Farah goes for an Open University degree
Farah is 34 and shares a rented flat. She is disabled and wants to study part-time for an undergraduate degree with the Open University.
Farah is eligible for a grant of up to £500 each year from ILA Scotland to help her pay her course fees, as she is earning less than £18,000 a year and is studying a part-time course which is at least 50% of a full-time course.
She is also entitled to a Disabled Student's Allowance. This helps her pay for specialist equipment, non-medical personal help or other course-related costs. Farah was worried about taking the course as she could not afford to buy a computer - her Disabled Student's Allowance means she now can buy one.
She is also still entitled to disability benefits and other benefits, from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Her course does not affect these benefits. The DWP will also ignore her student loan when they work out her entitlement to benefits.
* Note: Even if Farah was studying a part-time Higher Education course that was less than 50% of a full-time course she could still get up to £200 from ILA Scotland towards the cost of her course.