Student Guide to Part Time Courses

If you are interested in studying in the UK, you can choose to study either full time or part time. Most universities offer foreign students the option at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Your decision affects how many years your course is and how many hours a week you are expected to study for. Here you will find information about part time courses, how much they cost and how to apply to them.

Do Foreign Students qualify for a Part Time Course in the UK?

Most non-EU foreign students will find that they cannot get visas to attend part time courses in the UK where you study for less than a certain number of hours a week. To get around this problem, some universities offer part time courses in teaching ‘blocks’. This means that the teaching for the course is done at a full time level but in a number of short periods of time. For example, a part time student would be taught full time for a set number of five days periods. In this way, foreign students are more likely to get visas to study part time in the UK. For more information and to see if you qualify for a visa, talk to the Course Administrator.   

Why Should I Choose a Part Time Course?

Students mainly choose to do part time courses if they want to work during their studies or if they have a busy family life that they have to fit studying around. Studying part time allows students to do both of these things, as their course takes up less of their time each week than a full time course would. If working whilst studying in the UK, foreign students must make sure that they do not exceed the restrictions on their visa. Most foreign students are allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time and full time during vacations.    

How long do Part Time Courses take Foreign Students?

Part time undergraduate degrees can vary hugely in how long they take depending on the university and course. The can last from 4 to 10 years to complete, though will usually take about 6 years. It varies slightly for each university but generally, each academic year starts in October and ends in June, and is split into three terms of 10-12 weeks long. At postgraduate level, part time Masters usually take 2 or 3 years, whilst PhD’s  can take anywhere from 4 to 7 years depending on the amount of work you put in. However, the academic years are longer on postgraduate courses, often starting in October but not finishing till September. The exact dates of your course should be easy to find on the university website.     

On a weekly basis, part time undergraduate courses are often around half the work of full time courses. The number of ‘contact hours’ (the time spent with tutors in lectures or seminars) vary hugely from university to university and course to course. Part time Humanities courses generally have fewer contact hours, as, for example, for an English Literature course you could spend as few as 4 hours in lectures and seminars. In comparison, some undergraduate Science and Maths courses can include anything up to 15 contact hours a week. Outside of these, it is expected you will work on your own also, reading, writing, researching and revising for your course.

The amount of time part time students spend on postgraduate courses each week is really up to the students themselves. Postgraduate courses generally involve fewer contact hours as students are expected to be able to work on their own more, and so can choose how long they want to spend on their study.

Some universities specifically have the ‘contact hours’ for part time students during evenings so that that can work during the day. There are specialist part time universities that specialise in this kind of course, for example Birkbeck University of London. 

How much do Part Time Courses Cost for Foreign Students?

As we are sure you know, foreign students have to pay significantly higher fees to study in the UK than home/EU students and part time courses are no different. The costs of full time courses vary depending on the course, the university and whether you are studying at undergraduate or postgraduate level. However, as a general rule, part time courses will cost foreign students from between £2,500 and £6,000 per year. This is the same at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

To find out how much the fees are for the courses and universities you are interested in, check the university website or contact the Course Supervisor.  

Application Information for Part Time Courses

For almost all part time undergraduate and postgraduate courses, most universities ask foreign students to apply directly to the university.  Application forms can be found on the university websites.

Featured Part Time Courses