Website of the UK government

Is your course eligible?

You can apply for student finance for a full-time course (including sandwich courses) or a part-time course - though packages of financial help available will differ.

In general, to be eligible your course should lead to one of the following qualifications:

• first degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts, Science or Education
• Foundation Degree
• Certificate of Higher Education
• Diploma of Higher Education
• Higher National Certificate
• Higher National Diploma

You’ll also usually qualify if your course is for:

• Initial Teacher Training, or
• the further training of youth and community workers

Part-time courses should last at least one year, and not take more than twice as long as an equivalent full-time course.

Further education and postgraduate courses don’t qualify for the standard student finance package - apart from special cases, like postgraduate courses of Initial Teacher Training.

Does your university or college qualify?

Usually, you can get student finance if you do your course at:

• a UK degree-awarding institution
• a college that receives government funding and provides a course leading to a degree qualification
• a private institution offering specifically designated higher education courses (ask your university or college if it qualifies)
• a group of schools taking part in the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) scheme

Are you personally eligible?

Whether you can get student finance depends on your personal situation as well as the course you’re doing and the institution you go to.

• Student finance: personal eligibility

Back to the main page on ‘Eligibility for student finance’

• Eligibility for student finance