Part-Time Degree Student Finance UK 2026: What's Actually Available

Yes, provided the course is studied at a minimum intensity — generally at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course each year — and meets other standard eligibility criteria (nationality/residency status, not already holding an equivalent or higher qualification in most cases). The tuition fee loan is paid directly to the university, in the same way as for full-time students, and is repaid on the same income-contingent terms once you are earning above the relevant threshold.

Intensity of study measures how much of a standard full-time course load you are undertaking in a given year, expressed as a percentage — for example, a part-time course that would take twice as long as the full-time equivalent is typically studied at roughly 50% intensity. Student finance generally requires at least 25% intensity to qualify for a tuition fee loan, and different intensity thresholds and rules apply for maintenance support and how quickly you can complete the course while remaining eligible for funding.

Generally not to the same extent as full-time students. Traditionally, part-time students have had much more limited access to living cost support compared with full-time students, since part-time study is often combined with paid work that provides an income. Some more recent funding reforms and the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement have aimed to improve this, so check the current position for your specific course and nation (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland all have different systems).

On the same income-contingent basis as full-time study loans — repayments are 9% of income above your plan's repayment threshold, deducted through PAYE if employed or via Self Assessment if self-employed, and any remaining balance is written off after the relevant number of years from when repayments would have first been due (the exact write-off period depends on which loan plan applies to your course).

The tuition fee loan itself is generally not means-tested on your income while studying (similar to full-time tuition loans), but since part-time maintenance support is already limited, most part-time students rely on their own employment income to cover living costs rather than expecting substantial government maintenance support, unlike the full-time system where maintenance support is a more central and expected part of the funding package.

Generally, existing funding rules restrict support for equivalent or lower-level qualifications (ELQ rules) if you already hold a degree at the same or a higher level, though there are exceptions for certain subjects (such as some healthcare or teaching qualifications) where funding may still be available even for a second qualification. Check current ELQ exception rules for your specific intended course.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), introduced in England, is designed to give people a flexible loan entitlement (equivalent to 4 years of post-18 education funding) that can be used for full modules, part-time study, or full qualifications across a working lifetime, rather than a single, fixed student finance package used only once — potentially making part-time and modular study more flexible to fund over time. Check current gov.uk guidance for exactly how the LLE applies to your specific course and circumstances, since implementation has been phased in over several years.

Not usually a simple like-for-like comparison — part-time fees are generally charged pro-rata to the amount of the course studied in a given year (reflecting the lower intensity), rather than a flat fee regardless of study intensity, so a course studied at 50% intensity typically costs roughly half the equivalent full-time annual fee for that year, spread over a longer overall course duration.

In some cases, yes, subject to your university's academic rules and student finance's own rules about changing your intensity of study mid-course — this can affect your remaining funding entitlement and repayment terms, so check with both your university and Student Finance England (or the relevant devolved body) before making a change, since the details can be complex.