Equivalent or Lower Qualification

Who ELQ affects

The rules apply to:

• students who study for a qualification which is equivalent to or lower than a qualification already held
• whether you studied in the UK or abroad
• whether you self-funded or publicly-funded
• whether you studied full time, part time, distance or compressed.

Exceptions

The rules do not apply to students who:

• are topping up to an Honours degree from an HND, HNC or Foundation Degree (see below for more information).
• meet Student Finance England residency criteria and are studying Diagnostic Radiography, Midwifery, Nursing (Adult, Children’s, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health), Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Radiotherapy and Oncology from 2017/18 or later because these courses are exempt from the ELQ rules. Please note if you are funded by Student Finance Wales, there is no exemption and the ELQ rules will apply. Therefore you will not be eligible to apply for any funding from Student Finance Wales apart from the Grants for Dependants and Disabled Students Allowances. View information about funding for healthcare courses.
• are studying Architecture, Social Work, Veterinary Science or Initial Teacher Training. Although you will not be entitled to receive tuition fee loans for these courses, you may be entitled to the Maintenance Loan, Grants for Dependants and Disabled Students Allowances.
• meet Student Finance England residency criteria and are studying on a part-time course in any Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subject including:
  • medicine and dentistry
  • subjects allied to medicine
  • biological and sport science
  • psychology
  • veterinary sciences
  • agriculture, food and related sciences
  • physical sciences
  • mathematical sciences
  • engineering and technology
  • computing
  • geography, earth and environmental studies. 
    
     

Fees and funding

You will pay the same level of fees as a UK undergraduate without any qualifications.

The only funding available to you is supplementary grants from Student Finance, such as the Childcare Grant. You will not be eligible for the Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan, Maintenance Grant or the UWE Bursary.

The Disabled Students Allowance is the only funding available to part-time ELQ students, unless you are studying a STEM subject and meet Student Finance England residency criteria.

Topping-up to an Honours degree

Previous study may affect your entitlement to fee loans for some of the years of your ‘top-up’ course, depending on how many years you took to achieve your lower level course.

For example, if you have an HND from two years of study, you would be entitled to a tuition fee loan for each year of your top-up course as long as you entered at level 2. If you enter at level 1 of your ‘top-up’ course, you would need to pay the tuition fees yourself for the first year.

You should continue to be eligible to apply for the Maintenance Loan, Grants for Dependants and Disabled Students Allowances until you achieve your Honours degree.

It is important to check out your entitlement with your funding body (such as SFE/SFW) before you start your course and become liable for fees.

Exempt subjects and funding

If you already have a degree but would like to study one of the the courses below, please see guidance on funding eligibility.

Social Work, Veterinary Science, Initial Teacher Training and Architecture

Students taking Social Work, Veterinary Science, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) (at undergraduate level) and Architecture receive a reduced package of funding.

If you are a UK student, you will be able to apply for the Maintenance Loan, Grants for Dependants and Disabled Students Allowances.

Social Work students may be eligible for the Social Work Bursary in years two and three of their course. Not all students receive a Social Work Bursary, and this should be discussed with your academic team.

Students starting full-time PGCE courses of up to two years in length will be eligible to apply for the full package of fee and maintenance support even if they hold an equivalent or higher level qualification, as long as it is not a PGCE.

Healthcare course

Students who meet Student Finance England residency criteria and are taking one of the following courses will receive the same level of funding as those without an HE qualification:

• Diagnostic Radiography
• Midwifery
• Nursing (Adult, Children’s, Learning Disabilities, and Mental Health)
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Radiotherapy and Oncology.

Students who meet Student Finance Wales residency criteria will not be eligible for any funding apart from the Grants for Dependants and Disabled Students Allowances.

UWE Bursary

Students with a Higher Education qualification such as a certificate of Higher Education, a Foundation Degree, HND will not be eligible for the UWE Bursary (this rule does not apply to students registering on previously NHS-funded courses).

Planning to study 2025/26 onwards

Student Finance England are planning to introduce new funding rules under Life Long Learning Entitlement.

Students will be able to access additional maintenance and tuition fee funding to retrain and upskill even if they hold ELQ. Students will be able to receive the equivalent of four years full time tuition fee loans with previous study affecting the amount of remaining funding available.

We will update this page once further information is available.