Student support for the over 60s

Can those over 60 receive funding for undergraduate degrees in England?

The government currently provides loans for undergraduate students to cover tuition fees and help with living costs. There is currently no upper age limit for tuition fee loans meaning students over the age of 60 can access them provided they meet other eligibility criteria.

However, students are not eligible for a maintenance loan if they are 60 or over on the first day of the first academic year of their course. Instead, full-time students aged 60 and over may be eligible for a lower ‘special support loan’. The special support loan is fully means-tested, which means the loan amount is reduced at higher household incomes.

There is other financial support available for students of all ages in specific circumstances, such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance, Parents’ Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant, and the Adult Dependants Grant.

How will the Lifelong Learning Entitlement affect the over 60s?

From January 2027, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will start to replace the two existing systems of undergraduate student finance and Advanced Learner Loans for study at levels 4 to 6.

The LLE will provide new students with a tuition fee loan entitlement equivalent to four years of study and a maintenance loan to help with living costs. Returning students will be able to access a residual entitlement based on how much funding they have previously received for study.

Prospective students over the age of 60 will not be eligible for a tuition fee loan under the LLE but may qualify for maintenance support. A Department for Education policy paper says:

LLE tuition loans will be available for people up to the age of 60. The age limit is designed to offer the vast majority of the working population access to tuition loans, enabling them to:

• train, retrain and upskill
• make a significant contribution to the economy over a longer period of time

Learners who are over 60 may still qualify for maintenance support, though not a tuition fee loan.

Under the current student finance system, those over 60 can access tuition fee loans for undergraduate degrees, so the LLE represents a loss of tuition fee entitlement for this group.

Can those over 60 receive funding for postgraduate degrees in England?

A master’s Loan for postgraduate students who live in England has been available since 2016/17. Eligible students receive one payment which can be used towards both tuition fees and living costs.

However, those aged 60 and over on the first day of the academic year of their course are not eligible for a master’s loan. The relevant regulations (regulation 3a of the Education (Postgraduate Master’s Degree Loans) Regulations 2016) state students who have “reached the age of 60 on the first day of the academic year in which the designated course starts” are ineligible. Students must also be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of their course to access a doctoral loan.

There is other financial support available for postgraduate students of all ages in specific circumstances, such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

Why are those over 60 not eligible for postgraduate loans in England?

Previous governments have said the decision to have an upper age limit of 60 for master’s loans was to ensure “value for money” for taxpayers by restricting eligibility to those most likely to repay the loan. In February 2023, the then-Minister for Skills and Further and Higher Education, Robert Halfon, said:

The upper age limit of 60 years old for postgraduate master’s loans was put in place to ensure that the overall scheme remains affordable to the taxpayer and offers value for money. The age limit is applicable to all subjects and is designed to restrict eligibility to those statistically most likely to continue in long-term employment and be able to repay the loan.

Is this age discrimination?

In its initial consultation on introducing financial support for postgraduate study [PDF] in March 2015, the then-government considered restricting master’s loans to those aged 30 and under, because evidence showed this group was most in need of financial support for postgraduate study. The government argued those over 30 were more likely to be able to secure funding through bank loans, personal savings, or their employer.

The government said this would not violate the Equality Act 2010 because it was an attempt to achieve a ‘legitimate aim’; namely, to provide financial support to the group that faced the greatest barriers to funding their studies.

However, this attracted criticism for barring over 30s from lower socio-economic backgrounds from funding, and the government ultimately decided to raise the age limit for postgraduate funding to 60 instead (PDF).

Student support for those over 60 in the rest of the UK

Scotland

The Scottish government provides funding to undergraduate students who normally live in Scotland to cover their tuition fees (those studying elsewhere in the UK may be eligible for a tuition fee loan) and to help with their living costs. There is no upper age limit for free tuition or a tuition fee loan, or for bursaries/grants, but students aged 61 or over on the first day of their course are not eligible for a living cost loan.

The Scottish government provides postgraduate funding for those studying a master’s degree or postgraduate diploma. A tuition fee loan is available to all ages, but the postgraduate living cost loan is not available to those who will be 61 or over on the first day of their course.

Government funding is not available for PhDs or doctoral level courses.

Wales

Student Finance Wales offers a tuition fee loan for which there is no age limit.

Student Finance Wales supports students with their living costs through a mixture of maintenance loan and maintenance grant and the ratio of each depends on household income. Students must be under 60 to get a maintenance loan, but those over 60 can apply for special support.

There is no postgraduate funding for those over 60 (PDF).

Northern Ireland

Student Finance NI provides tuition fee loans to assist students with their tuition fees. These are available regardless of age.

Those aged over 60 at the start of their course are not eligible for a maintenance loan. However, they may be eligible to get the special support grant. Those who receive the full entitlement of special support grant may also be entitled to a bursary or award from their educational provider.

Student Finance NI provides a postgraduate tuition fee loan, which has no age limit.

What other support is available?

Universities may offer scholarships and bursaries to students who have excelled academically or are from a disadvantaged background. Opportunities will be advertised on providers’ websites. The more generous sources of funding are likely to be competitive. For more information, see the Commons Library casework article Finding funding for a master’s degree.

Students can apply to educational trusts and charities for small amounts of funding if they meet an organisation’s eligibility criteria. This process is explained in a document published by London Metropolitan University.

Organisations such as Turn2Us and Family Action have searchable online databases of grants. The House of Commons Library also holds reference books to help identify relevant funding (parliamentary log in required). These books may be available in larger public libraries. They include:

• The Guide to Educational Grants
• The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
• The Grants Register

Advanced Learner Loans are available in England to help fund level 3, 4, 5, or 6 qualifications not covered by undergraduate student finance. The University of the Third Age also hosts interest groups on a range of topics for those no longer in full time work, although participation does not lead to formal qualifications.