Adults in the West Midlands will soon be able to study shorter university modules for the first time using student finance
From September 2026, learners will be able to access funding for individual “bite-sized” university courses rather than committing to a full degree, with the system designed to support people retraining later in life or studying around work and family commitments.
The changes form part of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, with the first 130 universities and colleges now confirmed to deliver the new style of courses.
At University College Birmingham, Deputy Vice Chancellor Rosa Wells says the reforms could open the door to a much wider range of students.
“People in the West Midlands can access much shorter learning within a university environment. So they don’t have to sign up to really long courses. They can do what we call modules. So it’s more accessible, can fit in around other commitments that everybody has.”
She said the biggest shift is removing barriers that previously stopped people returning to education.
“Adults, older learners, those that maybe weren’t able to go to university and are thinking about upskilling, changing career… it’s really making this accessible to people at all stages of their career to encourage that approach to lifelong learning.”
Rosa Wells says the new funding model could be particularly important for people already in work or with caring responsibilities.
“We think it will really appeal to a wide range of learners, those in work, those with caring responsibilities, and really be able to open up a wide range of career routes to those that maybe haven’t been able to access them before.”
Under the previous system, student finance was largely tied to full-time degrees, something she says no longer reflects how quickly skills needs are changing.
“If you study something in your early 20s, by the time you’re mid-career things have changed a lot. So being able to revisit learning, learn about new technologies or change career… we need to keep that open to everybody.”
The courses will focus on areas linked to skills shortages, including computing, engineering, construction, health and social care.
Rosa Wells says there has already been early interest from employers, including pilot schemes in digital skills.
“We’ve seen people engage with this, try this out with us and other universities in the region… so we have seen some initial interest.”
She added that it could help plug local skills gaps across the West Midlands economy.
“It really helps us to be more responsive to what the industry is saying that they need in terms of upskilling their workforce.”
While she acknowledged there are challenges in rolling out a new funding system, she said universities are preparing to deliver it from next year.
“There is always complexity… but we will be ready to offer this out and welcome learners from next January.”
Wells says the reforms could also change who typically goes to university.
“It brings a different sort of student into the university… they bring their life experiences and that really influences how we deliver and update our offer.”
The government says the reforms are designed to remove the “all or nothing” choice between a full degree or no higher education at all, allowing people to build qualifications over time as they progress through their careers.