When you learn with learndirect you can usually get help towards paying the cost of your course. How much help you get towards the cost depends on two things:
- Which course you take
- If you're eligible for funding
The information on this page only applies to people who live in England. If you're looking to take on a course for your business then you should visit our costs and funding for businesses page.
If you live in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Wales then you can go into your local learndirect centre for more information on funding in your area. To find your nearest centre visit our centre search page.
What is funding?
If there is funding available to cover the cost of your learning then it means that some or all of your learning gets paid for by the government through a company called the Skills Funding Agency.
How do I get funding?
If you enrol to learn with us in a centre then one of our learndirect advisors will just ask you a few simple questions. If you enrol online instead, then one of our friendly advisors will give you a call to explain everything you need to know. Once you've been told you're eligible to get funding, you won't need to fill in any difficult forms to get it. We do all the hard work so you can start your learning without having to worry about the cost or filling in paperwork.
Which courses are funded?
Which courses are funded generally depends on the amount of tutor support they offer. If you take a course where you're given a tutor, and you’re eligible for funding, then you'll usually get help towards the cost of your course. If you want to gain a qualification without doing any more learning, funding is not available. If you take a course where you don't have a tutor at all, like an eCourse, then you won't receive any funding. This is explained in a bit more detail below.
Partially funded
If your personal circumstances mean that your course is partially funded then the Skills Funding Agency will pay for some of your course and you will pay the rest. The part that you pay is known as a 'fee'. We'll go through this with you before you start learning with us though.
Fully funded
Some courses at learndirect courses are fully funded. This means you don’t have to pay a fee. These are usually courses in level 1 or 2 English and Maths, but sometimes other courses can be fully funded based on your circumstances. For example, if you're on certain income-based benefits like income support, you could get your course fully funded. Again, this is something we'll talk to you about before you start your course.
e-courses
If you choose to study an eCourse then you won't get any funding because they're short online courses with no tutor support. However, buying an eCourse isn't expensive - they start from as little as £17.50.
Am I eligible for funding?
Try using our Funding checker to see if you'd be likely to get funding for a learndirect course. It's simple and easy to use, but remember that it's only a guideline. If you pop into one of our centres we'll be able to tell you if you can get help with the cost of your course and get you set up.