Website of the UK government

Checking that your course is eligible

You can apply for student finance if your course is full-time (including sandwich courses) or part-time. But the help available for full-time and part-time students is different - and the help for full-time distance learning courses is different again.
 
The rules on eligibility are complex. But in general, to qualify for finance as a full-time student your course should lead to one of the following qualifications:

• first degree such as a Bachelor of Arts, Science or Education
• Foundation Degree
• Certificate of Higher Education
• Diploma of Higher Education
• Higher National Certificate
• Higher National Diploma
  

You’ll also usually qualify if your course is for:

• Initial Teacher Training, or
• the further training of youth and community workers
  

Part-time courses should last at least one year, and not take more than twice as long as an equivalent full-time course.

Further education and postgraduate courses don’t qualify for the standard student finance package - apart from postgraduate courses in Initial Teacher Training.

Does your university or college qualify?

Usually, you can get student finance if you do your course at:

• a UK degree-awarding institution
• a college that receives government funding and provides a course leading to a degree qualification
• a private institution offering specifically designated higher education courses (ask your university or college if it qualifies)
• a group of schools taking part in the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) scheme

Checking your personal eligibility

Whether you can get student finance depends on your personal situation as well as the course you’re doing and the college or university you go to.

Follow the link below to check your personal eligibility.

• Student finance: personal eligibility

Back to ‘Do you qualify for student finance?’

• Do you qualify for student finance?