Living in Wales? You could get a grant of up to £4,5901 to help with living costs whilst you’re studying on our part-time courses.
That’s more support for you as you study flexibly around your life.
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Financial support for students in Wales
Maintenance grants of up to £4,5901 are available for part-time students in Wales. The money you receive isn’t a loan – you won’t need to pay it back.
The amount you receive is based on your annual household income, and how many credits you are planning to study during the year. For example, if your household income is £25,000 or below and you plan to study 90 credits or more during the year you could receive £4,5901.
You can also apply for a top-up loan (which you'd need to pay back), up to a maximum value of £6,199. The maximum amount of combined maintenance support available across grants and loans is £6,964 per year1. Find out more about working out your entitlement.
To qualify for financial support, you must:
be studying a module of at least 30 credits (25% intensity) each academic year
live in Wales and meet the residency criteria, which considers your nationality and residency status
be under 60 if applying for the maintenance loan (which you need to pay back). The maintenance grant has no age limit (which you don’t need to pay back).
usually be studying for your first degree or a qualification higher than any you already have. There are some subjects where you could still receive maintenance support even if you already have a degree. You can check the list of subject exemptions on our website.
For more eligibility information, visit the Student Finance Wales website. As all Open University students are considered part-time, even if you are considering studying 120 credits a year (equivalent to full-time study pace) you still apply for this part-time student finance support.
With tuition fee loans to cover the cost of your course also available, an Open University qualification is more affordable than you might think. Find out more about fees and funding options for OU study.
Additional funding is available to students with dependants.
There is also financial support if you want to study a postgraduate qualification with us. Find out more about postgraduate financial support in Wales.
1Eligibility rules apply for financial support.
Financial support for part-time students outside of Wales
If you are resident outside of Wales, visit the fees and funding pages of our website to find out what support is available to you.
1Eligibility rules apply for financial support.
Justin, OU graduate, Caerphilly
The maintenance grant was really helpful. It meant I didn’t have to pick-up extra hours in work, giving me the space and time to do my required study hours. So, I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Chloe, OU graduate, South Wales
The maintenance grant helped me pay for a new laptop and get childcare for my son.
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Find out more about our work in Wales
As an online learning provider, partnership working enables us to reach out to even more people who may benefit from studying with The Open University in Wales. Find out more about how we work with community groups, employers, trade unions, schools and colleges and other partners to make higher education accessible to all.
