A Unique Learner Number (ULN) is a 10-digit number that the Learning Records Service (LRS) issues to learners aged 14 and over, and a ULN lookup is a search of LRS to find it. Only registered organisations can search, and LRS sets conditions on how they and their software use what it returns.
LRS is a Department for Education service
LRS issues ULNs and creates Personal Learning Records for learners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Department for Education (DfE) operates it and is the data controller, according to the LRS privacy notice.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) ran LRS until ESFA closed on 31 March 2025. Its work then moved into DfE, as GOV.UK’s ESFA page records. Some LRS technical documents, written in 2022, still name ESFA.
On 1 April 2026, apprenticeship guidance and the funding rules moved from DfE to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as How to take on an apprentice notes. LRS and the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) stayed with DfE.
A ULN stays with a learner for life
A ULN has 10 digits: nine random digits and a check digit (LRS getting started guide, Appendix E). Providers can collect ULNs for learners aged 14 and over. A learner keeps the same ULN for life, whatever and wherever they study (LRS organisation portal).
Learners can find their ULN on their certificates. Awarding organisations have printed it there since March 2013. Learners aged 14 to 19 can also get it from their school, college or provider (Access your personal learning record).
A valid check digit proves only the format. It does not prove that the ULN exists or that it belongs to this person (ULN validation).
For apprentices, the ULN goes into the ILR. Our guide to the information you need at enrolment explains when a real ULN is required.
The Personal Learning Record is not a full history
Each ULN links to a Personal Learning Record (PLR). This is an online record of qualifications and achievements for learners aged 14 and over. Its data comes from three sources, set out in the LRS user guide:
- The National Pupil Database, for key stage 4 and 5 results.
- ILR returns, where the ILR carries a valid ULN and UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN) that match the learner.
- Awarding organisations, which have uploaded regulated qualifications since 2013.
The record has limits. It only holds qualifications gained in England from 2012, in Wales from 2014 and in Northern Ireland from 2015. It only shows Ofqual-regulated qualifications, and qualifications DfE did not fund may be missing. Entries from the ILR can lack a grade or an end date, for example when the learner withdrew.
So an empty or partial PLR does not mean a person has no qualifications. Treat it as one source, and confirm qualifications with the learner.
Only registered organisations can search LRS
Learning providers and local authorities register with LRS to use its portal. Its user agreement lists the eligible providers. They include schools, colleges, training providers, higher education institutions, prisons and the armed forces.
Since 8 May 2026, organisations register through an online LRS service, which replaced the old form. LRS says it takes about 10 minutes. You need:
- Your UKPRN, from the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP).
- Your Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) registration number.
- A designated super user.
- A person authorised to sign the LRS Organisation Agreement.
Each person needs their own account. Accounts must not be shared, and generic email addresses are not allowed. Super users create and manage accounts, and users are accountable for all activity under their username. Give each user only the access they need. For example, a “view only” user can find records but cannot register or update learners.
LRS offers three ways to search
The LRS user guide and service charter describe three routes. The third links a management information system (MIS) directly to LRS.
| Route | How it works | Limits and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portal | Staff search for one learner at a time | DfE suggests it for up to 50 learners |
| Batch | Staff send a file of records through the portal | Up to 200 records per batch; exceptions to be processed within 90 days |
| Web services | Software such as an MIS connects directly to LRS | DfE calls it “the preferred method”; LRS must approve the software |
A search starts with the ULN, then personal details
The LRS web services interface specification sets the order of a search:
- If you know the ULN, search by ULN, given name and family name.
- If that fails, or there is no ULN, search by personal details. The minimum is given name, family name, date of birth, gender and last known postcode.
- Add optional details if you have them: previous family name, school at 16, place of birth and email address.
- Use the postcode ZZ99 9ZZ only as a last resort. It is for a learner with no fixed abode, or with an unavailable or restricted postcode.
- Read the outcome, using the table below.
- Check any possible match against the learner’s details and PLR before you accept it.
LRS gender codes differ from the ILR’s codes for sex, so software needs to map one to the other.
The portal and the web service report outcomes in different terms:
| Portal result | Web service code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match | WSRC0004, exact match | One learner matches the details | Check the details, then accept |
| Possible match | WSRC0003 | The same learner, a relative with a ULN, or someone with similar details, such as the same postcode | Check the details and the PLR before accepting |
| Too many matches | WSRC0002 | Too many learners fit the details | Refine the search, then contact the LRS service desk |
| No Match | WSRC0001 | No learner fits the details | Check the details and search again |
| Web services only | WSRC0022, linked learner found | Duplicate ULNs for one person were merged under a master ULN | LRS returns the master record |
Learners must receive the LRS privacy notice
Providers are responsible for giving learners a copy of the LRS privacy notice, and GOV.UK says they must ensure learners receive it. DfE recommends doing this as part of enrolment. Learners cannot opt out of sharing their ULN and PLR.
When a provider registers a ULN, it records whether the learner has seen the notice. This is the “privacy notice seen” flag:
- No means the ULN is for emergency use only, and no organisation can view the PLR.
- Yes means organisations can view the PLR, although sensitive qualifications stay hidden.
Once the flag says the learner has seen the notice, it cannot be reset.
DfE’s privacy notice covers DfE’s own processing. Your organisation still needs its own lawful basis and privacy notice for what it does.
Never send a ULN with any of the five search details in an unencrypted email. Those are given name, family name, date of birth, gender and postcode. A breach can lead to accounts being disabled and a report to the ICO.
Software connects through the LRS web service
Software can search LRS through its web service instead of the portal. Each organisation has its own connection, and each search carries that organisation’s UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN). A possible match still needs a person to check it, and a failed call is not a “no match” result.
How enrola handles LRS lookups
enrola runs lookups under your organisation’s own LRS credentials. When your organisation has them, enrola looks up each new applicant’s ULN and past qualifications automatically. Staff compare each possible match with the applicant’s details, then accept it, confirm it with the applicant or reject it; accepting looks up the applicant’s past qualifications.
LRS checks in enrola · Learner records · Guide: from applicant to learner
Questions
What is a ULN?
A Unique Learner Number is a 10-digit number that the Learning Records Service issues to learners aged 14 and over. A learner keeps it for life, and it links to their Personal Learning Record.
Who can look up a learner’s ULN?
Staff of organisations registered with LRS, each using their own account, through the LRS portal or software connected to its web service.
Does an empty Personal Learning Record mean no qualifications?
No. The record only covers regulated qualifications gained in England from 2012, and some qualifications may be missing.
Can a learner opt out of LRS?
No. Learners cannot opt out of sharing their ULN and Personal Learning Record. Providers must give them the LRS privacy notice, and DfE recommends doing so at enrolment.
Sources
- LRS privacy notice, DfE, last updated 27 November 2023.
- Using the Learning Records Service for learning providers and local authorities, DfE user guide.
- LRS organisation portal, GOV.UK.
- Access your personal learning record, GOV.UK, updated 21 August 2025.
- Register a learning or training provider for access to the LRS, LRS.
- LRS user agreement, LRS.
- LRS service charter, version 9, July 2025.
- LRS getting started guide, version 3.2, January 2024.
- LRS web services interface specification, version 6.4, September 2022.
- Learner registration body web services interface application, version 2.6, June 2022.
- ULN validation, version 3, January 2019.
- Education and Skills Funding Agency, GOV.UK organisation page.
- How to take on an apprentice, GOV.UK.