Transition to the 2025 to 2026 funding approval process
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-06)

How we will transition from the existing funding approval process to the new process, and how existing post-16 qualification offers will change.

This section explains how the:
- approval for qualifications for funding will transition to the new process from 2025 to 2026
- existing post-16 qualification offers will change
Existing funding approval process and the moratorium

From 1 September 2020, we stopped automatically considering all newly regulated qualifications at level 3 and below for public funding approval for students aged 16 and over. We refer to this as a ‘moratorium’.

The moratorium does not apply to certain new qualifications, referred to as exemptions:
- exemption type 1: qualifications which are outside the scope of the post-16 qualifications review at level 3 and below, or we automatically approve for funding
- exemption type 2: qualifications that are being reformed
- exemption type 3: qualifications in response to economic need
- exemption type 4: qualifications that are already approved for funding but need updating
The moratorium will continue as part of the existing funding approval process. It will not apply to technical or non-technical qualifications being approved under the new approval process as part of the post-16 qualifications review at level 3 and below.

The existing 2024 to 2025 qualification funding approval process (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualification-funding-approval) will continue to:
- manage existing qualifications that are approved
- approve newly regulated qualifications outside the scope of the reforms, including at Level 4 and above, and for learners aged 14 to 16 in offers outside of the scope of the reforms
- review moratorium exemptions and any qualifications that are approved for funding will be approved for one year only
- review existing qualification offers and confirm which qualifications will be approved for funding for the following funding year
Removal of exemptions from February 2024

As we move through the submission windows there will continue to be changes to the moratorium exemptions. For those qualifications at the level and in the sector subject areas (SSAs) reviewed as part of cycle 1 or that will be reviewed as part of the spring 2025 submission round, there will be exemptions.

For the qualifications in the following levels and SSAs, we do not accept:
- moratorium type 3 exemption requests, since October 2023
- moratorium type 4 exemption requests, since February 2024
We do not accept moratorium type 3 and type 4 exemptions for level 3 qualifications in the following SSAs:
- building and construction
- child development and well being
- direct learning support
- engineering
- health and social care
- digital technology (practitioners)
- digital technology (users)
- medicine and dentistry
- nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine
- science
- teaching and lecturing
We do not accept moratorium type 3 and type 4 exemption requests for level 2 qualifications that align to technical qualifications in the following SSAs:
- building and construction
- child development and well being
- engineering
- health and social care
- medicine and dentistry
- nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine
- science
We do not accept moratorium type 4 exemption requests for qualifications that are being defunded through the review of post-16 qualifications reform (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-provisional-outcomes).

Existing qualification offers

The review of post-16 qualifications reform (https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/23191626823698-Guidance-on-the-review-of-post-16-qualifications-reforms) concluded in December 2024. It considered the level 3 qualifications which were due to have public funding removed on either 31 July 2024 or 31 July 2025.

A provisional list (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-provisional-outcomes) was also published specifying the qualifications that would have funding removed from 1 August 2025 or extended.

Funding approval was extended into academic year 2025 to 2026 for level 2 qualifications, unless you told us it was replaced by a reformed qualification in summer 2024.

Where funding approval will remain

Funding approval will remain for those level 2 and level 3 qualifications that are out of scope of the review or were confirmed as retaining funding approval following public consultation:
- AS and A levels
- access to higher education diplomas
- advanced extension awards
- core maths qualifications
- extended project qualifications
- performing arts graded examinations
- the International Baccalaureate diploma
- technical qualifications in T Levels
- GCSEs
- higher project qualifications
- English and maths functional skills qualifications