There are of thousands of part-time courses in the UK, many of which you can do from the comfort of your own home. Unlike some countries, there is no upper age limit when starting university in the UK, emphasising Britain’s commitment to lifelong learning.

 

Studying part-time at university

There are more people doing part-time university courses in the UK than ever before and many institutions have separate ‘part-time’ prospectuses offering a large variety of courses. 2008 saw a 7.8% rise in applications to higher education, this includes undergraduate degrees (those studying in higher education for the first time) as well those wishing to study for a Masters or a PhD.

Many universities are also expanding their commitment to distance-learning courses, which means that you can choose whether to go to lectures at university or study at home on-line.

Entry Requirements

Universities now accept a wide-range of qualifications that allow you to begin a course. If you haven’t got British certificates, but have international equivalents to A-levels (the qualifications usually gained between the ages of 16-18), you won’t have a problem enrolling on your chosen course.

If you are over 21 and do not have any formal qualifications, you can often still attend University after completing a year long pre-degree course known as either a Foundation Course or an Access Course at your local college.

Choosing a course

If you don’t know what subject you want to study, you can browse the universities’ websites and printed prospectuses, which most universities will be happy to send to you by post.

Distance Learning

There are many distance learning courses available in the UK, many of which are supported by specialist educational television programmes on the BBC. The biggest university in Europe, with 180,000 students, of which 70% are in full-time employment, is based in the UK and is solely a distance-learning university.

E-courses

As we have stated above, many of the college and university courses are now available in a distance-learning form. New digital technology to assist this has led to the new term: e-courses, which means electronic courses.

This is because distance learning programmes are now supported by web-based resources, CD ROMs, and online debates and seminars aided by web-cams.

You can study anything from GCSE level to a post-graduate diploma in this way. And you can do it at your own pace, when you choose. This means it is easier than ever to fit a new course around your existing commitments to work or family. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

Visit our “Find a…” section to find out more.

Part-time college courses

If you don’t want the commitment of a degree, but have a desire to learn something new or improve your existing skills, you could take one of nearly a million courses available in the UK. Most of these are evening classes run through UK colleges. The focus of these courses can be either to relax and meet people, such as beginners art classes, or you can gain vital skills to help with future employment, such as IT classes or advanced English courses.

Normally, you do not need previous qualifications when enrolling on part-time college courses in the UK.

Costs and Fees

Most Universities and Colleges charge annual fees for non-UK residents. A list of course fees will be provided with the college or university prospectus.

You may be able to get help with the cost of doing a part-time university course. If you qualify for a grant, you may also qualify for free childcare while you study.

See our higher education section for details of how to apply to go to university.
 

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USEFUL WORDS

evening / night classes = lessons take place in the evening
distance learning = study at home with the help of Internet sites, television and radio programmes, plus sending or emailing work to a teacher
e-learning = learning via the Internet and email
continuing education = learning throughout your life
correspondence course = study at home, using books and exercises sent to you by post or by email
Open University (OU) = a well-known British distance learning university
 

GRAMMAR SPOT

for, since and ago

Use for with a period of time to say how long something continues:
I study every weekend for 3 hours
I’ve joined an evening course for 6 months

Do not use for before a phrase with all:
The course lasted all weekend (NOT The course lasted for all weekend)

We do not usually use for before a phrase with whole:
It rained the whole day
(this is more usual than ‘It rained for the whole day)

Use for and since with the Perfect:
I’ve been doing this course for 2 years now
I’ve been doing this course since 2006

I haven’t sent in any work for a while
I haven’t sent in any work since the end of last year

Use the adverb ago for something which happened in the past at a time measured from the present:
I started this course 2 years ago
I last sent in some work 6 months ago
Ago comes after a length of time (five years, months, an hour)