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Tuition fees for university

What funding you can get

Last updated
18 Mar 2024

Whether you can get tuition fee funding from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) depends on:

  • your university or college
  • your course
  • your residency status
  • if you've already completed a higher education course

If you normally live in Scotland and you meet the residency criteria, you may be eligible for funding from SAAS.

The residency criteria you need to meet depends on your nationality. SAAS has information on:

If you're not eligible for government funding you should speak to the finance officer at your university. You could also check the Scholarship Search website for information on scholarships and sponsorships available across the UK.

Studying part-time

You're not eligible for living cost support from SAAS if you're studying part-time. You may be able to get a Part-time Fee Grant to help pay for your tuition fees.

Find out more about the Part-time Fee Grant on the SAAS website.

Who can get the Part-time Fee Grant

To be eligible you must be:

  • earning less than £25,000 a year
  • studying a course worth least 30 'credits' - you get a certain number of credits per course when studying

In Scotland, a standard full-time year will normally by 120 credits. You need 360 credits for an ordinary degree and 480 for an honours degree.

You can check on your university website to find how many Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credits your course is worth.

Applying for the Part-time Fee Grant

You should apply for the Part-time Fee Grant as soon as you've registered with SAAS.

You must apply for the grant each year. SAAS has guidance to help you apply for the Part-time Fee Grant.

If you're applying for the Part-time Fee Grant, you may not be eligible for any other government funding, for example the Employability Fund or the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme. The only thing you may get help with is additional costs if you've got a disability.

The SAAS Part-time Fee Grant calculator can help you work out how much you could get.

If you're not eligible for government funding you should speak to the finance officer at your university. You could also check the Scholarship Search website for information on scholarships and sponsorships available across the UK.

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