Who qualifies

You can apply if all of the following apply:

• you're a UK national, Irish Citizen or have settled status
• you’ll be living in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you’ve been living in the UK and Islands for 3 years before starting your course

You might also be able to apply if you:

• are an EU national or a family member of an EU national and you have settled status or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme
• are a family member of a UK national
• are a refugee
• are under humanitarian protection
• are an EEA or Swiss migrant worker or family member of an EEA or Swiss migrant worker and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, Irish Citizens don’t need a status under the scheme
• are the child of a Swiss national and you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• are the child of a Turkish worker
• are a stateless person or a family member of a stateless person
• are granted leave to remain on the grounds of family or private life, or a family member of someone granted leave to remain on the grounds of family or private life
• have been granted leave under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or the Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or are the family member of someone who has
• have been granted ‘Calais leave’ in the UK, or a dependent child of someone who has
• have been granted ‘leave to remain’ in the UK as a victim of domestic violence or abuse or a dependent child of someone who has
• have been granted ‘leave to remain’ in the UK as a bereaved partner, or a dependent child of someone who has
• have been granted leave to remain under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016
• have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme or the Ukraine Extension Scheme

You must also be living in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of your course.

If you cannot be in Wales for the start of your course because you or a member of your family are serving in the Armed Forces, you might still be able to get student finance.

EU students generally cannot get help with living costs or any extra help unless they’ve lived in the UK for 3 years before starting their course and have pre-settled status. You should check the nationality and residency information for EU students to find out what funding you could get.

Your course must be in the UK and be:

• a first degree, for example BA, BSc or Bed
• a Foundation Degree
• a Certificate of Higher Education
• a Diploma or Higher Education
• a Higher National Certificate
• a Higher National Diploma
• a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
• an Initial Teacher Education course

Started your course on or after 1 September 2014

You must be studying at a minimum of 25% intensity in each academic year to qualify for student finance. If you study below 25% intensity you won’t qualify for any support.

You must be able to complete your course in four times the length of the full-time equivalent. The maximum number of years you may be eligible to receive part-time student finance for your course is 16 years.

Your university or college must be either:

• paid for by the government
• privately funded but running individual courses that are approved for funding by the Welsh Government

Check with your university or college if you’re not sure whether it qualifies.

There’s no age limit to get grants or a Tuition Fee Loan.

You must be under 60 to get a Maintenance Loan.

If you changed course or are repeating a year

If you started your part-time course on or after 1 September 2014, and you wish to change to a different part-time course or are repeating a year of the same course, the maximum number of years you may be eligible to receive part-time student finance for your course(s) is 16 years. If you do not have enough years of funding to cover your part-time course, including repeated years, you’ll need to pay for the extra years yourself. However, you may still be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance.

If you change from a full-time course to a part-time course, you may still be eligible to apply for part-time student finance. You should contact us to check.

If you already have a degree

You cannot usually get student finance for another degree. There are some exceptions, for example if you want to study:

• Subjects Allied to Medicine;
• Biological and Sport Science;
• Psychology;
• Veterinary Sciences;
• Agriculture, Food and Related Sciences;
• Physical Sciences
• Mathematical Sciences;
• Engineering and Technology;
• Computing;
• Welsh Language;
• Initial Teacher Education

You can contact us to check if your course qualifies for a tuition fee loan and grants and loans for living costs as an exemptions course. If your part-time course is not an exemptions course, you may still be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance.