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Do you qualify for the Fee Grant and Course Grant?

To apply for the Fee Grant and Course Grant, both you and your course must be meet certain conditions.

Your part-time course must:

• last at least one year 
  
• lead to a higher education qualification 
  
• not take more than twice as long to complete as the equivalent full-time course

However, you won't qualify for the Fee Grant or Course Grant:

• if you are studying a part-time Initial Teacher Training course (you’ll be treated as a full-time student for student finance purposes) 
  
• for more than one part-time course at a time

You’ll also need to meet the usual eligibility conditions for student finance - see ‘Eligibilty for student finance’ if you’re not sure.

• Eligibility for student finance

‘Topping up’ a Foundation Degree or ‘ordinary’ degree

If you already have a Foundation Degree or ‘ordinary’ degree and you want to top up your qualification, you’ll only be able to apply for the Fee Grant and Course Grant if the course you want to do meets all of the following conditions:

• it’s in the same subject as your existing qualification
• it’s at the same institution where you got your existing qualification
• you’re starting it directly after taking your existing qualification, without a break in your studies
• it leads to an honours degree

Topping up an HNC or HND qualification

If you’re planning to top up a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) qualification, you can apply for the Fee Grant and Course Grant - even if there’s been a break in your studies, or you’ve changed course, college or university.

Distance learning courses

Students doing distance learning courses can’t usually get the finance package aimed at full-time students. But they may be able to get help through the Fee Grant and Course Grant - whether they're studying a distance learning course full-time or part-time.

If you’re studying full-time through distance learning because you have a disability that means you can’t attend the course in person, you may qualify for the full range of student finance products aimed at full-time students - except for help with travel costs.

• Financial help for disabled students (disabled people section)

Fee Grant and Course Grant: working out how much you’ll get

Step one: find out how intensive your course is

Once you’ve checked that you’re eligible for the Course Grant and Fee Grant, the first step in working out how much you’ll get is to find out how ‘intensive’ your course is - this sets the maximum Fee Grant available.

Course ‘intensity’ is how long it takes to complete compared to the equivalent full-time course. So if your course takes six years to complete and the full-time equivalent takes three, the intensity will be 50 per cent. Ask your university or college if you’re not sure.

Step two: check if you qualify for maximum help automatically

You’ll get the maximum Course Grant and maximum Fee Grant available for your course’s intensity (up to the actual amount you’re charged for tuition fees) if you’re receiving any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
  
• Housing Benefit (including Local Housing Benefit)
  
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 
  
• Council Tax Benefit
  
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  
• New Deal Allowance

Otherwise, what you get will be based on your income - and usually, if you live with a partner, their income too.

Step three: check whether your partner’s income will be taken into account

If you’re a new student, or you started your course on or after 1 September 2005, both your income and that of any partner you live with will be counted as ‘household income’.

If you started your course on or before 31 August 2005, your partner’s income will be taken into account if either of the following apply:

• you’re aged over 25
• you're married or in a civil partnership

Step four: adjust your household income

Check the table below for an idea of how much you’ll get at different levels of household income.

The table shows figures for a single student without children. Remember that when assessing applications for the Fee Grant and Course Grant, part of your household income is ignored if you have children or live with a partner.

This means that you can reduce your household income figure by:

• £2,000 for your oldest dependent child
• £1,000 each for any other dependent children
• £2,000 if you live with a partner

Fee Grant and Course Grant: rates for 2009/2010

Working out what you’ll get: example 1

You live with your spouse. If you make £13,000 and they make £13,000, your combined income will be £26,000.

£2000 of this will be ignored, so the household income assessed would be £24,000 - meaning you’d get a partial Fee Grant and a full Course Grant.

Working out what you’ll get: example 2

You live with your civil partner and two dependent children. If you make £10,000 and your partner makes £11,000, your combined income will be £21,000.

£5,000 of this will be ignored:

• £2,000 because you live with your civil partner
  
• £2,000 for your eldest child
  
• £1,000 for your second child

Your income will be assessed as £16,000 - meaning you’d get the full Fee Grant and full Course Grant.

Studying in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

This page is a guide to what’s available if you live and study in England. But if you live in England and go to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland to study, the amount of help you receive may vary. Contact your university, college or local authority for more information.

• Contact your local authority (student finance applications) Opens new window

Fee and Course Grant rates for 2008/2009

To find out how much financial help you could get in 2008/2009, see the guide to student finance for part-time students on the ‘Student finance forms and guides 2008/2009’ page.

More useful links

• Benefits for higher education students with low incomes (money, tax and benefits section)

Back to the main page on ‘Finance for part-time students’

• Finance for part-time students - applying for the first time