PART-TIME students could be eligible for new £500 grants towards their tuition fees from next year.
More than 20,000 students are expected to benefit from the move, announced yesterday by the Scottish Government.
The grant will be available to part-time students who earn £18,000 or less.
Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary, described the
grant as "the next step" in moving from a system of student loans to grants.
According to Scottish Government figures, average fees for part-time degree programmes are around £800 a year.
At present, part-time students can apply for an income-assessed loan, rather than a grant, of £500 plus cash of up to £200 in grants through an Individual Learning Account (ILA).
The additional £500 will be delivered through a simplified ILA scheme, and an extra £1 million a year will be given to hardship funds.
The cost of the grant is expected to be £12 million next year, rising to £13 million in each of the following two years.
The Open University (OU) is Scotland's largest provider of part-time higher education and Peter Syme, director of the OU in Scotland, said that the announcement would make the system fairer for part-time students.
He added: "The high-level skills the country needs cannot be delivered without part-time higher education.
"Fee grants will enable more people to combine study with work and family commitments, especially benefiting those in part-time and lower-paid jobs who have struggled to cope with the financial commitment.
"By offering a fairer deal, it is also a welcome step towards the objective of equality of treatment for all students, whether full-time or part-time."
Ms Hyslop described the move as a major boost for part-time students, for whom fees can act as a barrier.
She said: "It will help relieve pressures for existing part-time students on low income, as well as open up new opportunities for people considering part-time study to retrain or build their skills for the changing needs of our economy."
Tina Ng-A-Mann, 36, an Open University student from Perth, said the move would help reduce her fees next year to amost nothing.
The part-time classics student and phlebotomist said: "It will have a huge impact. I'm lucky in that I have a husband who can help me with the cost, but most people don't.
"This will almost exactly cover the cost of my course.
"It is going to be fantastic news for all part-time students in Scotland."
