Just under 60 English universities will be able to offer short courses that qualify for student loans when the new lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) is introduced later this year. The Department for Education has announced the first institutions approved through the new system, with those on the list able to offer single modules for study in several priority areas. Ministers have billed the move as a “radical” change to the student finance system, intended to allow people to return to education in later life or stagger their learning over a longer period.