Got 120 credits at open university, can you go to a normal uni?

Popadom1992

Hi
My friend has been doing an open university course( several) and now has 120 credits. They've enjoyed it so much they would like to do a full time degree. Can they get full funding ( eg student loans)? They live in wales if that changes anything.

Reply 1

SuperCat007

Original post by Popadom1992

I don't know about SFW, but for SFE any year(s) spent with the OU will be removed from the full time entitlement. If they've only spent 1 year with the OU they'll get funded for the whole degree but won't have a 'gift year' if they have to repeat a year for any reason. If it's more than 1 year they've spent the with OU then they'll need to take that amount of time off the loan entitlement to find out how much funding is left.

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

Davidswift9

Obviously ring SFW to check for yourself. They had a policy change 2 years ago, so what I say below maybe the 'old' system.

I believe in Wales, OU is classed as part time studying. Part time funding and full time funding are different.

So if you move from part time funding to full time funding, you get the full entitlement for money and the funding for the full amount of years. Which is a max of 4 years, 3 years of studying for a degree with 1 gift year incase you fail 1 year.

This works to your benefit in costs because full time cost is MUCH higher than part time costs. Having 120 credits you can 'miss' 1 year of funding and go straight into the second year of a brick university. 1 year less of full time debt.

However Universities have very strict rules for moving straight into the second year, basically the 120 credits you have already must match in content, the brick uni's first year of 120 credits.