Tolerance examples 2023 to 2024
Updated 28 March 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-funding/tolerance-examples-2023-to-2024
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow this guidance.
1. Under- and over-delivery
This guide shows examples of what your delivery may look like. You may find it useful to look at the relevant section in the T Level funding guidance for academic year 2023 to 2024.
As delivery is now embedded across the sector, we have reduced this tolerance to 10% against each funding band for institutions who started to deliver T Levels prior to the 2023 to 2024 academic year. However, it remains at 20% for institutions starting to deliver T Levels, in the academic year 2023 to 2024.
- If you delivered any T Level programme before 2023 to 2024 your tolerance is 10%. This also applies if you are running a T Level programme that is new to your institution
- If you are delivering T Levels for the first time in 2023 to 2024 then your tolerance is 20%
You will find separate sections in this guide to cover the 2 different tolerance rates.
2. Institutions who started to deliver T Levels in 2022 to 2023 or earlier
3. Under-delivery
10% or lower – we will not recover any funding
Table 1 shows that the institution had 40 agreed students in band 6 and under-delivered by 4 (so 10%). Therefore, we have not reduced T Level student numbers for that band.
Table 1
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 36 | ||
| no revision | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
Over 10% – we will recover funding
Where we reduce your student numbers, we will also recover funding for:
- industry placements
- the difference in funding between band 6 and band 5
- additional funding paid for T Level students, the higher rate for disadvantage funding
Table 2 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 20 students in band 6, the tolerance of 10% is 4 students, so we adjust by the difference, which is 16 and we convert those 16 students to band 5.
Table 2
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 20 | ||
| revision | 40 | 24 | 476 | 1,000 |
Table 3 shows that the institution has under-delivered in both bands 6 and 7, by 20 students in each band, the tolerance of 10% is students; so, we have reduced the numbers in both bands by 16 and moved these 32 students in total into band 5.
Table 3
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 20 | 20 | ||
| revision | 24 | 24 | 492 | 1,000 |
4. Over-delivery
Table 4 shows that the institution has over-delivered by 10 students in band 6. Therefore, we have increased the numbers in band 6 and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation. We will manage this through the usual exceptional in-year growth process.
Table 4
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation for all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 30 | 40 | 450 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 30 | 50 | ||
| revision – increase in band 6 student numbers and reduction in band 5 (overall lagged student numbers remain constant) | 30 | 50 | 440 | 1,000 |
5. Under-delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 5 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 15 students in T Level band 7 but over-delivered by 10 in band 6. We treat each band separately. We fund all additional T Level students and reduce the corresponding number from band 5. For under-delivery we apply the 10% tolerance. The under-delivery is 15, the tolerance is 4 students, so we reduce the planned numbers by the difference which is 11 students. These 11 are added to the band 5 student numbers.
Table 5
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 25 | 50 | ||
| revision | 29 | 50 | 461 | 1,000 |
6. Zero delivery overall
Table 6 shows that the institution had zero T Level delivery. In this case all students would be moved into band 5 and no delivery is recorded for bands 6 and 7.
Table 6
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 540 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | ||||
| revision | 0 | 0 | 620 | 1,000 |
7. Zero delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 7 shows that institution has zero T Level delivery at band 7 but over-delivered at band 6. We treat the 2 bands separately.
As there was no delivery at band 7 but delivery has taken place in other bands, we would apply the 10% tolerance to band 7 and move all the remaining students to band 5.
For band 6 we have increased the numbers and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation.
Table 7
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 0 | 50 | ||
| revision | 4 | 50 | 486 | 1,000 |
8. Institutions who will start delivering T Levels in 2023 to 2024
9. Under-delivery
20% or lower – we will not recover any funding
Table 8 shows that the institution had 40 agreed students in band 6 and under-delivered by 5 (so 12.5%). Therefore, we have not reduced T Level student numbers for that band.
Table 8
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 35 | ||
| no revision | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
Over 20% – we will recover funding
Where we reduce your student numbers, we will recover funding for:
- industry placements
- the difference in funding between band 6 and band 5
- additional funding paid for T Level students, the higher rate for disadvantage funding
Table 9 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 20 students in band 6, the tolerance of 20% is 8 students, so we adjust by the difference, which is 12 and we convert those 12 students to band 5.
Table 9
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 40 | 20 | ||
| revision | 40 | 28 | 472 | 1,000 |
Table 10 shows that the institution has under-delivered in both bands 6 and 7, by 20 students in each band. The tolerance of 20% is 8 students therefore, we have reduced the numbers in both bands by 12 and moved these 24 students in total into band 5.
Table 10
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2022 to 2023 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 20 | 20 | ||
| revision | 28 | 28 | 484 | 1,000 |
10. Over-delivery
Table 11 shows that the institution has over-delivered by 10 students in band 6. Therefore, we have increased the numbers in band 6 and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation. We will manage this through the usual exceptional in-year growth process.
Table 11
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation for all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 30 | 40 | 450 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 30 | 50 | ||
| revision – increase in band 6 student numbers and reduction in band 5 (overall lagged student numbers remain constant) | 30 | 50 | 440 | 1,000 |
11. Under-delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 12 shows that the institution has under-delivered by 15 students in T Level band 7 but over-delivered by 10 in band 6. We treat each band separately. We fund all additional T Level students and reduce the corresponding number from band 5. For under-delivery we apply the 20% tolerance. The under-delivery is 15, the tolerance is 8 students, so we reduce the planned numbers by the difference which is 7 students. These 7 are added to the band 5 student numbers.
Table 12
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 25 | 50 | ||
| revision | 33 | 50 | 457 | 1,000 |
12. Zero delivery overall
Table 13 shows that the institution had zero T Level delivery. In this case all students would be moved into band 5 and no delivery at bands 6 and 7 would be recorded.
Table 13
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 540 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | ||||
| revision | 0 | 0 | 620 | 1,000 |
13. Zero delivery in one band and over-delivery in another band
Table 14 shows that institution has zero T Level delivery at band 7 but over-delivered at band 6.
We treat the 2 bands separately and as there was no delivery at band 7 but delivery has taken place in other bands, we would apply the tolerance to band 7 and all the remaining students in that band would be moved to band 5.
For band 6, we have increased the numbers and reduced the numbers in band 5 by the same amount. We will not increase your total student number allocation.
Table 14
| band 7 | band 6 | band 5 | total students in allocation in all bands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreed T Level student numbers for 2023 to 2024 | 40 | 40 | 460 | 1,000 |
| T Level students in data return in autumn 2023 | 0 | 50 | ||
| revision | 8 | 50 | 482 | 1,000 |