Student Support and Benefits Handbook 2021/22Part 1: Student support Chapter 5: Postgraduate student support
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Chapter 5: Postgraduate student support
Basic facts
– Students on postgraduate courses of initial teacher training (eg, a PGCE) can apply for financial support in the same way as undergraduates.
– English and Welsh students may be able to receive a bursary for postgraduate study in social work, but this is not available to Northern Irish students studying in England or Wales.
- Individual scholarships or ’studentships’ are available from seven research councils, but the demand far outstrips supply and funding is not guaranteed.
– Non-means-tested loans are available for students normally resident in England, Wales or another European Union (EU) country to assist with the cost of certain postgraduate courses (subject to the changes in residency rules following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU).
– Disabled postgraduates may be able to get help with ther additional costs of learning through the disabled students’ allowance.
– A non-means-tested postgraduate loan for tuition fees is available for students from Northern Ireland.
1. Studentships
Research councils fund a number of research and master’s studentships (scholarships), covering fees and living costs. The indicative rate for a maintenance stipend in 2022/23 is £16,062. A grant for tuition fees is usually paid in addition to maintenance (£4,596 in 2022/23). Other schemes may be available, and eligibility and residence conditions apply. Additional allowances may also be available if you have dependants, and some research councils fund part-time study.
Research council funding is currently awarded directly to research organisations, and these organisations are responsible for selecting students. Opportunities/studentships are usually advertised on university websites and students should contact the university directly rather than the individual research council. While research fees are not regulated by government policy, institutions should not expect students to pay a fee that is higher than the amount of grant that is available for fees available.
See UK Research and Innovation (ukri.org/skills/funding-for-research-training) for information on studentships. Alternatively, check the various research councils’ websites, which are listed on the UK Research and Innovation website.
The British Academy also offers studentships on a similar basis to research councils. See thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/funding-opportunities for details.
2. Postgraduate loans for master’s degrees
A non-means-tested loan is available to assist with the cost of a ‘stand-alone’ full-time or part-time master’s course, lasting up to four years. It is only available for students who normally live in England, Wales, Gibraltar or in another European Union (EU) country. The amount you receive depends on where you normally live and when you started your course.
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the rules surrounding residency have changed. Postgraduate residency rules are broadly the same as those that apply to undergraduate support. If a student would be eligible for a ‘fees-only’ award for undergraduate support, they will normally be eligible for postgraduate support because there is no distinction between fees-only and full support for postgraduate funding. EU nationals must have arrived in the UK by the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) and applied for protected rights under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Since there is no distinction between fees-only and full support for postgraduate funding, postgraduate loans will be available for those with either settled or pre-settled status under the EUSS. For more information, see educationhub.blog.gov.uk/access-to-student-finance-from-academic-year-2021-22-faqs for study in England, see the Student Finance Wales website for study in Wales, or speak to an advisor at the university or college at which you intend to study.
To be eligible, the course cannot be combined with another qualification – eg, an undergraduate engineering course which ends with a master’s year (sometimes known as an ‘integrated master’s’ course).
The amount of the loan in 2022/23 is:
    •£11,836 if you are normally resident in England (or you are an EU student studying in England);
    •up to £18,430 if you are a new student and normally resident in Wales (or you are an EU student studying in Wales). Note: this is means tested and is paid as a combination of grant and loan.
Note: the above amounts are for the whole course, not for each year – if, for example, you are on a part-time course taking the qualification over three years, the loan is divided by three and then paid in instalments over the length of the course.
The loan is offered by Student Finance England and Student Finance Wales to students living in the relevant country. The regulations for each scheme are different, but the rules are essentially the same. If you are from Northern Ireland, see here.
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 European Economic Area, 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.
 
1     Reg 3 E(PMDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PMDL)(W) Regs  »
2     ‘Islands’ in this context means the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man »
Which courses are eligible
Only designated courses wholly or mainly provided by an institution in the UK, and which lead to a full ‘stand-alone’ master’s qualification are eligible.1Reg 4 E(PMDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PMDL)(W) Regs Postgraduate diplomas, postgraduate certificates and courses that allow students to top up from one postgraduate qualification to another are not eligible. Examples of eligible courses are:
    •MA (Master of Arts);
    •MSc (Master of Science);
    •LLM (Master of Law);
    •MBA (Master of Business Administration);
    •MPhil (Master of Philosophy);
    •MLitt (Master of Letters).
Students with prior experience or learning and who do not intend to enrol on a full stand-alone masters qualification are not eligible. Student Finance England or Student Finance Wales can clarify if a course is eligible.
To be eligible, the course must be at least one academic year’s duration. It can be:
    •a full-time course lasting one or two years; or
    •a part-time course lasting two years which is equivalent to a one-year full-time course; or
    •a part-time course lasting three or four years which is equivalent to a two-year full-time course; or
    •a part-time course lasting up to three years, if no equivalent full-time course exists.
 
1     Reg 4 E(PMDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PMDL)(W) Regs  »
Payment and repayments
You only need make one application for a loan. Payments are then made in three equal instalments during the academic year. If your course started in the 2017/18 academic year or later, the payments are made over the duration of the course (up to four years if you are studying part time). The first payment is made at the start of the course, with the second and third payments made on the term dates provided by the institution.
You repay the loan in broadly the same way as undergraduate student loans (see here), starting in the April after you complete the course.1E(SL)(R) Regs (as amended) However, there are three significant differences:
    •repayments did not start until April 2019;2Reg 26(3) E(PMDL) Regs
    •repayments are collected concurrently with any existing income-contingent loans you may have with the Student Loans Company;3Reg 39(3) E(PMDL) Regs
    •the repayment rate is at 6 per cent of anything you earn over £21,000.4Reg 39(2) E(PMDL) Regs This repayment threshold is frozen until at least 2022/23.
 
1     E(SL)(R) Regs (as amended) »
2     Reg 26(3) E(PMDL) Regs »
3     Reg 39(3) E(PMDL) Regs »
4     Reg 39(2) E(PMDL) Regs »
3. Postgraduate master’s bursaries in Wales
The Welsh government introduced a new bursary scheme from 2019/20 to provide additional funding for students undertaking a master’s degree in Wales.
You may be able to get a bursary of:
    •£4,000 if you are aged 60 or over and cannot access the standard loan scheme (see here);
    •£2,000 if you are taking a master’s course in science, technology, engineering, maths or medicine;
    •£1,000 if you are taking a master’s course in the Welsh language.
Bursaries are administered by educational institutions, which set further eligibility criteria. To apply, contact the institution where you are studying or wish to study.
4. Postgraduate loans for doctoral courses
A non-means-tested loan of up to £27,892 (England) or £27,880 (Wales) per course is available to assist students with the cost of a postgraduate doctoral qualification.1Reg 12 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 12 E(PDDL) (W) Regs
There are two loan schemes available, one in England and the other in Wales, although the rules are essentially identical. If you are ordinarily resident in England, or a student from a European Union (EU) country studying in England, apply to Student Finance England. If you are ordinarily resident in Wales, or a student from an EU country studying in Wales, apply to Student Finance Wales. Students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland (or Scotland) are not eligible for a doctoral loan. The eligibility and residency rules are exactly the same as those for the postgradaute loans for masters courses.
 
1     Reg 12 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 12 E(PDDL) (W) Regs »
Who is eligible
To be eligible for the loan, you must:1Reg 3 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PDDL)(W) Regs
    •be aged under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course;
    •not already hold a doctoral level qualification;
    •not be in breach of any obligation to repay a student loan;
    •not be eligible for any research council funding for the course;
    •meet the residency rules (these are the same as for master’s loans – see here).
 
1     Reg 3 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 3 E(PDDL)(W) Regs »
Which courses are eligible
Your course must also be eligible. It must:1Reg 4 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 4 E(PDDL)(W) Regs
    •be a full, stand-alone doctoral course (not a top-up course);
    •have started on or after 1 August 2018 (if you are already on a doctoral course that you started before this date, you are not eligible);
    •last between three and eight academic years;
    •normally be provided by a university in the UK with research degree-awarding powers.
Integrated doctoral courses (ie, those that have an integrated master’s degree as part of the course) are also eligible. However, you must be registered on the full doctoral qualification and you cannot receive a postgraduate loan for a master’s degree at the same time.
You can receive a doctoral loan if your course is full or part time, provided the part-time course takes no longer than eight years. The qualification can be taught or research-based, or it can be a combination of both.
 
1     Reg 4 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 4 E(PDDL)(W) Regs »
Payment and repayments
To apply for the loan, you make a single application at the start of your course. Payments are made in three instalments per year, for each year of the course. The first payment is made at the start of the course once your university confirms you are attending; then you will receive the second and third payments in line with term dates provided by your institution.
The maximum annual amount of the loan is capped at £11,836 if you live in England or £9,293 for those that normally live in Wales.1Reg 14 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 13 E(PDDL)(W) Regs If you do not take out a loan until later in your course (eg, only in your last year), this may mean receiving less than the maximum loan overall.
You repay the loan in the same way as a postgraduate loan for a master’s degree (see here). If you have both a master’s loan and a doctoral loan, you make one monthly repayment for both. However, repayments of your doctoral loan can start in the April after you complete the course or the April four years after you commence your course (whichever comes first) should your income be over the postgraduate loan repayment threshold, currently £21,000.
 
1     Reg 14 E(PDDL) Regs; reg 13 E(PDDL)(W) Regs »
5. Disabled students’ allowance
Both full-time and part-time postgraduate students studying ‘recognised’ taught and research courses can apply for a disabled students’ allowance.
A ’recognised course’ is one which normally requires a first degree to gain entry, is at least one academic year long, is provided by a publicly funded institution and is not a course of initial teacher training. Your course must be eligible for an award from a research council or be equivalent to a course that is eligible for an award. However, if the course you are undertaking allows you to apply for its own equivalent allowance, you must apply for this.
Part-time courses must last for longer than one year. If you started the course in 2012/13 or later, it must be possible to complete it in no more than four times the time of an equivalent full-time course. If you started your course before 2012/13, it must be possible to complete it in no more than twice the time of an equivalent full-time course.
There is no age limit for a disabled students’ allowance, but the same personal eligibility and residency conditions as for undergraduates apply (see here).
There is one single allowance available for postgraduate students. In 2022/23 this is £25,575 for students from England, £32,546 for students from Wales and £25,000 for students from Northern Ireland. This is intended to cover all support, including specialist equipment, non-medical personal helpers and additional travel costs, all subject to a needs assessment.1Reg 158 E(SS) Regs; reg 117 E(SS)(W) Regs; reg 146 E(SS)NI Regs
Contact Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales or Student Finance NI for more details.
Note: students may be expected to pay the first £200 towards any IT equipment, although some institutions have hardship funds or bursaries to help with this cost. Some non-medical help and other support may be provided by the institution. Speak to an adviser in your institution for more information.
Students funded through one of the main studentship programmes (see here) are eligible for more generous disabled students’ allowance funding through the research council. Contact the disability support office at your institution about an application.
 
1     Reg 158 E(SS) Regs; reg 117 E(SS)(W) Regs; reg 146 E(SS)NI Regs  »
6. Postgraduate support in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, postgraduate support is in the form of a limited number of postgraduate studentships and a loan for tuition fees.
Studentships
The Department for the Economy (DFENI) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland award funds to Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast for research and for certain approved courses of full-time study leading to higher degrees. The universities are responsible for administering these awards and the application process is very competitive.
Grants may be awarded for postgraduate research degrees (eg, MPhils and PhDs) and for approved courses of advanced study – eg, master’s degrees. You can obtain a list of approved courses from the universities. Most students benefiting from these awards have degrees awarded at 2:1 or above, although you may be accepted for a taught master’s degree in science and technology if you have a lower second class honours degree.
Studentship awards are for fixed amounts and are not means tested. Approved fees and maintenance costs are included. Figures for 2022/23 are not yet available but in 2021/22 the basic rate of the maintenance grant payable in 2021/22 was £15,285 for research studentships and £7,643 for taught studentships. Additional allowances may also be paid for dependants and students with special needs.
If you are a science and technology student working on a research project, you may also be able to apply for a Co-operative Award in Science and Technology (CAST) that involves sponsorship from industry. Details on this and other studentships are available from nidirect.gov.uk/articles/postgraduate-awards.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs runs a separate scheme, providing postgraduate studentships in its priority research areas. Applications for these scholarships normally open in the December before term starts and close around February before term starts, so it is important to apply early. See daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/postgraduate-study for more details.
Closing dates for the different awards vary, but are strictly observed. Check the closing date with the postgraduate office at the university you will be attending.
Loan for tuition fees
Postgraduate students from Northern Ireland wanting to study in the UK, or European Union (EU) students wanting to study in Northern Ireland, can apply for a loan for their tuition fees. The loan is non-means tested. Note: the DFENI has confirmed that EU students will remain eligible for these funds for the duration of their course if they start it in 2020/21. Arrangements for future years are uncertain.
A maximum of £5,500 per course can be borrowed,1Reg 156 E(SS)(NI) Regs which is paid directly to the university. The maximum loan may not cover the tuition fees you are charged. You must cover any remaining fee yourself, as well as funding for your living costs.
Residency rules are the same as for undergraduate courses (see here). Courses can be full time, part time or distance learning, but must be no more than three years in duration.2Reg 152(2) E(SS)(NI) Regs The qualifications covered are as for England and Wales (see here), but a loan can also be made for postgraduate certificate or diploma courses.3Reg 152 and Sch 3B E(SS)(NI) Regs
If you already hold a master’s qualification, you can still take out this loan for a further course. However, you are only allowed one postgraduate tuition fee loan in total.
The rules on repayments are the same as for undergraduate funding (see here), with the postgraduate tuition fee loan being added to the undergraduate loan balance (if applicable).
 
1     Reg 156 E(SS)(NI) Regs »
2     Reg 152(2) E(SS)(NI) Regs »
3     Reg 152 and Sch 3B E(SS)(NI) Regs »
Studying in Northern Ireland
If you are seeking research funding and want to study in Northern Ireland, you must apply directly to the university for a place on a course and an award. Being offered a place does not automatically mean that you will obtain funding. Closing dates for applications are at the discretion of the institution (and are generally around April/May), but late applications may be accepted subject to availability of places.
Studying elsewhere in the UK
If you plan to study elsewhere in the UK, you may be able to receive funding through various research councils (see here). You must approach the university where you want to study, not the research council, but it is always worth checking with the research council about which universities it has allocated funding to. Closing dates vary, but are normally well before the start of term.
Disabled students’ allowance
A postgraduate disabled students’ allowance is available to eligible postgraduate students in Northern Ireland on a similar basis as for postgraduate students in England and Wales (see here). You should apply to Student Finance NI.