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What will studying part-time at university cost?

Your university or college decides how much the tuition fees are for part-time courses: there’s no minimum or maximum amount.

If you study part-time, it’s assumed that you’ll meet your living costs through work and savings. But if you’re on a lower income, you may be able to get financial support aimed at helping you pay for tuition fees and costs related to your course (such as books and travel).

Follow the link below for more on tuition fees and course costs - and advice on budgeting.

• How much will university cost?

Help for part-time students: Fee Grant and Course Grant

The main sources of help for part-time students are:

• a Fee Grant (to help with tuition fees) - paid directly to your college or university
• a Course Grant (to help with study costs, such as books, materials and travel) - paid directly to you

What’s available will depend on your personal circumstances and the course you’re doing.

You won’t have to repay any help you get through the Fee Grant or Course Grant.

Fee Grant and Course Grant: if you get benefits

If you’re getting certain benefits, you’ll automatically qualify for the maximum Fee Grant and the maximum Course Grant available for your course’s intensity.

Fee Grant and Course Grant: if you have a partner or children

The maximum household income you can have and still qualify a particular level of financial help is set higher if you have a live-in partner or dependent children - though your partner’s income may be counted towards your household income.

Fee Grant and Course Grant: working out much you can get

The maximum Fee Grant you can get is based on how ‘intensive’ your course is - how long it will take to complete compared to an equivalent full-time course.

For the most intensive courses, a maximum of £1,400 is available for 2007/2008 through the Fee Grant and Course Grant combined. For 2008/2009, the figure is £1,435.

If you’re receiving certain benefits, you’ll get the maximum Fee Grant and the maximum Course Grant available for your course’s intensity.

Otherwise, working out exactly what you’re entitled to can be quite complex. But as a general guide, you’ll need to:

• check that both you and your course qualify for the grants
• find out how intensive your course is - this sets the maximum Fee Grant you can get
• check if any benefits you’re on qualify you for the maximum Fee Grant and Course Grant - otherwise what you get will be based on household income
• if you’ve got a partner, check whether their income will be taken into account
• work out your income, and adjust it for any children or other dependants
  

Follow the link to ‘Fee Grant and Course Grant: do you qualify?’ to check whether you qualify, and the maximum Fee Grant you could get based on your course’s intensity.

Then see ‘Income assessment for part-time students’. This will tell you:

• how your income will be adjusted if you have a partner, spouse or dependent children
• how much you can get, based on your income

• Fee Grant and Course Grant: do you qualify?
• Income assessment for part-time students

How to apply for the Fee Grant and Course Grant

You’ll need to make a separate application for each academic year, using the application form for part-time student finance (PTG1). You can download a copy by following the link below, or ask your local authority to send you one.

• Download application form for part-time students (PTG1) (2008/2009) (PDF, 1239K)
• Download notes to help you complete form PTG1 (2008/2009) (PDF, 317K)
• Download application form for part-time students (PTG1) (2007/2008) (PDF, 1253K)
• Download notes to help you complete form PTG1 (2007/2008) (PDF, 362K)

Fill in the form and take it with you to your college or university when you start your course.

The administration office will complete the rest of the form (after you’ve attended for two weeks if you’re a new student), confirming:

• that you’re a student there
• how intensive your course is
• what the tuition fees are

Usually, you’ll then need to send the form to your local authority - though in some cases, Student Finance Direct will handle the application.

The link below will give you contact details for your local authority - or tell you if you need to send your form to the Student Loans Company.

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

If you are an Open University student

The same rules on the fee grant and course grant apply, but the Open University deals with its own applications. Contact the Open University directly for a separate application form.

• Contact the Open University

Grants from educational trusts and charities

There are a number of organisations which provide financial help to higher education students. You may be able to get an award from one of these on top of student finance provided by the government.

Get advice from EGAS

The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) can help you find out what’s available. EGAS provides students - especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds - with expert guidance on getting funding for education and training.

• Contact EGAS

Finding out more

You can find information at most public libraries. Useful publications include:

• the Educational Grants Directory
• the Charities Digest
• the Grants Register
• the Directory of Grant Making Trusts

A student adviser at your college or university will also be able to tell you more.

Additional Fee Support Scheme and Access to Learning Fund

Additional Fee Support Scheme

Your university or college may run the Additional Fee Support Scheme. The scheme could provide extra help if:

• you’re on a low income
• your course will take no longer than twice as long to complete than the equivalent full-time course
• you get the Fee Grant, but it doesn’t fully cover your tuition fees – and you wouldn’t be able to apply to or continue with your course without additional support
  

Access to Learning Fund

If you’re in financial difficulty, help may also be available through the Access to Learning Fund.

• Access to Learning Fund: extra help if you need it

These schemes are run by universities and colleges in England. Those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland won’t take part in the schemes, but may offer similar help.

You can find out what’s available from your university or college’s student support office.

Disabled students - extra help

If you have a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty, you can apply for extra help through Disabled Students' Allowances. The amount you can get does not depend on your household income.

• Disabled students - extra financial help (disabled people section)

Claiming benefits

As a part-time student, you may be able to claim income-related benefits. Any Fee Grant or Course Grant you get won’t be counted as income when working out your entitlement to benefits.

For more information, see 'Benefits for students with low incomes'.

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

Career Development Loans

If your circumstances mean you‘re not entitled to financial help from the government, you may be able to get a Career Development Loan.

• Career Development Loans

Part-time Initial Teacher Training courses

The financial support available is different for students on part-time Initial Teacher Training courses. Follow the link below to find out more.

• Finance for Initial Teacher Training

More useful links

• Download 'How to Get Financial Help as a Student 2008/2009' (PDF, 1763K)
• Download 'Guide to Financial Support for Part-time Students in Higher Education (2008/2009)' (PDF, 192K)
• Download guide to financial support for part-time students in higher education (2007/2008) (PDF, 1114K)