Payment by learner makes sense (4)
I believe the answer is:
feel
'sense' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'payment by learner' is the wordplay.
'payment' becomes 'fee' (I've seen this in another clue).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'learner' becomes 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'fee'+'l'='FEEL'
'makes' is the link.
(Other definitions for feel that I've seen before include "Have a belief; touch" , "Experience, perceive" , "Have sensation of" , "Consider" , "Leg (of mutton/lamb)" .)