Who is eligible
To be eligible, you must:
1Reg 3 E(PMDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PMDL)(W) Regs •be aged under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course;
•not already hold a master’s level qualification (including an integrated master’s);
•not be in breach of any obligation to repay a student loan;
•not be deemed ‘unfit’ to receive a loan – eg, if you have been involved in fraud;
•not be eligible for a healthcare bursary or social work bursary for the course. However, if you apply for a bursary and are unsuccessful, you can then apply for a postgraduate loan;
•meet the residency rules (see below).
To be eligible,
you must be domiciled in England or Wales (as appropriate) and show that you have been ordinarily resident in the ‘UK and islands’
2‘Islands’ in this context means the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. for three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course. Your master’s course can be undertaken anywhere in the UK. Migrant workers from the EU
(see
here) and those with ‘long residence’ (see
here) can also qualify under this category.
A non-UK EU national who has been ordinarily resident anywhere in the EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for three years prior to the start of the course, but who does not meet the above three-year residency rule, can apply for a loan if s/he plans to study at an institution in England or Wales as long as they were resident in England or Wales by 31 December 2020 and, if applicable, have settled or pre-settled status under the EUSS.
EU students undertaking a distance learning course must live in England (if studying in England) or Wales (if studying in Wales) while undertaking the course.
All applicants are asked to provide evidence of their residency.
Students who are ordinarily resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland cannot apply for this loan, even if they wish to study in England or Wales. If you moved to England or Wales for the purposes of full-time study (including an undergraduate degree), you are not regarded as ordinarily resident there.
Note: the residency rules are complex. If you are unsure about whether you are entitled, speak to an adviser in your institution or students’ union.