Is Your Course or Provider Eligible for Student Finance England?

The three checks that must all work

Check 1: provider registration, degree recognition and course funding are different

What does the OfS Register mean?

The OfS regulates higher education providers in England. Its Register records providers and their registration category. The two categories are Approved (fee cap) and Approved. Registration gives access to specified regulatory benefits, including recruiting eligible students who may access SLC support. It is not a list declaring every course fundable.

Approved (fee cap) providers are subject to applicable regulated fee limits and may access specified direct grant funding. Approved providers are not subject to the same maximum fee limits, while the maximum Tuition Fee Loan available to eligible students is lower. This can leave a fee shortfall. Ask for both the annual fee and the maximum loan for your exact course/year in writing.

For standard full-time undergraduate courses in England in 2026–27, the DfE fee and loan limits illustrate the difference. The table applies to providers in England. If you study elsewhere in the UK, check the fee and Tuition Fee Loan for your course with the provider and SFE.

These are maxima, subject to eligibility and the actual fee. For example, a hypothetical £9,000 fee at an Approved provider with a £6,525 loan maximum leaves £2,475 to fund separately. Foundation, accelerated, part-time, placement and overseas years need their own limits; do not apply this table to them.

Do not use “private provider” as a shortcut for eligible or ineligible. Check the live OfS category, exact course and loan limit.

Who teaches the course and who awards the degree?

Your teaching college and awarding institution can be different. Check the awarding institution's degree-awarding authority or the relevant recognised-award route using the official degree-recognition checker. The official route depends on where you study. For an English provider, the OfS Register also shows whether it can award degrees; registration in itself does not mean it can.

Degree recognition does not prove SFE designation. Record both names and ask the awarding institution to confirm the relationship if anything is unclear.

Check 2: is the exact course within the undergraduate route?

A designated course is one capable of attracting support under the applicable student-support regulations. It must meet the relevant conditions; some courses are specifically designated by the Secretary of State. Designation makes a course eligible for consideration, rather than guaranteeing an individual student's award. Regulation 5 of the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 sets out the full-time framework.

For full-time courses in this article's scope, official undergraduate guidance includes categories such as:

• first degrees, including integrated master's degrees;
• foundation degrees;
• CertHE, DipHE, HNC and HND courses;
• Initial Teacher Training;
• approved Level 4 or 5 Higher Technical Qualifications; and
• specified pre-registration postgraduate healthcare courses.

This list is not automatic approval. The course must be at an eligible provider and meet the applicable regulations. Most postgraduate courses, most further-education courses, degree apprenticeships and standalone access, conversion or preparatory courses are outside this undergraduate route. If a Level 4 or 5 course is not an eligible HTQ/HE course, check whether an Advanced Learner Loan is the correct separate route.

Full-time, part-time and distance learning

Full-time: check the exact qualification, course code, start date, location and delivery arrangement. “Full-time” alone does not establish eligibility.

Part-time: the course normally needs an intensity of at least 25%. Current 2026–27 guidance also describes completion within no more than four times the equivalent full-time duration, subject to a maximum of 16 years. Ask for the credits and official intensity reported for your course; do not infer intensity from contact hours.

A part-time Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan have different qualifying-course lists. The tuition list includes first degrees, foundation degrees, CertHE, DipHE, HNC, HND, ITT, integrated master's and approved Level 4/5 HTQs. The Maintenance Loan list is narrower: first degrees; ITT at degree level or above; integrated master's; foundation degrees in dental hygiene and dental therapy; DipHE in dental hygiene and dental therapy or operating department practice; and approved Level 4/5 HTQs. A part-time HNC or HND therefore does not automatically bring Maintenance Loan support. Check the official course lists and your personal eligibility.

Distance learning: an eligible undergraduate distance learner may receive a Tuition Fee Loan. Maintenance support is separate; GOV.UK guidance says you can only apply for a distance-learning Maintenance Loan if a disability prevents you attending in person. Check each product independently. The SLC 2026–27 guide, section 4.9 also sets out specific Armed Forces and family provisions for distance learners, some of which give only a Tuition Fee Loan. Ask SFE which support applies to your situation; do not assume that a Tuition Fee Loan exception includes maintenance.

Weekend-only and blended courses: check maintenance separately

A course marketed as full-time can still be distance learning for student-support purposes. Under SLC's mode-of-study guidance, attendance required only at weekends, during vacations, for registration or examinations, or occasionally during the week does not satisfy the in-attendance test.

A weekend-only timetable can therefore affect Maintenance Loan eligibility even if teaching is face to face. Ask the provider to confirm the recorded classification and required attendance pattern, then check maintenance with SFE separately from tuition funding.

“Blended” does not settle the classification. Check the actual required attendance, rather than relying on a marketing label.

Foundation years and integrated courses

An integrated foundation year can qualify where it is an integral part of the designated extended course and you enrol for the full length of that course. A standalone access, conversion or preparatory foundation programme is different. Ask whether your enrolment is for the full extended degree and obtain the exact SFE course record.

For an eligible full-time foundation year studied in England in 2026–27, the headline Tuition Fee Loan maximum is £5,760 for classroom-based subjects and £9,790 for specified practical subjects, including science and engineering. These headline figures apply at Approved (fee cap) providers with both a TEF award and an access and participation plan; Approved (fee cap) providers without one or both have lower limits. At an Approved provider, the classroom-based foundation-year loan is lower: up to £3,835 with a TEF award or £3,735 without, frozen at 2025–26 levels. For a practical-subject foundation year at an Approved provider, ask the provider and SFE for the exact maximum. The lower classroom-based limit applies to foundation years starting on or after 1 August 2025. The exact maximum still depends on the provider, course and fee. Part-time and other UK locations have separate rules; check the foundation-year guidance.

An integrated master's is funded through the undergraduate route for pre-2027 starts, not through a standalone Postgraduate Master's Loan.

Placement and overseas years

A work-placement year or overseas/Turing study year can use different tuition-fee and loan limits from a standard study year. For 2026–27, DfE sets the maximum for a work-placement year at up to 20%, and for an overseas or Turing year at up to 15%, of the relevant standard full-time or accelerated maximum fee or loan. Confirm how the provider has coded that specific year, its fee, the maximum loan and whether any travel support is separate. Do not reuse the ordinary annual figure.

Healthcare: a narrow exception, not a blanket rule

Some full-time pre-registration postgraduate healthcare courses can receive undergraduate Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans. Part-time postgraduate healthcare, NHS/social-work bursary eligibility, previous professional registration and previous healthcare-course funding can lead to different routes or restrictions. Check the precise professional course with SFE and, where relevant, NHS Business Services Authority. Pre-registration nursing and midwifery diplomas are excluded from this undergraduate route. Eligibility for an income-assessed NHS bursary can mean a reduced-rate Maintenance Loan; eligibility for a non-income-assessed NHS bursary means no SFE student finance under the SLC 2026–27 guide, sections 4.7 and 5.2. Do not assume every healthcare course receives undergraduate finance.

Validation, franchise and partner delivery

Four organisations or labels may appear:

• the provider where you are registered;
• the organisation teaching the course;
• the awarding body;
• a brand, campus or recruitment partner.

Validation and franchise have different funding records. In SLC's validation model, the provider offering the course adds it to the Courses Management Service (CMS), while another institution awards the qualification. The awarding institution's name alone does not establish funding eligibility.

In a franchise, the lead provider owns and controls the programme and adds it to CMS. The student applies against that lead provider, which receives Tuition Fee Loan payments; the teaching partner is recorded as the location. Confirm the exact lead provider and campus using SLC's designation guidance.

Funding for a main-campus course does not automatically transfer to a partner location or similar intake.

Ask each party to state its role and which exact legal provider/course record appears in the SFE application. DfE has also announced that, from the 2028 to 2029 academic year, higher education providers with 300 or more franchised students will need to be registered with the OfS, unless an exemption applies. That future requirement must not be treated as the eligibility test for a 2026–27 intake, but partner delivery still requires exact confirmation now.

Exact confirmation process

Step 1: identify the course record

Save the course page and ask the provider for:

• legal provider name and any trading name;
• exact course title and qualification;
• the course name and details exactly as they appear in the student-finance application (the provider's Courses Management Service record), not merely a marketing title or another application code;
• campus/teaching address, delivery mode and required attendance pattern, including whether teaching is weekend-only;
• awarding body and teaching/delivery provider;
• start/end dates, duration and year pattern;
• full-time/part-time/distance status; credits and intensity if part-time;
• whether a foundation year is integrated;
• whether any year is a placement or overseas year;
• annual fee and the maximum Tuition Fee Loan expected for the exact year;
• confirmation that the exact course, campus, mode and intake is recorded for the SFE product sought.

Step 2: verify official status

Use the official degree-recognition route and, for an English provider, inspect the live OfS Register entry and category. If the teacher and awarder differ, verify both. Remember that these checks do not replace course confirmation.

Step 3: obtain a written answer

Send the details above to an authorised funding/student-records team. Ask them to identify who is registered with SFE, exactly how the course appears in the student-finance application and any fee-loan difference. Keep the dated response and screenshots/PDFs.

Step 4: apply through SFE and reconcile

Apply directly through GOV.UK student finance. Select the legal provider and exact course record. If you cannot find a matching record, ask the provider and SFE to resolve it; do not choose a similar course merely to complete the form. When SFE issues your Notification of Entitlement, compare it with your evidence. A provider email cannot override SFE's assessment. If a record, amount, mode or campus differs, contact the provider and SFE before relying on the award or completing enrolment.

If your course is not showing in the application

A missing record does not, on its own, prove that the course is ineligible. SLC's March 2026 bulletin says unsaved 2026–27 full-time undergraduate courses are not visible to applicants.

Check the exact provider name first. For a franchise, confirm the lead provider and teaching location. Ask the provider's funding/CMS team whether the exact course, intake and location have been saved and made available for your funding route. If they have not, wait for the correct record rather than selecting a substitute. If the provider confirms the record is available but you still cannot select it, contact SFE with those details.

You can apply before your place is confirmed using your genuine preferred course, then update it if necessary. That is different from choosing an unrelated course to bypass a missing record.

Written evidence checklist

Keep a dated pack containing:

• [ ] legal provider and trading names;
• [ ] live OfS entry/category where relevant;
• [ ] teaching provider, awarding body and validation/franchise confirmation;
• [ ] exact course title, qualification and how the course appears in the student-finance application;
• [ ] campus, mode, required attendance pattern, credits/intensity, dates and duration;
• [ ] integrated foundation/placement/overseas-year details;
• [ ] fee, maximum Tuition Fee Loan and any shortfall;
• [ ] authorised provider confirmation for that intake;
• [ ] copies of official webpages as saved;
• [ ] SFE application record and Notification of Entitlement;
• [ ] notes of any discrepancy and its written resolution.

Keep these details to help resolve discrepancies. They do not guarantee an award.

Postgraduate and January 2027 boundaries

A standalone Postgraduate Master's Loan has separate rules. The course must generally be a full standalone master's worth at least 180 credits at an eligible UK provider and fit the permitted duration; postgraduate certificates/diplomas do not qualify for that loan. Doctoral Loans have different provider and course rules, including research degree-awarding powers. Distance-learning residence rules also differ. Check the dedicated Master's Loan or Doctoral Loan guidance.

New courses from 1 January 2027: check the LLE route separately

Most new courses starting on or after 1 January 2027 move to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). Students continuing courses that began under the earlier system remain on their existing funding arrangements. Do not apply the pre-2027 course list to a new January intake without a fresh LLE eligibility check.

LLE requires an eligible course or module, normally 30 to 180 credits a year, and personal eligibility. English providers offering LLE funding must be OfS-registered in Approved or Approved (fee cap). DfE provider guidance says eligible students living in England can also use the LLE for full courses, such as bachelor's degrees, at approved providers elsewhere in the UK, but LLE modular funding is only available at providers in the English regulatory system. OfS registration alone still does not make every course or module eligible.

Modular funding is more restricted than full-course funding. At launch it covers eligible HTQ modules and selected Level 4–6 modules from Level 6 qualifications in approved subject groups, with separate DfE provider approval. A module must be worth at least 30 credits, or form a bundle of at least 30 credits from the same parent course. That eligible parent course must be delivered by the same provider; assessment and transcript requirements also apply. Check the DfE module conditions and approved providers and subjects.

LLE-funded modules cannot be delivered through franchise arrangements. This is not a blanket ban on all franchised full degrees from January 2027. Some eligible Level 4–6 courses at non-OfS providers continue through Advanced Learner Loans until 2029–30, with the required funding agreement; that is a separate route, without LLE maintenance or modular support. Confirm the exact route using the current DfE provider guidance.

For the wider entitlement and transition rules, see our LLE guide.

For the application itself, follow our Student Finance England application guide. Previous study needs a separate entitlement check; this provider/course check does not replace it.

Warning signs

Pause and recheck if the provider cannot provide the legal name or confirm how the course appears in the student-finance application; the awarder is unclear; a partner campus is involved; “funding available” is the only assurance; a part-time intensity is missing; the fee exceeds the stated maximum loan; a standalone preparation year is called an integrated foundation year; a healthcare exception is asserted without the exact professional route; or a January 2027 intake relies only on pre-LLE guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Does OfS registration guarantee Student Finance England funding?

No. It establishes provider-level regulatory status. The exact course and your personal circumstances must also qualify, and SFE assesses the application.

Can an eligible course at an Approved provider leave me with fees to pay?

Yes. Approved providers are not subject to the same maximum fee caps, and the Tuition Fee Loan maximum can be lower than the fee charged. Compare both amounts in writing.

Is a recognised degree automatically eligible?

No. Recognition concerns the legal award. SFE support depends separately on provider, exact course and student rules.

Is every foundation year eligible?

No. An integrated year may qualify when it forms part of the designated extended course and enrolment is for the full course. Standalone preparation needs a separate funding-route check.

Can a weekend-only course receive a Maintenance Loan?

Weekend-only attendance does not satisfy the current in-attendance test. Check the course's recorded distance-learning status and whether an applicable maintenance exception covers your circumstances.

Does part-time tuition funding also mean maintenance funding?

No. The qualification lists differ, and intensity and personal eligibility must also be checked.

Should I select a similar course if mine is missing?

No. Ask the provider to confirm the exact CMS record and raise any remaining mismatch with SFE.

Who makes the final decision?

SFE assesses the student-finance application. The provider supplies course data and can clarify its record; neither RSG nor OfS decides your personal SFE entitlement.

How Ready Study Global can help

Ready Study Global can help you organise the provider/course details and questions before you apply directly. Our university application guidance is free to students. We may receive commission from partner institutions or education platforms. University tuition, deposits, visa fees, tests, accommodation and other provider or third-party costs remain payable. We cannot confirm SFE designation, guarantee finance, make the funding decision or replace official advice.

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Ready Study Global does not provide legal, immigration or regulated financial advice. Admissions, visa, fee-status and student-finance decisions are made by the relevant institutions and public authorities. This is general educational information. Rules and records can change; check the official sources and exact course information when you apply.