Part-time finance

If you are a part-time higher education student, financial help is available towards your fees and other costs related to your course. How much you may get depends on your personal circumstances, the type of course you do and from which part of the UK you are from. The financial help available is the same for new and continuing part-time students.

There are two types of non-repayable grant:

fee grant (to help with tuition fees)
course grant (to help with study costs such as books, materials and travel)

To apply for the fee grant and course grant, your course must last at least one year and not take more than twice as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course.

You apply for every year of your course, at the start of each academic year. How much you can get each year depends on your household income and whether you have a spouse, partner or children.

You do not have to repay this help.

Students who already have a degree cannot normally apply for this support. There is no age limit.

The maximum amount of fee grant available also depends on the ‘intensity’ of your course. ‘Intensity’ means how long it takes to complete your course compared with an equivalent full-time course.

For example, if a three-year full-time course takes six years to complete part-time, then the part-time course has an intensity of 50 per cent.

Your department will be able to advise you regarding your intensity of course.

You can apply for the same maximum amount of course grant no matter what the intensity of your course.

If your ordinary place of residence was Wales before you started your course, then the support available is indicated in the table below:

How intensive your course is	Maximum fee grant	Maximum course grant	Total Support
Equivalent to 50% to 59% of the full-time course	£635	£1,075	£1,710
Equivalent to 60% to 74% of the full-time course	£765	£1,075	£1,840
Equivalent to 75% or more of the full-time course	£955	£1,075	£2,030

If your ordinary place of residence was England before you started your course, then the support available is indicated in the table below:

How intensive your course is	Maximum fee grant	Maximum course grant	Total Support
Equivalent to 50% to 59% of the full-time course	£805	£260	£1,065
Equivalent to 60% to 74% of the full-time course	£970	£260	£1,230
Equivalent to 75% or more of the full-time course	£1,210	£260	1,470

Other Help Available

Part-time students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties, including distance learning students who are studying at least 50% of a full-time course, may be able to get Disabled Students’ Allowances(DSA). DSAs can help pay the extra costs you have (in relation to studying for a course of higher education) as a direct result of your disability or specific learning difficulty. For example, the allowances can help pay for the cost of major items of specialist equipment, a non-medical personal helper, travel and other course-related costs. DSAs do not depend on your income and you do not have to pay them back. There is no age limit on applying for DSAs. However, to apply for DSAs you will need to fill in a separate form from the one which you use to apply for the fee grant and course grant. There is more information in our booklet ‘Bridging the Gap: a guide to the Disabled Students’

Studying less than 50% of a full-time course

If your course is less than 50% of an equivalent full-time course (e.g. if you’re studying less than 60 credits a year) you might be eligible for a fee waiver from the University. You may be eligible to have your tuition fees waived if you are studying at undergraduate level and in receipt of certain benefits, and do not already have a degree.

If you’re studying at the School of Lifelong Learning contact the school directly.

If you’re studying at any other school at the university get in contact with the Money Adviser.