ELCAS Funding

If you are a member of the Armed Forces or have reached the end of active service, we are ready to help you with your new career. Our advisors can walk you through the process, tailor a study package to suit your skills and assist you in finding your career of choice.

There are several stages to the ELC process. Full information is set out in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 822. 

1) You must be a registered Scheme Member and have accrued sufficient service before submitting an online claim.  

2) If you are still serving speak to your Education Staff, or, for Service Leavers contact your SSR. Appropriate checks can then be done to issue your account.  

3) Once you have an account, search for an approved  provider and course, then  simply log in and submit your claim. 

4) Finally you must complete your Course Evaluation when requested, further claims cannot be processed until you previous course evaluation has been completed.

Procedure for Eligible Service Personnel

You must complete an initial online claim form

You must then submit this form to your Education Staff a minimum of 25 working days prior to your chosen course start date.

On receipt of your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN), you must present it to your chosen Learning Provider before the course is due to start.

For further information about ELCAS visit

ELC (Enhanced Learning Credits) can be used by both current Armed Forces members and those who have left for up to five years after leaving. There are three levels of funding available depending on how many years of service you have completed. These are:

• Lower Tier – This is a maximum of three awards of up to £1,000 per financial year. You must have completed either 4 or more years of service before 1st April 2017, or 6 or more years of service on or after 1st April 2017.
• Aggregated Lower Tier – This is a single award of up to £3,000 per financial year for those who have completed 6 or more years of service on or after 1st April 2016. This cannot be used if you are already pursuing a Lower Tier or Upper Tier claim.
• Upper Tier – This is funding for a maximum of 3 awards of up to £2,000 per financial year. You must have completed up to 8 years or more of qualifying service to claim

Only one ELC claim can be made per financial year. This claim can only be with one authorised provider.

For the lower tier of funding, you are required to have completed a minimum of four years eligible service prior to 1st April 2017 or not less than six years eligible service if you enlisted on or after the 1st April 2013. Therefore you were required to still be serving as of 01/04/2004 to claim at this tier. For higher tier claims you are required to complete a minimum of eight years of eligible service.

What is the lower or higher tier?

On the lower tier of funding, you are entitled to claim 80% of the cost of a level three or above course up to the maximum of £1000.00. For the higher tier, this is up to £2000.00 per ELC claim.