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Are you eligible?


The basic financial support you may be eligible for studying part-time is a Tuition Fee Loan and Course Grant. Before you receive this founding or other specific financial support you'll need to meet certain eligibility criteria. This will cover:

Where you live

You must:

  • not have moved to Wales solely for the purposes of education;
  • have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before your course start date;
  • be 'ordinarily' resident in Wales;

You may also be eligible if you meet the requirements of one of the other UK residency categories listed in the appropriate Regulation such as a refugee living in the UK.

Your course

Your course must lead to a qualification in one of the following:

  • First Degree eg Bachelor of Arts, Science or Education (BA, BSc or BEd)
  • Foundation Degree
  • Certificate of Higher Education
  • Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
  • Higher National Certificate (HNC)
  • Higher National Diploma (HND)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
  • Initial Teacher Training (ITE).

Your course must also last for at least one year.

Your university or college

The university or college that you attend must be either:

  • publicly-funded or
  • private offering a designated course.

The Welsh Government needs to have certified the course as being ‘designated’ if studying at a private university or college.
Privately funded universities and colleges can set their own tuition fee level.

Personal eligibility

There's no age limit to qualify for part-time support and you can be a new student or continuing your studies.

You're not entitled to part-time support:

  • if you already have a degree at the same or higher level (although this will not affect your eligibility for Disabled Students' Allowances)
  • if you started an Initial Teacher Training course before 2010
  • for more than one part-time course at a time.

Household income

If you receive certain benefits you’ll qualify for the full Course Grant otherwise your entitlement will be based on your income and/or your partner’s income.

To qualify for the full Course Grant you must receive at least one or more of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Housing Benefit
  • Universal Credit
  • Council Tax Reduction
  • Local Housing Allowance
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

The rules around eligibility can be complex, so if you have special circumstances and you’re not sure if you qualify, contact us to discuss this further.

Previous study

Any previous study, including years you started but didn’t complete, may be taken into account when we’re working out how many years of your new course you can get student finance for.

You won’t normally be able to get student finance if you already hold a UK Honours degree. However, if you're a new student starting a part-time Honours course from 1 September 2017 in one of the following subject areas, you may be entitled to student finance:

  • Subjects allied to medicine
  • Biological sciences
  • Veterinary sciences, agricultural & related subjects
  • Physical sciences
  • Mathematical sciences
  • Engineering
  • Technology
  • Computer science
  • Welsh language

The rules around any previous student finance can be complex. If you’re not sure if you qualify, contact us to discuss this further.


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