How previous assistance affects tuition fees
We will not usually pay your tuition fees if you have previously been on a full-time higher education course at HNC, HND, degree or equivalent level, and had help from UK public funds to do so.
If you are studying in Scotland, and you are returning after a break in study of one year or more, you may be eligible to apply for some of your fees. If your college or university are charging you more than the standard £1,285 fee you can apply to us to pay the difference between the normal standard tuition fee of £1,285 and the higher tuition fee of £1,820 (£2,895 for medicine).
The rules relating to support are complicated. If you are in any doubt about your entitlement, you should contact us to confirm whether we can pay your tuition fees for your new course.
The main points to remember are as follows.
- If you have received support for a HNC but did not gain a qualification, we will not pay your fees for another HNC.
- We will not support you for an HNC course if you already hold a qualification at HNC or HND level (or above), for which you received support from UK public funds.
- If you have completed a course leading to an HND, a Diploma in Higher Education, or certain other two-year full-time courses of higher education, you may qualify for support for the second and any following years of a degree course.
- If you change course or institution after receiving tuition fees for more than one year, your entitlement to more payments will be limited. We will pay standard tuition fee for the minimum length of your new course or the minimum length of your old course, whichever is longer, less the period of support you have already received.
- If you have received support for an ordinary degree and you are not qualified with a profession, you may still qualify for support for an honours year.
If your entitlement is not enough to cover the full length of your new course, the support will be available for the later years of the course. For example, if you have had support for two years of a five-year course, you are entitled to another three years' support. If you then transfer to year one of a new four-year course, you will receive support for the last three years of your new course only, so you will not receive the standard tuition fees during the first year of your new course.
The rules relating to support are complicated. If you are in any doubt about your entitlement, you should contact us as soon as possible for advice. We strongly advise you to contact us before you change your course if you already hold a qualification at HNC, HND, degree or equivalent level, which you gained without support from UK public funds. You may qualify for support to take a second full-time course at the same level.
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Tuition fees for courses intended for graduate entry
Tuition fees for these courses may be much higher than the standard rates that we pay. Students who already hold a degree, regardless of whether they received UK public funds to do so, will not receive support for fees for a degree specifically designed for those holding a degree or an equivalent qualification. We can make an exception if you want to train for the ministry, priesthood or dentistry. The highest fee that we can pay in cases like this is the standard rate for the level of course you are studying and we will assess your entitlement to this fee individually.
How previous assistance affects the student loan, supplementary grants, young students bursary, students outside Scotland bursary and Additional Loan
Previous study does not affect your entitlement to a student loan or to appropriate supplementary grants. You can apply for this help even if you have received previous support for a full-time higher education course.
Previous study does affect your entitlement to any Bursary and Additional Loan. You may not receive a Bursary or the Additional Loan during any session when we do not pay the full standard rate of your tuition fees (£1,820 in Scotland).
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Allied Health Profession students
Previous study does affect your entitlement to fees and the Health Directorate Bursary. It does not affect your entitlement to a student loan, placement expenses or to appropriate supplementary grants.
You may not receive the Health Directorate Bursary during any session when we do not pay the full standard rate of your tuition fees (£1,820 in Scotland). However if you have completed an honours degree course with support from UK public funds and would like to study one of the Allied Health Professions, you may qualify for the current Scottish Government Health Directorate support package for the first two years from the time you enter the course. If you have completed an ordinary degree course, you may qualify for the support package for years 1,2 and 4. In both instances, we will restrict the funding for any other years of study to the non income-assessed loan, supplementary grants and placement expenses. We will not pay any bursary or tuition fees. You cannot get this concession if you already hold a degree in one of the Allied Health Professions.
If your university are charging you more than the standard £1,285 fee you can apply to us to pay the difference between the normal standard tuition fee of £1,285 and the higher tuition fee of £1,820.
How previous study affects your support for a PGDE
If you have previously studied at postgraduate level, with or without support from UK public funds, or your first degree, funded from UK public funds, qualifies you with a profession (for example, accountancy, architecture, engineering, medicine, nursing, ministers of religion and priests, physiotherapy or podiatry) the following applies.
If you are studying a PGDE in Scotland, we will not normally pay the full fee of £1,820 or give you a bursary. However, we will pay £535 towards your fees. You can also get a student loan and any supplementary grants that apply to you.
If you are studying the PGDE at a UK institution outside Scotland, we will not normally give you a loan to pay your fees or give you a bursary. However, you can apply for a student loan for your living costs and any supplementary grants that apply to you.
How previous assistance affects postgraduate students except those doing a PGDE
If you have previously taken a postgraduate course, including teacher training, with support from UK public funds, we will not normally give you funding for a second postgraduate course. However, if you have taken a course which qualified for an advanced research-level postgraduate award, such as a PhD, you can still apply for support for a vocational postgraduate award.