Form

How to complete the expression of interest: LLE modular funding form

Published 31 July 2025

Applies to England

Introduction

This section applies to all applicants. 

From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. It will be available for full years of study at levels 4 to 6, including degree and higher technical qualifications (HTQs). 

It will also be available for modules from HTQs and full level 6 qualifications that align to: 

• priority skills needs 
• the government’s industrial strategy 

For more information, read lifelong learning entitlement: what it is and how it will work. 

We are inviting Office for Students (OfS)-registered providers intending to deliver modular provision in England from January 2027 to submit an expression of interest (EOI). 

Read this guidance before completing the form. 

You need to submit your application by 17 October 2025. 

The modular funding gateway is designed to ensure that only high-quality, well-prepared providers are approved to deliver modular provision under the LLE. It provides a proportionate and transparent process for assessing provider readiness while safeguarding public funding and learner outcomes. 

The gateway balances 3 key aims: 

1. Assurance of quality: we want to ensure that learners can access modular courses that are based on strong track records, deliver good outcomes, and respond to real employer and learner needs. 

2. Proportionality and fairness: providers with strong existing quality indicators evidenced by Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) or Ofsted ratings can follow a streamlined route. Others can still apply through an alternative entry mechanism (AEM), where they can demonstrate quality at the subject and course level. 

3. Protection of public funding: all providers must pass an assurance check. This check assesses regulatory track record of providers to confirm they are not subject to any serious or unresolved compliance issues. It helps ensure that public money is used only to support provision that is safe, stable and well governed. 

This approach allows us to open up modular funding to a wide range of OfS-registered providers while maintaining confidence in the quality, integrity and impact of the provision being offered. 

If your organisation is eligible for a streamlined application (route 1), the form will take about 5 minutes to complete. 

If you’re not eligible for a streamlined application, you’ll be required to complete an AEM application (route 2).

Refer to the Criteria for the streamlined (route 1) and AEM (route 2) to understand which application route you need to take.

Verification of application authenticity

This section applies to all applicants. 

The Department for Education (DfE) will contact the accountable officer listed for each OfS-registered provider, inviting your institution to apply for modular funding. This email will include: 

• a copy of this guidance  
• the unique verification code assigned to the provider 

This code must be entered into the online expression of interest (EOI) form at the point of submission. It serves as confirmation that the application is being submitted with the knowledge and authorisation of the provider’s OfS-accountable officer. 

If an application is received with an incorrect or missing verification code, DfE will contact the accountable officer to verify the authenticity of the submission. This step is essential to safeguard against unauthorised or fraudulent applications and to uphold the integrity of the LLE modular funding process.

Assurance checks and eligibility

This section applies to all applicants. 

LLE and modular funding under the LLE are available only to providers registered with OfS. All providers submitting an application must include their organisation’s UK provider reference number (UKPRN) as listed in the OfS register. 

All providers that submit an EOI must undergo an assurance check as part of the approvals process. Providers will not need to submit information or evidence in relation to this check. To ensure that providers applying to deliver LLE modules do not have any substantiated compliance, fraud or quality issues, DfE will seek information from a range of bodies including:  

• OfS 
• UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) 
• awarding organisations 
• the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)  
• The Charity Commission  

Information used for the assurance check will be known to the provider, and, in some instances, may also be in the public domain – for example:  

• investigations that have concluded 
• specific registration conditions applied to a provider 

The type of information we will be collating includes but is not limited to: 

• specific conditions of registration applied by OfS 
• closed investigations where a regulatory decision has been taken 
• OfS additional monitoring relating to F3 notices  
• removal of public funding as a result of regulatory non-compliance on quality or fraud measures, such as de-designation for student support 
• information about providers at material risk of market exit under condition C4
• information from an awarding organisation where approval to deliver a specific qualification has been withdrawn or sanctioned, or where the provider as a whole has been removed or sanctioned as an authorised centre 
• cases where UKVI has removed an education visa sponsor licence due to non-compliance with conditions for sponsorship  
• cases where a sanction has been applied due to non-compliance with Charity Commission requirements  
• decisions made and published by DfE or its predecessors, such as the Education and Skills Funding Agency 

A provider will be eligible for a simpler and quicker approval process, referred to as the streamlined process (route 1), if they have an:  

• overall TEF rating of Gold or Silver and either have no Ofsted rating or an Ofsted rating of Outstanding or Good 

• Ofsted rating of Outstanding or Good and either have no TEF rating or an overall TEF rating of Gold or Silver  

Providers that have both TEF and Ofsted ratings will need to meet both these conditions to be eligible for the streamlined, quicker approval (route 1).  

Providers that do not have TEF or Ofsted ratings, and providers that have both TEF and Ofsted ratings but only meet one of these conditions will need to submit more information as part of the EOI. This additional information should demonstrate their readiness, capability and successful delivery of the parent course. This full non-streamlined application is referred to as the AEM – route 2.

Criteria for the streamlined process (route 1) and AEM (route 2) 

	Ofsted Outstanding	Ofsted Good	Ofsted Requires Improvement	Ofsted Inadequate	No Ofsted
TEF Gold	Streamlined (Route 1)	Streamlined (Route 1)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	Streamlined (Route 1)
TEF Silver	Streamlined (Route 1)	Streamlined (Route 1)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	Streamlined (Route 1)
TEF Bronze	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)
TEF Requires Improvement	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)
No TEF	Streamlined (Route 1)	Streamlined (Route 1)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)	AEM (Route 2)

Understanding CAH and HECoS codes

To determine eligibility for LLE modular funding, providers must correctly identify the subject classification of their proposed modules using: 

• higher education classification of subjects (HECoS): a detailed subject coding system used to classify individual courses
• common aggregation hierarchy (CAH): a framework that groups HECoS codes into broader subject areas (such as CAH2 level) for regulatory and funding purposes 

Each HECoS code maps to a CAH2 subject group. These CAH2 groups are used to assess eligibility for modular funding and to apply TEF continuation and completion benchmarked indicators. 

CAH and HECoS codes example 

A course with HECoS code 100374 (software engineering) maps to CAH11-01 (computing). This means it falls within the eligible subject group for modular funding and will be assessed against the TEF benchmarks for computing. 

Providers should refer to the HECoS–CAH look-up tab in the support evidence workbook to confirm the correct classification of their courses. Misclassification may result in delays or the rejection of the application.

AEM overview 

This section applies only to AEM applicants.

Providers that do not meet the streamlined (route 1) entry criteria may still apply via the AEM (route 2). This route allows providers to demonstrate examples of strong provision on a course-by-course basis. 

While providers that apply via the streamlined process (route 1) can access LLE modular funding designation across all eligible CAH2 subject areas, those applying via the AEM (route 2) have access to LLE modular funding only for specific courses in the CAH2 subject areas applied for. This provides an opportunity to designate strong provision for modular funding despite the provider’s overall TEF award or Ofsted ratings. 

AEM assessment criteria (route 2)

Providers that need to apply using the AEM will be required to supply details of course(s) from which they intend to offer modules.

They will need to demonstrate how their provision meets the following 3 criteria:

• track record: evidence of established course delivery 

• quality record: evidence of high-quality outcomes, subject-level continuation and completion data (TEF or internal) 

• employer and skills alignment: evidence of relevance and responsiveness 

Refer to Questions that apply to each chosen degree subject or HTQ technical route for details. 

Important AEM considerations 

If TEF subject-level data is suppressed due to small student numbers, providers may submit internal data. This must be clearly explained and show continuation and completion rates over at least 2 full cycles. Each CAH2 subject area applied for will be reviewed independently. 

Only approved courses from assessed CAH2 subject areas will be designated for modular funding. 

You should prepare, finalise and internally approve your responses in advance of completing the form. Preparing a full AEM application may take several days or weeks depending on your internal processes. Once prepared, it should take you 10 to 15 minutes to complete the form. 

The modular funding application form cannot be saved and must be completed in one session. You will not be able to return to a partially completed form later.  

For each CAH2 subject area, you must provide a brief written explanation (up to a maximum of 5,000 characters, around 800 words) and, if appropriate, at the end of the form, upload your supporting evidence in the provided supporting evidence workbook.  

We strongly recommend that you gather all necessary information and evidence before starting the form.  

Degree subjects

This section applies only to AEM applicants.

If you intend to offer modules drawn from level 6 degrees, you’ll be asked to tell us about your planned delivery for each eligible CAH2 subject area in scope for modular funding. The CAH2 subject areas in scope are: 

• computing (CAH11-01) 
• engineering (CAH10-01) 
• architecture, building and planning (CAH13-01) (excluding the landscape design CAH13-01-03 subgroup) 
• physics and astronomy (CAH07-01) 
• mathematical sciences (CAH09-01) 
• nursing and midwifery (CAH02-04) 
• allied health (CAH02-06) 
• chemistry (CAH07-02) 
• economics (CAH15-02) 
• health and social care (CAH15-04) 

HTQ technical routes

This section applies only to AEM applicants.

If you intend to offer LLE-funded modules drawn from HTQs, you’ll be asked to tell us about your planned delivery for each technical route. If not, you may skip this and any other sections of the form that are not relevant to your planned provision. 

For each HTQ technical route, you’ll be asked to provide the HECoS subject codes for the courses from which you intend to offer modules within that technical route.  

The HECoS codes of your HTQ courses will be used to determine which CAH2 subject group is used to assess the TEF continuation and completion indicators.  

The time spent delivering courses that have not always been HTQs, such as an existing qualification that recently gained HTQ status, can be counted towards the track record requirement.  

For example, you are delivering a digital HTQ with the HECoS code 100374 (software engineering). This HECoS subject code sits within the CAH11-01 (computing) subject group.  

We will ask you about your plans for each of the HTQ technical routes within which you wish to deliver a module:  

• agriculture, environmental and animal care  
• business and administration  
• creative and design  
• catering and hospitality  
• care services  
• construction and the built environment  
• digital  
• education and early years  
• engineering and manufacturing  
• health and science  
• legal, finance and accounting  
• protective services  
• sales, marketing and procurement 

Questions that apply to each chosen degree subject or HTQ technical route

This section applies only to AEM applicants.

You’ll be asked to provide details of the course(s) from which you intend to offer modules in each degree subject group or HTQ technical route. 

You’ll need to demonstrate how your proposed provision meets the following 3 criteria:  

• track record: evidence of established course delivery  

• quality record: evidence of high-quality outcomes  

• employer and learner engagement: evidence of relevance and responsiveness  

You can upload any supporting evidence at the end of the form via the provided supporting evidence workbook. The workbook includes a separate tab for each degree CAH2 subject area and HTQ technical route so you can organise your supporting evidence. This can include tabular data, images or screenshots, embedded files (such as .pdf or .docx documents) and text boxes. 

For each CAH2 degree subject area or technical route you’re applying for, you must explain how you meet these 3 criteria. Your response should be concise and clearly structured. You have a maximum of 5,000 characters (about 800 words) to cover all 3 criteria.  

Structure your response under the following headings. We’ll only consider this as evidence and any additional information will be disregarded. 

1. Proposed courses 

Your answer must include a list of the qualification names and corresponding HECoS subject names for each degree from which you intend to offer modules. There are no requirements on how many modules of a designated parent course must be offered.

You could offer a single module or all modules of the designated parent course at your discretion – for example: 

• BSc (Hons) applied computing (HECoS: applied computing, 100358)  
• BSc (Hons) medicinal chemistry (HECoS: medicinal chemistry, 100420)  
• HNC quantity surveying (HECoS: quantity surveying, 100217) 
• HNC computing – software engineering (HECoS: software engineering, 100374) 

2. Track record  

Explain how your organisation has previously delivered the full course(s) from which the proposed modules are drawn. You must show that the course has been delivered for at least 2 full programme cycles or 4 academic years, whichever is longer. Include course names and delivery dates. This demonstrates that your modular offer is based on established provision. 

We will not penalise applicants for gaps in delivery that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The time spent delivering courses that have not always been HTQs, such as an existing qualification that recently gained HTQ status, can be counted towards the track record requirement. 

3. Quality record  

You must confirm that the CAH2 subject area meets or exceeds OfS TEF benchmarked indicators for continuation and completion. 

OfS is scheduled to update TEF dashboard data in summer 2025.

To ensure consistency across applications, providers should use TEF data from 31 July 2025 for their modular EOI application.

The next application window, to be opened in spring 2026, will use the most up-to-date TEF dashboard data at the point of launch. 

If you do not have published TEF subject-level data, you may refer to internal data (such as completion rates and retention) and explain how it demonstrates high-quality outcomes. Clearly state the subject grouping used and how it compares to OfS benchmarked indicators. This ensures that your provision is shown to be not only experienced but also effective. 

How we assess the subject quality record

We’ll look at continuation and completion rates for the subject group under which your course falls, using the CAH2 to group subjects. 

Each subject group has separate indicators for full-time and part-time students. 

We’ll use the mode (either full-time or part-time) that represents the majority of students on your course. This is your main mode of delivery. 

You must be at or above the OfS benchmarked indicators for continuation and completion in that CAH2 subject area and mode. 

To pass the quality record criterion

We’ll check that there is at least a 90% statistical certainty that continuation and completion rates in the relevant CAH2 subject area and mode are either broadly in line with or materially above the OfS benchmark. 

This means that no more than 10% of the proportion of statistical uncertainty distribution can be in the materially-below-benchmark column for either continuation or completion. 

We’ll apply this test only where there is sufficient data (for example, no suppression due to small sample sizes). 

If your subject-level data is not published (for example, due to small student numbers), you may submit your own internal data. This should: 

• be clearly presented and explained 
• show continuation and completion rates over at least 2 full cycles 
• be anonymised and aggregated (no individual student data) 
• include a short explanation of how your data compares to national averages for the CAH2 subject area and mode 

4. Employer and learner engagement  

You must demonstrate that your modular offer has been developed in response to employer and learner needs.  

This criterion ensures that your provision is not only flexible in delivery but also relevant to the labour market and accessible to learners. 

We want to see that your organisation has: 

• established relationships with employers or industry bodies relevant to the subject area 
• consulted with employers or prospective learners to shape the design and delivery of your modular offer 
• a track record of delivering flexible or modular provision that meets learner and employer needs 

This criterion is designed to ensure that your offer is grounded in real-world demand and has the potential to support growth, opportunity and learner success. 

You should explain: 

• how you have engaged with employers or learners in the development of your modular offer 
• what evidence you have that your proposed delivery model (such as evening, weekend and blended learning) is appropriate and accessible 
• how your organisation has previously delivered modular or flexible provision, and what outcomes were achieved 

Examples of acceptable evidence include: 

• letters of support or formal endorsements from employers or industry bodies 
• evidence of co-design or co-development of course content with employers 
• learner or employer consultation summaries, surveys or focus group findings 
• examples of flexible delivery models and how they were developed in response to demand 
• data showing high completion rates or repeat employer engagement for previous modular or flexible courses 

Declaration

At the end of the EOI form, you will be required to confirm the following declaration: 

On behalf of the provider named in this EOI, I hereby declare that I am duly authorised to submit this application and to make the following representations and acknowledgements. 

I acknowledge and agree that, for the purposes of assessing this application and determining eligibility for participation in LLE modular funding, the Department for Education (DfE) may undertake assurance checks.  

I expressly authorise DfE to contact and share relevant information with third-party bodies including, without limitation, the Office for Students (OfS), Ofsted, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), The Charity Commission for England and Wales, and relevant awarding organisations, for the purpose of conducting such assurance checks. 

I understand that these checks are necessary to safeguard public funds and to ensure that only eligible and compliant providers are designated to deliver modular provision under the LLE. I further confirm that all information provided in this application is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate and complete. 

I acknowledge that any material misrepresentation or omission may result in the rejection of this application or the withdrawal of any designation granted. 

Next steps after submission

This section applies to all applicants.

Once you’ve submitted your EOI, your application will be reviewed in line with the LLE modular funding gateway process described here. All providers will undergo an assurance check.  

Streamlined entry (route 1)

Providers applying via the streamlined entry route may receive a decision after a minimum of 14 working days if all assurance checks result in a nil response. More complex cases will take longer to process. Providers can expect to receive a decision by the end of November 2025. 

AEM entry (route 2)

Providers applying via this route will be notified of the outcome by the end of December 2025, following subject-level reviews and moderation. 

Ensure your contact details are accurate and that you respond promptly to any follow-up queries. All outcomes will be communicated in writing. Successful providers will be listed publicly, along with their accepted provision designated for LLE modular funding. 

Process overview  

To support provider planning and ensure transparency, the following outlines the key stages and indicative timelines for the LLE modular funding application process.

1. Submission and validation 

• providers submit their EOI via the online form by 17 October 2025
• DfE validates key information, such as UKPRN, OfS registration, TEF or Ofsted status 
• applications are triaged into either the streamlined or AEM route 

2. Assurance checks 

• all providers undergo DfE-run checks drawing on information sought from OfS, Ofsted, UKVI and other relevant bodies 
• providers may be contacted to clarify discrepancies  

3. Assessment 

• streamlined entry providers are assessed for eligibility based on published TEF and Ofsted ratings 
• AEM providers undergo subject-level reviews against the 3 core criteria (track record, quality record, employer and learner engagement)

4. Moderation and quality assurance 

• all assessments are subject to internal moderation to ensure consistency and fairness 
• complex or borderline cases may be escalated for senior review 

5. Outcome notification 

• providers will receive written notification of the outcome 
• successful providers will be listed publicly, with designated courses and CAH2 subject areas clearly identified 

We intend to run the process again in spring 2026 to allow for new providers to come forward or for existing AEM applicants to expand their designated provision to include new courses or CAH2 subject areas. 

Data and privacy considerations 

This section applies to all applicants.

DfE is committed to protecting the personal data of providers and individuals involved in the LLE modular funding process. 

The following data is collected: 

• contact details of individuals submitting the EOI 
• information about your organisation’s regulatory and quality status 
• supporting evidence (note that all evidence, such as continuation or completion metrics, should be fully anonymised and aggregated so as to not include any individual staff or student information)

This data is used to: 

• assess eligibility and conduct assurance checks 
• verify regulatory compliance and quality standards 
• support decision-making and audit requirements 

The data is shared with: 

• OfS 
• Ofsted 
• UKVI 
• The Charity Commission 
• relevant awarding organisations 

Data will be shared only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place. 

Retention and rights 

Data will be retained for up to 2 years for audit and compliance purposes.