Part time funding
Part time students can only apply for funding to pay their fees and a small amount to cover course costs but not any support with living costs. As a part time student you are expected to support yourself through savings, benefits or by being in employment.
You can apply to Student Finance England, through the same website that full time students use. The amount of Fee grant you will receive is determined by how many modules you are studying and your income. Your course must be equivalent to 50% or more of a full time course (at least 90 credits or 4 modules). For example if your course would take three years to complete full time, you would have to do it over 6 years and no longer for it to be 50% of a full time course.
At the same time and through the same application form, you can apply for a small course grant to help pay for things like books and travel. This isn't linked to your workload. You will not have to pay back either of these grants.
How much could I get toward my fees?
| How much study you are doing | Maximum Fee Grant available | Maximum Course Grant available | Total maximum available |
| 50-59% of a full Time course | £820 | £265 | £1,085 |
| 60-74% of a full Time course | £985 | £265 | £1,250 |
| 75%+ of a full Time course | £1,230 | £265 | £1,495 |
Fee amounts are calculated by assessing household income, if this is £16,510 or less then you could receive a full grant. If it is over £27,506 then no grant will be awarded.
Part time students cannot claim any grants such as the Childcare Grant, Adult Dependants Grant or Parents Learning Allowance. If you are studying on a higher education course (for example, a degree or HND) and you are studying at least 50% full time equivalent you may be eligible for assistance with childcare costs through the Access to Learning Fund.
Please email us at studentwellbeing@derby.ac.uk or telephone us on 01332 593000 (between 10am and 2pm) to find out more information about how to apply.
Do I qualify for these grants?
To be able to apply your course must:
- Last at least one year
- Be an undergraduate higher education course leading to a qualification such as a Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education, a HNC or HND, or a first degree up to honours level (BA or BSc)
- Not take more than twice as long to complete as the equivalent full time course
However, you won't qualify for these grants if:
- You already have a degree from a UK university or college
- You are studying an Initial Teacher Training course such as the BEd as you'll be treated as a full time student for student finance purposes
- You are studying more than one part time course at a time
Paying your part time fees:
If your fees are paid by Student Finance England then they will pay their contribution in one lump sum to the university
If you are paying your fees yourself then you can pay them in one lump sum at the start of the course or stagger the payments.
If your course starts in September you can pay:
- 25% when you enrol in September
- 25% on November 1st
- 25% on January 1st
- 25% on March 1st
If your course starts in January you can pay:
- 25% when you enrol in January
- 25% on March 1st
- 25% on May 1st
- 25% on July 1st
For further information on fees contact the Fees Team on 01332 59 1063 or email studentrecordsandfees@derby.ac.uk
If your funding from Student Finance England does not cover the total amount of your fee cost then you can apply to the Additional Fee Support Scheme (AFSS) which is a branch of the Access to Learning Fund
Contact us for further advice
For further advice you can contact our helpline on 01332 592000 at the following times Monday - Friday
10 am - 11am
3pm - 4pm
