Full-Time Student vs Part-Time Student: Difference and Comparison

The education system has gradually changed with time looking back from the ancient education system to the present education system.

In ancient times the students needed to be living in certain Gurukuls and perform all the daily chores along with studying, but in the present education system, all such activities are ended, and only students are enrolling in different institutions for studying. 

Key Takeaways

1. Full-time students enrol in a minimum number of credit hours per semester, while part-time students take fewer courses.
2. Full-time students complete degree programs more quickly than part-time students.
3. Full-time students may have access to more financial aid opportunities and campus resources than part-time students.

Full Time Student vs Part-Time Student

Full-time student visits their school, college, or institutes regularly during the weekdays and has access to hostels, scholarships, library, and transportation. A part-time student is a student that either completes their studies online from home or goes to school at night.

Full-Time Student is meant to visit schools, colleges, and institutes regularly. The students are offered many extra benefits like – library access, scholarships, hostels for students while quarters for teachers, transport facilities, etc.

Also, the amount of work pressure faced by any regular or full-time student is much more.

Part-Time Students is the students who don’t visit schools, colleges, or institutes to complete their respective studies or course.

But additionally, they complete their studies and courses from the comfort of their home along with doing something extra of their choice. They also have the choice to change their career.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Full Time Student	Part-Time Student
Career Change	They aren’t able to change it more often.	They can change it more swiftly.
Duration	It is fixed and short	It is not fixed and may take a longer time.
Cost of Education	More but economic	Almost half or one-third of the actual fee
Student Services	Eligible	Non-eligible
Internships and Placements	They are offered to them based on some criteria.	They are not offered this by the institution but rather achieve them by their own.
Scholarship Offered	Yes	No
Work Pressure	Much pressure	Not much pressure
International Collaboration	Some schools, institutes, and colleges offer such programs	Such students are not offered such programs

What is Full Time Student?

Full-Time students are the terms referring to the students who visit schools, college, or institute regularly. They used to pursue their studies regularly.

Being regular or full-time students, they do not have the option to change their career options as swiftly as part-time students can. Sometimes they have to face the repercussions along with their such decisions.

The duration of these courses is fixed, and the fees for such courses are also specified before the time of enrolment.

These students benefit from many additional things, such as access to the library, gym services, a play area with a swimming pool, transport facilities, hostel facilities, scholarships, internships, placements, and many more.

Among these institutes, some even offer international collaboration for the students, and they are welcome aboard on different institutes for further studies. Even the work pressure faced by the students is immensely more.

What is Part-Time Student?

Part-time students terms are meant for students that are studying in different schools, colleges, or institutes offering the distance learning course.

Such courses are availed by the students who are working or need to pursue something additionally on a side basis. They also have the swift option of changing their career path whenever they want.

The duration of the course is also more than usual while the cost for the courses is also almost half the fee or even one-third of the actual fee for the same regular course.

Unlike full-time students, they are not offered additional student benefits, scholarships, internships, or placements.

Even they are not a part of any international collaboration that some institutes offer. Also, the work pressure upon such students is much less.

Main Differences Between Full Time Student and Part-Time Student

1. For a full-time student, a career change must not be a swift mode of change, while comparatively, on the other hand, for a Part-time student, a career change option is a much more swift option. 
2. The course duration for full-time students is majorly fixed for a certain time while comparatively, on the other hand, the course duration for part-time students is not fixed and is longer than a regular course.
3. The fee for different regular courses is quite expensive but is regarded as a more economical option while comparatively, on the other hand, the fee for different part-time courses is much less than a regular one, and sometimes it is even near about one-third.
4. A full-time student is offered many services like – hostels, library, transport, and many others while comparatively, on the other hand, a part-time student is not offered such extra student services when they enroll. 
5. After almost completing the pursuing course, the full-time students are given opportunities to do different internships. They are also asked to sit in placements while comparatively, on the other hand, the part-time students are just offered course degrees after completion. They achieve such internships and placements on their own.
6. As full-time students are said to be regular, thus they are offered many scholarships to support and provide financial aid to many students while comparatively, on the other hand, as part-time students, no students get such benefits during their pursuing course duration.
7. The work pressure maintained by a full-time student is quite more while comparatively, on the other hand, the work pressure faced by any part-time student is less.
8. Some schools, colleges, and institutions offer international collaboration for students, and this benefit is entertained for full-time students while comparatively, on the other hand, part-time students missed this opportunity also. 

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775713001544
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075070802601960
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608011001786
4. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02601370117754

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023