Full-time study on a part-time basis

If you plan to spread a year of your full-time course over two academic years (part-time attendance), it’s important to check your funding entitlement before registering, especially if it extends your course by an academic year.

This refers to completing one academic year of a full-time course over two years by studying part-time (e.g. 60 credits one year and 60 credits the next). You may be able to do this if you cannot continue full-time due to circumstances, such as pregnancy or ill health.

If you choose this route, you must continue to apply for full time Student Finance.

Student Finance provides tuition fee loans for the standard length of your course plus one additional gift year. You can use this gift year if you repeat a year, transfer courses or have previous study.

If you haven’t used your gift year, you may use it to take a year of your full-time course in a part-time mode over two academic years. You will be classed as a full-time student for funding purposes, including Council Tax exemption.

Example: Anne is on a three-year full-time course and takes Year 2 over two years due to illness. Anne is fully funded as her gift year covers the additional year.

• Year 1 – standard funding
• Year 2 (first half) – gift year
• Year 2 (second half) – standard funding
• Year 3 – standard funding

If you've already used your gift year

If you’ve previously repeated a year or studied in higher education before, you cannot use the gift year for part-time attendance. Student Finance may fund the second year of the part-time split but you’ll need to fund the first year yourself.

Student Finance assesses funding one year at a time. If you are self funding the first half, UWE Bristol must notify Student Finance to correctly allocate the fee loan to the second year. If not notified, Student Finance may reclaim the fee loan later. 

What you can do

• Speak to a UWE Student Money Adviser before registering.
• Consider reducing the number of modules in self-funded years to lower costs.
• UWE Bristol offers a six-month instalment plan for tuition fees.

Impact on other funding

Taking a year in part-time mode mainly affects your tuition fee loan. Maintenance grants or special support grants may also be affected.

You usually remain eligible for:

• Maintenance loan
• Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA)
• Childcare grant
• Parents’ learning allowance.

Example: Judd is on a 3-year full-time course and takes his final year over two academic years due to ill health.

• Year 1 – standard funding
• Year 1 repeat – gift year
• Year 2 – standard funding
• Year 3 (first half) – limited funding, no Fee Loan, maintenance loan only
• Year 3 (second half) – standard funding

Student Finance may award an extra year of fee support if you had to leave or repeat part of your course due to Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). If you used your gift year because of illness or serious personal circumstances, you can submit evidence to request an extra year of funding. See our page Compelling personal reasons. This is a complex area, so contact a UWE Bristol Student Money Adviser to confirm your entitlement.

If you still have your gift year, taking your final credits over two years should not affect your funding. A Student Support Adviser can help plan how to split your modules. Your tuition fee loan will still follow normal eligibility rules.

Example: Leah is on a three-year course and repeated Year 2 due to illness. She chooses to take her final year over two years and applies for compelling personal reasons funding for her repeat year.

• Year 1 – standard funding
• Year 2 – Sstandard funding
• Repeat Year 2 – CPR funding
• Year 3 (first half) – gift year
• Year 3 (second half) – standard funding