Qualifications and public funding
The role of qualifications in publicly funded further education.
We will only fund students to undertake qualifications through one of our funded offers if we have approved those qualifications for public funding.
This collection covers the qualifications that we fund through:
- young people’s funding (previously known as Section 96)
- adult education budget (AEB)
- advanced learner loans
- European Social Fund
If you are a provider of education and training and you have a query about funding approval for qualifications, use the ESFA enquiry form.
If you are an awarding organisation and have any queries on the qualification funding approval process, email qualifications.approval@education.gov.uk.
Qualifications approved for funding
A list of the qualifications that are currently approved for funding is also available.
Qualifications previously approved for funding
These lists show which qualifications we approved for public funding in previous funding years. Some of them may no longer be available for new student starts.
Qualifications with removed funding approval
As part of the review of post 16 qualifications at level 3 and below, the Department for Education intends to remove approval for funding from some qualifications.
Updates to this page
Last updated 14 March 2024 + show all updates
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Updated the 'Qualifications with removed funding approval' section of the collection. Removed 'Level 2 ICT qualifications: removed funding from 1 August 2022' and 'ICT and digital qualifications with removed funding approval from 1 August 2021' and added 'ICT and digital qualifications with removed funding approval'.
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Added 'Qualifications affected by programme cost weighting changes'.
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Added 'Level 2 ICT qualifications: removed funding from 1 August 2022' to 'Qualifications with removed funding approval'.
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We have added a link to the Level 2 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) user and level 2 functional skills qualifications in ICT with removed funding approval from 1 August 2022.
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We have updated information about qualifications with low and no publicly funded enrolments, which will have removed funding approval from 1 August 2022.
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We have added information about new funded qualification offers.
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Added link to the withdrawal of funding approval from qualifications with no publicly funded enrolments for the funding year 2021 to 2022.
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We have added information about another qualification funding approval review opportunity in November 2020.
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Added content for COVID-19 support packages.
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Refreshed collection page and reorganised webpages.
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New page titled Designating qualifications for Advanced Learner Loans added to collection on 10 February 2016.
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Editorial changes made to page on 10 February 2016.
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New page entitled SFA: qualification reviews added to this collection on 18 February 2015.
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Annual review of qualifications guidance added.
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First published.