Skip to content

Eligibility - 2020 to 2021


If you're studying a new part-time course on or after 1 August 2018 you could get a Tuition Fee Loan, Welsh Government Learning Grant and Maintenance Loan

Whether you can get student finance depends on:

Where you live

You'll be able to get student finance if:

  • you’re a UK national or have settled status (meaning there are no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK)
  • you normally live in Wales
  • you’ve been living in the UK for at least 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course

You might still be able to get student finance if you're:

  • an EU national, or a relative of one
  • a refugee, or a relative of one
  • under 'Leave to enter or remain' or a relative of someone under 'Leave to enter or remain'
  • granted leave to remain on the grounds of family or private life
  • an EEA/Swiss migrant worker, or a relative of one
  • granted Discretionary Leave to remain in the UK, or a relative of someone granted Discretionary Leave to remain in the UK
  • the child of a Swiss national
  • the child of a Turkish worker
  • a stateless person or a family member of a stateless person.
  • granted leave to remain (or enter and remain depending on domicile) under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016

To be eligible as a stateless person you must have been living in the UK for at least 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

Your course

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

  • Bachelor's Degree with Honours, e.g. BA, BSc or BEd
  • Bachelor's Degree without Honours
  • Foundation Degree
  • Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)
  • Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
  • Higher National Certificate (HNC)
  • Higher National Diploma (HND)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
  • Initial Teacher Training (ITE)
  • Integrated Master's
  • Graduate Diploma
  • Graduate Certificate

Your course must last for at least one year and you must complete it in no more than 4 times the length of the full-time equivalent.

If you've been accepted on the Erasmus exchange program, you won't be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan.

Your university or college

The university or college you plan to study at must be in the UK and can be either publicly funded (paid for by the government) or privately funded but running individual courses that get public funding from the Welsh Government.

Privately funded universities and colleges can set their own tuition fee level and there is no restriction on the amount they can charge. A course at a private university or college needs to have been specifically designated by the Welsh Government for you to be able to get student finance.

Personal eligibility

There's no age limit to qualify for part-time Welsh Government Learning Grant.

You must be under 60 on the first day of the first year of your course to get part-time Maintenance Loan.

You're not entitled to part-time support:

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

Household income

To apply for Welsh Government Learning Grant and Maintenance Loan we’ll need details of your income and your partner’s income, if you have one.

Course intensity

Course intensity is how long it takes to complete your part-time course compared to the equivalent full-time course.

Each module you study is worth a number of credits. You should agree how many credits you'll study with your new university or college.

When you apply, you'll need to know the number of credits you'll be studying for the year. We'll use this to work out your intensity for each academic year.

To apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, Welsh Government Learning Grant and/or a Maintenance Loan, you need to have a course intensity of at least 25% in the academic year.

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 and Sport Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Veterinary sciences
  • Agricultural, food and related sciences
  • Physical sciences
  • Mathematical sciences
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Computing
  • 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.


main menu button

Back to menu
next button

Tuition Fee Loan



^ Back to top