Participating in higher-level study offers recognised benefits both for the student and the prison and has been proven to reduce reoffending. However, prisoners are restricted from applying for student loans until they are within six years of release. Allowing prisoners to commence their studies earlier in a long sentence could increase student numbers by about 200 per year. This would cost an additional £2 million in upfront student loans, but could also save between £3 million and £6 million as a result of reduced reoffending rates. This report recommends that the "Student Support Regulations for England and Wales" should be amended to extend student loan eligibility to include people in prison who have more than six years to run on their sentence.