Online/Part-time

If you are studying outside of St Andrews, including Study Abroad or studying online, there are still a broad range of Student Services available. Any St Andrews student who is not currently in St Andrews can access these services. Similarly, our services are also available to students on exchanges to St Andrews.

If you have any questions about your studies or related issues, then please contact Student Services. We can give advice by email or can arrange to call you at a time that suits you if that would be easier. Including concerns relating to disability, health, immigration, money, or personal matters.

Part-time study

If you are unable to study full time due to illness/family commitments/work commitments you should contact the appropriate Registry Support Officer. Although many degrees can be studied part-time, the structure of some courses makes satisfying the requirements of the degree difficult if studied part-time. You should also visit Student Services for advice on the financial implications of part-time study.

If you require a VISA to stay in the UK (if you are a non-EEA national), then you cannot study part-time. Your VISA has been issued based upon your full-time study. Therefore if you are not studying full-time, your VISA is invalid. For more details, contact the International Student Adviser at studentservices@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Part-time students are expected to complete their studies in double the time it takes a full-time student. Therefore they would be expected to take around half the credit load of a full-time student. For undergraduates, this would be between 60 and 80 credits per year. It is important to check with your adviser that you are taking all the required modules for your intended course because some modules may not be available every year.

Since part-time students are still fully matriculated students, access to the Athletic Union, Students’ Association and student discount schemes are the same as for full-time students. Your matriculation card does not display whether you are a part-time student or not. One aspect which may be affected is Student Accommodation. Part-time students are not normally offered accommodation in University Residences. Please contact Student Accommodation for further information.

There are several ways in which part-time studies can impact your finances.

Tuition fees

Part-time fees are determined by how many credits you are taking. You can view the tuition fee structure and you may also be eligible for a Part-time Fee Waiver or Individual Learning account.

Student Loans and other sources of funding

You will need to carefully check the terms of any loan, scholarship, bursary or sponsorship you are receiving as part of your study to see if it will be affected by a change to part-time study.

Council Tax

As a part-time student, you will be required to pay Council Tax. However, you may claim Council Tax Benefits based on your income.

Other financial considerations

There may be other benefits that are affected by a change to part-time status. To check these through, contact the Money Adviser (money.advice@st-andrews.ac.uk) at Student Services.

If you have a disability and want to go part-time, you are recommended to go and have a chat with a Disability Adviser (disabil@st-andrews.ac.uk) at Student Services. The University has an obligation to provide you with the necessary support therefore in most cases the Disabled Student Allowance will be unaffected.

If you are currently a part-time student and feel that you are able to take on full-time study, you should contact the Registry Support Officer. You should also contact the Money Adviser (money.advice@st-andrews.ac.uk) at Student Services.