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The course grant is a non-repayable grant to help support students in Northern Ireland with study costs.
To be eligible you'll need to meet certain conditions for residence. You will qualify if you are receiving certain benefits, or your income is within the thresholds set. You will be assessed on the same application for statutory financial support for a fee grant.
The course grant is paid directly into your bank account by the Student Loans Company. You are not required to pay it back. You are only eligible for one course grant in each academic year. If you are a continuing student you should receive the payment within four weeks of your module start date. If the Course Grant is for your first OU module, the payment may take up to 6 weeks. If you have not received your Course Grant within these time limits, then in the first instance please contact the Student Loans Company on 0845 026 2019.
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The fee grant is a non-repayable grant to help support students with module fees. How much you receive will depend on where you live, your study intensity, your financial circumstances and when you intend to start studying.
To be eligible you'll need to meet certain conditions for residence. You will qualify if you are receiving certain benefits or if your income is within the thresholds set. To see if you are eligible for financial support, please use our eligibility checker on the online eligibility checker.
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If you are studying a module of 30 points or more, and are resident in Northern Ireland you will qualify for financial support if you are receiving one or more qualifying benefits: income support, income-related jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit (including local housing allowance) and income related employment and support allowance. If you are studying a module of less than 30 credits, you must be a continuing Open University student, your application will only be considered if you are already receiving a statutory Fee and Course Grant for a 30- or 60-credit module, you are studying, or intending to study, an associated module, residential school or project that is compulsory for the qualification you are studying towards and you have previously received financial support in the academic year 2011/12 or 2012/13.
Support is not available for modules that cost more than £710.
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If you are resident in Northern Ireland and are not on benefits your eligibility will be determined by income.
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If you are resident in Northern Ireland and are not on benefits your eligibility will be determined by income. The income limits are as follows: Fee grant: Household** income below £16,843 for a full award and £25,420 for a partial award, plus allowances for dependants* A full fee grant is worth £820 for 30-60 credits of study, and £1,230 for 90 credits. A partial fee grant will be a minimum of £50. Course grant: Household** income below £26,030 for a full award, and £28,067 for a partial award, plus allowances for dependants*. A full course grant is worth £265, a partial course grant will be a minimum of £50. *Allowances are +£2,000 for a partner, +£2,000 for first child and +£1,000 for each other child. **Your 'household' consists of you and, if you have one, your husband, wife, civil partner or partner (opposite or same sex) who lives with you. There are additional allowances for dependants. If you live with your parents, their income is not taken into account.
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The government provides every university in Northern Ireland with an Access to Learning Fund for the benefit of part-time students in financial difficulty. Money from the fund cannot be used to pay tuition fees, but it can assist towards study-related costs. These can include: childcare, stationery, set books, travel costs etc. You must meet the financial and residency criteria and be actively participating on your course. Any course grant you have received would be taken into account when assessing an application. Please contact the Financial Support Office on 01908 653411 or email financial-support@open.ac.uk or an application form.
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If you live in Northern Ireland or Wales and you received statutory support for your module fees you should use the Course Grant for Internet access. Should your study-related costs exceed the Course Grant, you can then apply through the Access to Learning Fund or Financial Contingency Fund after module start date for additional support.
If you did not receive statutory support for your module fees you can still apply to the Access to Learning Fund or Financial Contingency Fund after module start date for support towards study costs including broadband/Internet costs. You will need to meet the eligibility criteria based on income and residence.
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You may be eligible to apply to the Access to Learning Fund for help towards a new computer. Funds are limited and awards will be made on the basis of those with the greatest need.
To apply you must meet the financial and residency criteria and be actively participating on your module. Any course grant you have received would be taken into account when assessing an application.
Please contact the Financial Support Office on 01908 653411 or email financial-support@open.ac.uk for an application form
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If you are a degree holder you cannot receive statutory support unless you are topping up to an ordinary degree from a foundation degree or to an honours degree from an ordinary degree
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To apply for financial support for a module of less than 30 credits, you must be a continuing Open University student. Your application will only be considered if you are already receiving a statutory Fee and Course Grant for a 30- or 60-credit course or module, you are studying, or intending to study, an associated course or module, residential school or project that is compulsory for the qualification you are studying towards and you have previously received financial support in the academic year 2011/12 or 2012/13. Support is not available for courses or modules that cost more than £770.
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Statutory financial support (fee grant and/or course grant) is available to help towards your module fees and other study related costs if you are intending to study towards a qualification and register a module of 30 credits or more.
The financial support available to you depends on several criteria including your income, whether you are in receipt of certain benefits, your family circumstances and when you began studying. Please see the Eligibility FAQs for further information on the eligibility criteria. If you are studying less than 30 credits, financial support may be available if the module you are studying is compulsory for your qualification and you are in receipt of financial support for a module of 30 credits or more in the same academic year.
Financial support is not usually available if you already have a degree unless you are topping up to an ordinary degree from a foundation degree or to an honours degree from an ordinary degree or are in receipt of a DSA award. There is no financial support available for postgraduate courses.
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