Adult courses in London are funded through the Greater London Authority, which controls a £338.7 million adult skills budget for 2026/27. You can usually get a fully funded course if you are 19 or older and earn under £28,860. There are currently 3,699 funded courses listed at centres in London.
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Who qualifies for a free course in London?
You are likely to qualify for a fully funded course if you earn under £28,860 a year. That figure is confirmed in the Greater London Authority’s published 2026/27 funding rules. People who are unemployed or on certain benefits usually qualify too.
The provider confirms eligibility when you enrol. The quickest way to check is the eligibility checker, which uses your postcode.
What is different in London?
Confirmed local differences from the national offer:
- 10% London Priority Uplift on L3 in priority sectors + L2 construction/engineering.
- L4 vocational quals fully funded below LLW threshold regardless of prior qualification level.
- CELTA L5 funded at GLA rate 1,123.
What can you study free in London?
The 3,699 funded courses listed at London centres are led by functional skills / esol (1,669), adult social care (395), business admin / management (282), early years / childcare (213), art / design / media (167). Around 3,400 more funded online courses are available wherever you live.
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Browse free courses or search the full course directory to see what is running near you.
Who delivers funded training in London?
277 training providers run funded courses at London venues. The largest by listed courses:
- New City College (510 funded courses)
- Barking and Dagenham College (268 funded courses)
- South Bank Colleges (263 funded courses)
- Capital City College (207 funded courses)
- MI ComputSolutions (187 funded courses)
See all 277 funded training providers in London.
What does the Greater London Authority say its priorities are?
Its stated priority areas (Annex 4, GLA ASF rules 26/27 (supersedes MD3315 list)):
- Finance, professional and business services.
- Experience Economy (incl hospitality and retail).
- Digital.
- Creative Industries and Technologies.
- Construction (incl Green Construction).
- Health and Social Care.
- Frontier Innovation (life sciences).
The area’s employer led skills plan (the LSIP) is led by BusinessLDN.
How much funding does London control?
the Greater London Authority receives £338.7 million in adult skills funding for 2026/27, through its Integrated Settlement. See how that compares to every other area in our adult education funding guide.
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Sources: the authority’s own published funding rules and committee papers, gov.uk grant determination letters and Integrated Settlement tables, and the JobYay course directory. The eligibility estimate is JobYay analysis of ONS ASHE 2025 earnings data. Full figures and sources: adult education funding in England.
Page last updated: 4 August 2026. Course counts refresh with the directory; funding facts refresh when rules are published.