Advice for part-time students

You can study the majority of our postgraduate courses on a part-time basis. A small number of undergraduate courses are provided on a part-time basis. Use our course finder to see what the study options are in your area of interest.

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How flexible are your courses?

The majority of our courses that you can study part-time are very flexible. You choose how many modules you want to complete each term.

For most courses you have up to six years to complete all the modules required for your award.

Taught postgraduate and work-based learning courses usually have lectures and seminars either on a single evening weekday or on Saturdays.

Part-time fees

The tuition fees for part-time courses depend on how many modules you take in the year. For example, if you study half of the modules that a full-time student would study, you will pay 50 per cent of the full-time fee.

Once you decide how many modules you want to take, we can help you to calculate the fees.

How much time will I need to spend on my studies?

The number of hours you will need to attend lectures or seminars will depend on how many modules of your course you choose to study at any one time.

Even if you only have four hours of teaching a week you will be expected to do a lot of independent study, group work and assignments.

As a rough guide, for every hour of face-to-face teaching on an academic course, you will have to do at least two to three hours of other study-related activities. This could be more for postgraduate courses.

If you can, come to one of our open days to discuss your situation with course tutors who will be able to advise you on how many modules you should realistically study.

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Can I get student funding if I study part-time?

Undergraduate students

If you are an undergraduate student who normally lives in England or an EU country, you can apply for a student finance package if you are studying at least 25% of the equivalent full-time course.

Part-time students resident in England starting an undergraduate course in 2020 can apply for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan for living costs. EU students can apply for a tuition fee loan. Further details can be found on the Student Finance website.

If you are from England you could also be eligible to apply for a University of Brighton bursary which will help you cover your costs in your first year.

University of Brighton bursary

Postgraduate Master's students

You can apply for a Postgraduate Master's Loan to help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master's course. Your course must be a full, standalone master's course worth 180 credits and have started on or after 1 August 2016. Your course can be:

  • part-time, lasting 2 to 4 academic years - no more than twice the length of the equivalent full-time course, or 
  • part-time for up to 3 years, where no equivalent full-time course exists.  

Further information on the Postgraduate Master's Loan can be found on the Student Finance website.