Loans and Grants - Part-time undergraduate (UK and EU students)
Part-time undergraduate students: may be able to get a loan if their part-time course has a course intensity of 25% or more. ‘Course intensity’ measures how much of your course you complete each year compared to an equivalent full-time course. You’ll be asked how many credits you’ll study when you apply for the loan.
UK and EU students are entitled to
- Fee Loan - A non-means tested tuition fee loan to the value of fees charged
- Maintenance Loan - If your course starts on or after 1 August 2018 you can apply for a Maintenance Loan (A variable means tested living cost loan)
See links below for more info
Tuition Fees Loan
If you are a part-time, undergraduate EU or UK student, you can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees. If you are unsure as to whether you qualify, please check the information on the and website.
The tuition fee loan is paid directly to the ºÚÁÏÉç on your behalf. If you have not applied for the full amount of your tuition fees loan, or are not eligible for a loan for the full amount of your fees. You will be expected to make payment for your full tuition fee, please see .
How much is the Loan?
Eligible part-time students from September 2012 onwards and part-time new entrants are entitled to apply for a non means-tested Tuition Fee Loan of up to a maximum of £6,935 in 2018/19 to meet the full costs of their course.
How is the Tuition Fee Loan Paid?
Tuition fee loans are paid in 3 instalments during the academic year directly to the ºÚÁÏÉç. It will be paid in the following instalments;
| When payment is made to the ºÚÁÏÉç | How much is paid |
| At the start of term 1 | 25% of the total amount borrowed |
| At the start of term 2 | 25% of the total amount borrowed |
| At the start of term 3 | 50% of the total amount borrowed |
Example for fees being charged at £6,935 will be paid to the ºÚÁÏÉç in the following payments:
| Payment | % of total amount borrowed | Amount paid |
| 1 | 25% | £1,733 |
| 2 | 25% | £1,733 |
| 3 | 50% | £3,467 |
| Total amount paid | £6,935 |
Application
- UK and EU part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, apply
- You may have to give details of your household income to
- For further details on what funding could be available to you, try the
Repayments
A part-time Tuition Fee Loans is subject to repayment and will accrue interest from the day the first payment is made to the ºÚÁÏÉç. Students enter repayment the April after they graduate but they’ll only start to repay when their income is over the repayment threshold. For more information please check our Repayments page below.
IMPORTANT
Undergraduate students who have previously completed an honours degree at either a UK or an overseas institution will be ineligible for a tuition fees loan and maintenance loan.
Source: Practitioner.slc.co.uk
Part-Time Maintenance Loan for new entrants in 2018/19
Part-time students starting a course on or after 1 August 2018 can apply for a Maintenance Loan to help with their day-to-day living costs, such as rent or food. A portion of the loan is not means tested, so is available to all eligible students regardless of household income. It’s paid directly to the student, into your bank account. To be eligible for the Maintenance Loan, you must qualify as a UK student for student support purposes. Check the and website for detailed information on how this is assessed.
Part-time maximum loan for living costs entitlement by location rate and intensity of study.
| Location rates | Intensity of study |
Main Rate* (£) |
Non-Income Assessed* (£) |
Income Assessed* (£) |
|
Student living at home |
100% (full-time equivalent rate) |
7,324 | 3,224 | 4,100 |
| 75% | 5,493 | 2,418 | 3,075 | |
| 66.6% | 4,878 | 2,147 | 2,731 | |
| 50% | 3,662 | 1,612 | 2,050 | |
| 33.3% | 2,439 | 1,074 | 1,365 | |
| 25% | 1,831 | 806 | 1,025 | |
|
Student studying outside London |
100% (FTE) | 8,700 | 4,054 | 4,646 |
| 75% | 6,525 | 3,041 | 3,485 | |
| 66.6% | 5,794 | 2,700 | 3,094 | |
| 50% | 4,350 | 2,027 | 2,323 | |
| 33.3% | 2,897 | 1,350 | 1,547 | |
| 25% | 2,175 | 1,014 | 1,162 | |
|
Student studying in London |
100% (FTE) | 11,354 | 5,654 | 5,700 |
| 75% | 8,516 | 4,241 | 4,275 | |
| 66.6% | 7,562 | 3,766 | 3,796 | |
| 50% | 5,677 | 2,827 | 2,850 | |
| 33.3% | 3,781 | 1,883 | 1,898 | |
| 25% | 2,839 | 1,414 | 1,425 | |
|
Student studying Overseas |
100% (FTE) | 9,963 | 4,816 | 5,147 |
| 75% | 7,472 | 3,612 | 3,860 | |
| 66.6% | 6,635 | 3,207 | 3,428 | |
| 50% | 4,982 | 2,408 | 2,574 | |
| 33.3% | 3,318 | 1,604 | 1,714 | |
| 25% | 2,491 | 1,204 | 1,287 |
Source: Practitioner.slc.co.uk
For Illustrative Levels of Income(Rates for 100% intensity of study) please see link.
Part-Time Maintenance Grant
This is only applicable to part-time continuing students!
Courses that started before 1 September 2012
Continuing part-time students who started their course before 1 September 2012 can’t get a Tuition Fee Loan, but they can apply for a and a instead.
Source: Practitioner.slc.co.uk
Repayments
Loans will be repayable once you graduates are earning above £21,000. This is expected to change to £25,000 a year from 6 April 2018!
Unlike full-time undergraduate students, part-time students may ‘enter repayment’ while still on their course as they reach their statutory repayment due date either the April following the student’s withdrawal from or completion of their part-time course or the April after four years have elapsed since the first day of the first academic year of their course, whichever is soonest.
You will only start to repay your student loans once your income is above the . Your tuition fee loan and maintenance loan will be added together and paid back in the same way, with the same rate of interest applied. Repayments will be deducted from your salary. You can pay back all or some of your loans at any point without having to pay an early repayment charge. Any amount outstanding after 30 years will be written off.
You will pay back 9% of your income above £21,000. For example; your salary is £25,000 per year, which is £4,000 above £21,000.
You would therefore be required to pay back 9% of £4,000, which is £360 per year. This works out as £30 per month.
Example Repayments
Annual income |
Amount of salaryfrom which 9% willbe deducted |
Monthly repayment |
£21,000 or less |
No repayments |
No repayments |
£25,000 |
£4,000 |
£30.00 |
£30,000 |
£9,000 |
£67.50 |
£35,000 |
£14,000 |
£105.00 |
£40,000 |
£19,000 |
£142.50 |
£45,000 |
£24,000 |
£180.00 |
Source: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)
If your income drops below the threshold, all repayments will stop automatically.
Read for more information on repaying.
Interest
You’re charged interest on your loan from the time you get your first payment until the time that the loans are repaid in full or cancelled.
Graduates earning between £21,000 and £41,000 will be charged interest on a sliding scale up to a maximum of inflation plus 3%.
Graduates earning above £41,000 will be charged interest at the full rate of inflation plus 3%.
For detailed information please see .
Further information
UK students
UK undergraduate students can apply for tuition fees loan and maintenance costs / living costs loan
If you want help with paying your fees and living costs you should apply to the following
- Student Finance England 0300 100 0607
- Student Finance Wales 0300 200 4050
- Student Finance Northern Ireland 0300 100 0077
- Student Awards Agency for Scotland 0300 555 0505
For information please see whether you will pay tuition fees at the home or overseas rate.
EU students
EU undergraduate students may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan and help with living costs
- EU students starting their studies in 2017 will still be eligible for student loans for the duration of their degree. Read the
- If you want help with paying your fees and living costs you should apply to
- You will not be eligible for this loan if you are a national of a country that is part of the EEA, but not the EU.
Other useful links
- The allow students and parents to find out the different types of student finance available – including how to apply and repay.
- Find out more about student finance at
- Repayments
- Part Time students
- DSAs, Childcare Grants and Travel Grants
Points to note
- As is the case currently, tuition fees will not have to be paid up front.
- Financial support will be available for UK students from a low income background.
- Student loans (to cover fees and maintenance) will be available for all students, regardless of family income.
- Student loans will continue to be available for all students, who will only start to pay the loan back once they are earning over £21,000.
- Any outstanding repayments will be written off after 30 years