Part-time Study

Fees and Finance

 

Part-time fees

Foundation degrees per 20 credit module are £1,250 for EU/UK students and £1,750 for International students.

BA/BSc degrees per 20 credit module are £1330 for EU/UK students and  £1,750 for International students.

Undergraduate part-time study may lead to the following awards: 

  • Foundation degree - 240 credits
  • Honours degree - 360 credits

Financial support for part-time students

From 2012 part-time students will be eligible for a tuition fee loan if they are studying at least 25% of the full course each year. Part-time students will not be able to apply for the maintenance loan or maintenance grant.

The maximum tuition fee loan for new part-time students starting their course from September 2012 is £6,750.

To apply for the loan you should go to www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance|

Repaying your tuition fee loan

Part-time students who are working while studying and earning over £21,000 per year will be eligible to start making repayments from the April four years after their course commences. This means that part-time students may be repaying their tuition fee loans while still studying.

The repayment rate is 9% of what students earn above £21,000, so on a salary of £25,000 students would repay £30 per month.

If a part-time student's situation changes and they reduce their salary, the repayments will change accordingly.

  • You only start to repay your loan from the April four years after your course started or the April after you leave your studies, whichever is sooner – and then only if you are earning over £21,000 a year.
  • No one will be required to repay earlier than April 2016
  • Your repayment will be based on how much you earn, not how much you borrowed.
  • If your salary is £25,000 a year you will repay £30.00 a month. The repayment process is simple. If you are employed, repayments are deducted automatically from your pay packet through the tax system.
  • If for any reason your income falls below £21,000 your repayments will automatically stop.
  • You can pay back all your loan at any time and there is no early payment charge.
  • Any debt outstanding after 30 years will be cancelled.

National Scholarship Programme

UCS will be offering fee waivers as part of the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) for students starting undergraduate degrees at UCS in September 2012.

The National Scholarship is funded jointly by the Government and Universities. UCS has been awarded a number of National Scholarships which students can apply for. Find out how to apply| 

Disabled Students' Allowance

To be eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) you must be registered for a part-time course (undergraduate or postgraduate) that lasts at least one year and does not take you more than four times as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course.

You can find more information about DSAs at www.direct.gov.uk/dsas 
|

Access to Learning Fund 

The Access to Learning Fund (ALF) can provide non-repayable awards to assist eligible students who find themselves in financial difficulty. The Fund is in addition to the standard student finance package so you will be expected to have applied for any student loans, grants and bursaries you are entitled to before applying for help from ALF. Further information about eligibility criteria and guidance on how to apply will be available from September 2012.

Student Finance Explained

  • From 2012 universities can charge up to £9,000 per year for tuition fees. UCS has set its fees at £8,000 for Honours degress and £7,500 for Foundation degrees.
  • All students can apply for a tuition fee loan so no fees have to be paid upfront. UK students starting their first degree can also receive a maintenance loan.
  • Loan repayments only begin when students have finished university and are earning over £21,000.
  • The repayment amount is fixed at 9% of any earnings over £21,000.
  • Loan repayments will stop automatically if a graduate stops work or their salary drops below £21,000.
  • Any loans outstanding 30 years after graduation will be wiped out.  
  • Student loans do not affect an individuals credit rating or the ability to get a mortgage.