Mature studying - free courses

welshcakes

I wonder if anyone could advise me whether there are avenues to enable me to distance studying for free as I do not have an income as I care for my disabled partner and am committed to 24 hour home support for him.

Whilst my lifestyle is very challenging physically (and often emotionally), I could really benefit from an 'intellectual' challenge for myself just to kick start the grey matter which is showing signs of fossilisation!

Would my local council be the best bet? I'm not a grumbler so though we struggle financially I see that as life's plan for me as I chose to be with my sweetheart however it does mean there's zero spare cash for me to embark on any sort of course. I realise it might seem an indulgent idea however switching from previously working in medical R&D to no academic stimulus has impacted quite severely on me and I need to keep a healthy mind and a very positive outlook as my responsibilities to my OH will be for life.

Any suggestions would be wamly appreciated.

wolfehouse

martin started a whole thread about this:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=294426&highlight=internet+courses+free

have you been in touch with your local (every area has a different one) carer's association ?(usually run by princes trust or quarriers or some charity like that). each area has one and they can be a source of good support. they may even have more ideas for you.

dmg24

Open University (https://www.open.ac.uk) do have a fee assistance fund, which if you are on a low income may cover all the fees.

Zziggi

dmg24 wrote:

Open University (https://www.open.ac.uk) do have a fee assistance fund, which if you are on a low income may cover all the fees.

... if you don't already have a degree. If you do, then there is no funding whatsoever.

dmg24

You can still get the funding if you have a degree, however you can only study undergraduate subjects. I have a degree in Law and looked into doing a Psychology module and could get funding.