ELC 101: getting started

Find out who can claim Enhanced Learning Credits, how much funding is available and what to do before starting a course, plus the separate support available through PF FE/HE.

Last reviewed: 17 October 2026. Based on current ELCAS guidance and JSP 822, Volume 9 (November 2025).

How does it work?

Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) help eligible serving personnel and veterans pay towards approved education and training. Start by checking your entitlement with your Service education staff if you are serving, or your Single Service Representative (SSR) if you have left.

Confirm your scheme registration and arrange access to your online account before making a claim. Although the 2016 legislation introduced automatic scheme membership after Phase 1 training, current JSP 822 guidance says administrative registration is not automatic. Do not assume you already have an active claim account: ask your education staff or SSR to check.

Once your account is ready, use the ELCAS provider and course search. Both the provider and your chosen course must be approved. A provider's inclusion does not mean every course it offers is eligible.

What kind of course can you take?

Ordinary ELC supports full- or part-time learning towards a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above, or Level 6 or above on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Approved overseas equivalents may also qualify. It is not restricted to a first qualification or to learning during resettlement.

Tuition-free support for a first eligible qualification comes under the separate Publicly Funded Further Education/Higher Education (PF FE/HE) scheme, explained below.

How much can you claim?

• Lower tier: up to £1,000 per claim, normally after six years of qualifying service.
• Higher tier: up to £2,000 per claim after eight years of qualifying service.
• Three claims in total: ordinarily one per financial year, from 1 April to 31 March. The years need not be consecutive, and eligible claims can combine lower and higher tiers.
• Aggregated lower tier: a single award of up to £3,000 replaces all three lower-tier awards. Conditions include completing six qualifying years on or after 1 April 2016, having made no previous lower-tier claim and not qualifying for the higher tier. Those who left before 1 April 2016 cannot use this option.

The historical lower-tier exception for those who completed four qualifying years before 1 April 2017 remains recognised in ELCAS guidance. Ask your education staff or SSR to confirm the service counted towards your individual entitlement.

You may use separate annual claims towards successive years of a longer course, or for different learning purposes. Courses combined within one claim must form a single learning purpose and meet the scheme's approval rules.

Your contribution and other costs

Ordinary ELC pays up to 80% of eligible course fees, including VAT, subject to your award limit. You pay the remaining balance: at least 20%, and more if the award cap limits the ELC contribution. For example, a £3,000 eligible course with a £2,000 higher-tier award leaves £1,000 for you to pay.

Budget separately for travel, accommodation, meals, books and additional materials. ELC does not normally fund Service training, annual professional membership fees or activities undertaken purely for sport or adventurous training. Check any exceptions with your education staff.

If you are in resettlement, you may be able to use your Individual Resettlement Training Costs (IRTC) grant towards the personal contribution, subject to its rules. Standard Learning Credits cannot fund elements of the same learning purpose supported by ELC. See MOD guidance on contributions and other funding.

Making your first claim

1. Check eligibility and plan ahead. Discuss the learning with your education staff or SSR. Serving personnel need line-management approval before submitting a claim.
2. Confirm the provider, course, fees and start date. Use the approved ELCAS listing and establish your personal contribution.
3. Submit your online claim for approval. Current JSP 822 specifies at least 15 clear working days before the course starts. Allow extra time for queries and local processing; some older guidance still quotes 25 days. Follow any earlier deadline given by your authorising staff.
4. Obtain your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN). Present it to the named provider before starting. Arrange your contribution and booking in line with the approved claim.

ELC cannot be claimed retrospectively. Do not start a course before receiving and presenting your CAN, or pay in full expecting reimbursement. Any payment made before approval is at your own risk.

Veterans must provide evidence of their leaving date and home address with their claim. Read the current serving-personnel instructions or service-leaver instructions before applying.

Before your next claim

Complete the previous course evaluation in your member account and provide the required evidence of course completion. Outstanding evaluations can hold up subsequent claims.

No longer serving? Check your expiry date

If you left on or after 1 April 2016, the normal ELC claim window is five years after discharge. Your course must start before your entitlement expires, including when claiming in the final year.

The ordinary ten-year window for those who left before April 2016 has now elapsed. Separate exceptions may apply, including the medical-discharge provisions below. Check your individual expiry date with your SSR and in your member account.

Medically discharged?

Special eligibility rules can apply where a Service-attributable injury or illness leads to discharge before the usual qualifying service has been completed. Ask your education staff or SSR to assess your circumstances.

Veterans medically discharged on or after 1 April 2011 who receive a disablement pension under the War Pension Scheme or a Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme can have a ten-year entitlement period. This is not a general extension for every medical discharge. Read the official policy-change guidance.

Separate support: publicly funded FE/HE

The PF FE/HE scheme can cover tuition fees for eligible Service leavers and personnel in their qualifying resettlement phase taking a first full Level 3 or first higher education qualification, such as an eligible foundation or undergraduate degree.

This scheme normally requires six qualifying years of service, with historical and medical exceptions. Other conditions cover prior qualifications, UK residency, an approved PF FE/HE provider and a course designated for student support. ELCAS guidance retains the historical four-year service exception for those who qualified before 1 April 2017. Part-time study must normally be at least 25% of the full-time equivalent.

Previous qualifications or higher-education credits may affect eligibility. Confirm your position and how much of your course can be funded within your entitlement period, particularly for part-time study. Submit a claim for each academic year. These first-qualification and residency conditions should not be confused with the ordinary ELC rules above.

Changing or withdrawing from a course

Contact your education staff or SSR promptly if the provider, course or dates change, or you need to withdraw. Follow the official amendment, cancellation or reinstatement process. Reinstatement may be permitted for operational or compassionate reasons; simply giving up or finding the course unsuitable does not normally qualify. See the ELCAS procedures.

Useful references and contacts

• JSP 822 on GOV.UK: use Volume 9 for the full ELC and PF FE/HE policy.
• ELCAS contact guidance: serving personnel should use their education staff; veterans should use the current SSR directory for entitlement and account access.
• Qualifications Scotland replaced SQA on 1 February 2026. Existing sqa.org.uk qualification resources remain current during the transition.
• UK ENIC, formerly UK NARIC, provides information on international qualifications.