Funding for part-time students

In England, whether you can receive part-time loans will depend on:

• University or college
• Course
• Course intensity of 25% or more (This is calculated by comparing the module credits you will study with the module credits a full-time student would study)
• Previous study
• Nationality or residency status
• Age (for Maintenance Loan)

Part-time students in England can receive a maximum Tuition Fee Loan of £6,935 which is paid directly to the university or college. Part-time Tuition Fee Loans are available to those studying an eligible undergraduate course, ITT course or PGCE.

The amount of Maintenance Loan you could receive will depend on: household income, course intensity and where you are living. 

You can apply online by visiting the gov.uk website.

Part-time postgraduate students can apply for a Master’s Loan if they are on a taught or research-based course lasting 2 to 4 academic years. For further information on the eligibility and application process, please visit the gov.uk website. 

Both Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans will need to be repaid along with any interest they have procured. Students will only start repaying their loans once their income reaches the repayment threshold. The amount you repay each month will depend on your income rather than the amount borrowed.

If your income is over the threshold, you will start paying back your loan either the April after your course ends or the April four years after your course started (depending on which comes first). The repayment process is simple, as it will be deducted automatically from your pay through the tax system (PAYE).

For further information on the repayment process, please visit the repayment web pages on the gov.uk website.

The amount of Tuition Fee Loan that part-time students can receive will depend on the type of institution and where it is located. To be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan, your course intensity must be at least 25%.

Students can get a combination of Maintenance Loan and Welsh Government Learning Grant to help cover their living costs. The amount you will receive will be calculated using your household income and course intensity. Any loan you receive will be repayable whilst any grant you receive will not have to be paid back. Students with a lower household income will receive a greater proportion of grant to loan, whereas students with a higher household income will receive a smaller percentage as a grant.

For further guidance on funding for Welsh part-time students, please visit the what’s available web page on the Student Finance Wales website.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) does not offer part-time Tuition Fee Loans. Instead, they offer a Part-time Fee Grant (PTFG).

Whether you can receive support with your tuition fees will depend on:

• Course eligibility
• Residence criteria
• Earn less than £25,000 gross income
• Have left full-time compulsory education
• Minimum 30-119 SCQF credits in each academic year

Whether you have studied a higher education course previously will not be taken into consideration when applying for a PTFG.

The amount you can receive will depend on your type of course. You can calculate how much you will receive using the PTFG fee calculator.

For further information on funding for part-time undergraduates, please visit the saas.gov.uk website.

Part-time postgraduate students can receive a Tuition Fee Loan up to £5,500 from SAAS. You may not be eligible if you have previously studied a postgraduate course. There is no funding support towards living costs.

For further information on funding for part-time postgraduates, please visit the saas.gov.uk website.

There are two options for students from NI who are seeking help with tuition fee costs: Tuition Fee Loan and Tuition Fee Grant.

To receive a Tuition Fee Loan, your course intensity must be at least 25%. You can also apply for a Tuition Fee Grant which does not have to be paid back and could reduce the amount of Tuition Fee Loan you have to borrow. To receive a Tuition Fee Grant, your course intensity must be at least 50%. The exact amount you will receive will depend on: study intensity, household income and fee costs.

To support the cost of living, a non-repayable Course Grant of up to £265 is available. The amount you receive depends on your household income. To be eligible for a Course Grant, your course intensity must be at least 50% and your household income below £28,068.

For further information on funding options for part-time undergraduates, please visit the Student Finance NI website.

Part-time postgraduate students may be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan as long as their course does not exceed three academic years.