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What is the Childcare Grant and who is eligible?

If you are resident in Wales, the Childcare Grant provides help with some of your childcare costs, depending on your income and any income of your dependants, if you have dependant children aged under 15 at the beginning of the academic year - or under 17 if they have special educational needs - and you need childcare services for them. If you, or your spouse or partner, get the childcare element of Working Tax Credit, you won't be able to get the Childcare Grant as well.

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I'm studying a module with a high fee, can I get extra financial support?

If you live in Wales and will be studying a module with a high fee, for example business or law, and have previously received statutory financial support we will top up the government fee grant. This top up will usually cover the whole fee if you get a full award or a proportion of the fee if you get a partial award. You will only receive this additional support for one 60-credit high fee module per year.

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Can I get Financial support towards the fees associated with OU study?

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 you are a new Open University student with little or no previous experience of higher education and you meet the eligibility criteria for UK fees and: - are in receipt of a qualifying state benefit or - are studying your first Openings module and have a household income of less than £16,865.

If you are a continuing Open University student the module you are studying must be compulsory for your qualification and you must be 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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What is the Financial Contingency Fund, and how do I apply?

The government provides every university in Wales with a Financial Contingency 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 for an application form.

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I'm on benefits, will I qualify for financial support?

If you are studying a module of 30 points or more, and are resident in Wales you will qualify for financial support if you are receiving one or more of the following qualifying benefits: income support, income-related jobseeker's allowance, council tax benefit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance) and income-based employment and support allowance.

If you are studying a module of less than 30 credits, you must be a new Open University student with little or no previous experience of higher education, meet the eligibility criteria for UK fees and:

- be in receipt of a qualifying state benefit,

or

- be studying your first Openings module and have a household income of less than £16,865 (Wales).

Your application will not be considered if you are:
- a full-time student at another institution
- in debt to the University
- not eligible to pay UK fees
- a student in prison.

If you are 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 and are studying, or intending to study, an associated module, residential school or project that is compulsory for the qualification you are studying towards. Support is not available for modules that cost more than £710.

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Who is eligible to apply for financial support?

Financial support is available to English students who are eligible to pay transitional fees and who are studying towards a qualification.

Eligibility depends on your household income, or if you are in receipt of certain qualifying benefits, your family circumstances and how many credits you wish to study.
Normally financial support is only available for modules of 30 credits or more. Please use our eligibility checker to see what financial support you could qualify for. 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. There is no financial support available for postgraduate courses.

If you have a disability or health problem for which you might need support, the Disabled Students' Allowance can help with study-related costs, such as equipment and transport to tutorials. To find out if you are eligible, try our quiz at our Disabled Students' Allowance website.

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What is the Adult Dependant's Grant and who is eligible?

If you are resident in Wales, the Adult Dependant's Grant (ADG) is a grant to help you support an adult dependant, within your household who depends on you financially. This grant depends on your income and any income of your dependants. You can only apply for this grant if you are married, in a civil partnership, are living with a partner of either sex or have another adult dependant. You can't count children over the age of 18 as adult dependants.

You will automatically be assessed for this grant when you apply for financial support via the OU.

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Is there any assistance available towards broadband/Internet costs?

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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What is the Fee Grant and who is eligible?

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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I already hold a degree - will I get financial support?

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. However there is some discretionary funding available to enable students to retrain in order to re-enter the work force if they meet certain criteria.

Discretionary support is only available for undergraduate-level study and you must meet one of the following criteria:

• you are studying towards a named foundation degree
• you are in receipt of a Disabled Students' Allowance (*see below)
• you have previously been awarded funding by the Open University towards a second degree-level qualification and are continuing to work towards the same qualification (having successfully completed modules you have previously received support towards).

You can get support only for study that will count towards the qualification you seek. If you are eligible, the award will cover the full cost of the module fees, and you can apply separately for support for study-related costs from the Financial Contingency Fund. When you reserve a place on a module, if you let us know you want to apply for financial support, we'll send you an application form. Alternatively, if you reserve online you'll be taken to the online financial support application.

• To be eligible for discretionary support please ensure you have submitted your new or ongoing application to the DSA Office. Please note, assessments for DSA can take up to three months in some circumstances and you may need to submit your application prior to your application for financial support.

For more information please see our Ways to pay website.

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Can I get help to buy a computer for my OU Studies if I live in Wales?

Students in Wales
If you received statutory support for your module fees you should use the course grant provided by the Student Loans Company towards the cost of a computer. If you did not receive a course grant and are in financial hardship you may be able to apply to the Financial Contingency Fund for support.

Please contact the Financial Support Office on 01908 653411 or email financial-support@open.ac.uk or an application form.

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What are the income thresholds for financial support?

If you are resident in Wales and are not on benefits your eligibility will be determined by income. The income limits are as follows:

Fee grant: Household** income below £16,865 for a full award and £25,435 for a partial award, plus allowances for dependants* A full fee grant is worth £690 for 30 to 60 credits of study and £1,025 for 90 credits. A partial fee grant will be a minimum of £50.
Course grant: Household** income below £26,095 for a full award, and £28,180 for a partial award, plus allowances for dependants*. A full course grant is worth £1155, 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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What is the Course Grant and who is eligible?

The course grant is a non-repayable grant to help support students in Wales 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 six weeks. If you have not received your course grant within these time limits please contact the Student Loans Company on 0845 026 2019.

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What is the Parents' Learning Allowance and who is eligible?

If you are resident in Wales, the Parents' Learning Allowance (PLA) is an additional grant to help with study costs where you have dependent children. How much you get will depend on your income and that of your dependants (including your husband, wife or partner).
You will automatically be assessed for this grant when you apply for financial support via the OU.

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