than progressing to higher education". If you can't get a free place, the Advanced Learner Loan is the main way to pay.

What should you do next?

1. Pick a college and a pathway. Our guide to the Access to HE Diploma explains how the course and its grades work.
2. Ask the college about funding. Tell them your age and what you've already studied, and ask whether you qualify for a free place.
3. If you need a loan, get your learning and funding information letter, then apply online.
4. Plan your grades. Universities set offers in Access credits and grades, and you can see what they're worth in the Access to HE UCAS points table.

Work out your Access to HE UCAS points