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).
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.
you’ll qualify for maximum help if you’re getting certain benefits
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
If you’re a part-time student in higher education, financial help is available towards your tuition fees and other course costs. How much you can get depends on your personal circumstances and on the course you’re doing.