Financial Support for Part-time Undergraduate Students

What help can I get?
As a part-time undergraduate student you may qualify for a Fee Grant and a Course Grant. How much you get depends on your personal circumstances and on the course you are doing. As these are grants you will not have to pay these back but you must meet certain eligibility requirements to qualify for these grants.

How do I know if I'm eligible?
To qualify for the Fee Grant and Course Grant, both you and your course must be eligible:

Your course must:

• last at least one year
• lead to a qualification such as degree e.g a BA or BSc, a Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education, an HNC or HND*
•  not take more than twice as long to complete as the equivalent full-time course

*or a part-time postgraduate initial teacher training course starting in 2010/2011

You will not be eligible if you

• already hold a degree
• are studying for more than one part-time course at a time

Further information regarding your eligibility and that of your course can be found at the Directgov website.

How do I apply?
By completing an application form PTG1 which you can request from your Local Authority or you can download the form and guidance notes from the DirectGov website.  (or request it from your Local Authority if you enrolled on your course before 2009/10).

Please note you need to make a separate application each academic year.

Once you have filled in your form you should bring this to University with you so that we can complete Section 6 of the form to confirm your enrolment and your tuition fees. If you are a returning student (i.e. you enrolled before September 2010) this can be done after enrolment and when you start attending lectures.  You will then need to send the completed form either to your local authority or to the Student Loans Company - depending on where you live.

If you are a new student starting in September 2010 this will be done once you have been on the course for a minimum of two weeks.  You should then send your form to Student Finance England.  The PTG1 form and notes are available to download from July 2010.

Please note you must apply to Student Finance England for this grant within six months of the start of your course.  If you do not submit your application you will be responsible for the payment of your own tuition fees

How much can I apply for?
The Fee Grant is intended to help with your tuition fees and is paid directly to the University on your behalf.  How much grant you get depends on the intensity of your study.

These grants are means-tested and are based on your income and whether you have dependant children. If you're receiving certain benefits and meet all the other eligibility criteria you will get the maximum help available. Further details regarding the income thresholds can be found at Directgov

The table below indicates the fee grant rates for 2010/11:

Intensity of study	Maximum fee grant available	Maximum course grant available	Total maximum support
50% to 59% of an equivalent full-time course	£820	£265	£1085
60% to 74% of an equivalent full-time course	£985	£265	£1250
75% + of an equivalent full-time course	£1230	£265	£1495

 

Part-time undergraduate students may be eligible to apply to the Additional Fee Support Scheme if their fee grant does not cover the full cost of their tuition fees. Please email the Student Financial Support team at studentfinance@mmu.ac.uk for further information.

Social Security Benefits
Part-time students may be able to claim Job Seeker's Allowance or other benefits in certain circumstances. The rules of entitlement for students claiming social security benefits are complicated and are explained more fully on the Department for Work and Pensions website. You may also find the following website useful: Benefits Search at Turn2us.

For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact 0800 100 900.

To find your Local Education Authority click here.