Funding for postgraduate study

You can get funding for postgraduate study through loans, studentships, bursaries and grants - you might also get help from your employer.

Search for postgraduate funding on the Scholarship Search or Prospects websites.

Postgraduate Master’s Loan

If you’re starting a master’s degree, you could get a Postgraduate Master’s Loan to help with course fees and living costs. You can get up to:

• £11,222 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2020
• £10,906 if your course started between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020
• £10,609 if your course started between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019

Postgraduate Doctoral Loan

If you’re starting a doctoral degree, you could get a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan to help with course fees and living costs. You can get up to:

• £26,445 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2020
• £25,700 if your course started between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020
• £25,000 if your course started between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019

It is not based on your income or your family’s and it’s paid directly to you.

Studentships

Studentships are postgraduate positions that have funding attached for fees, living expenses or both. They’re mainly funded by Research Councils UK.

Teacher training, social work, medical and healthcare courses

You can apply for funding for:

• Initial Teacher Training
• social work - through a social work bursary
• some medical or healthcare courses - through an NHS bursary
• most medical or healthcare courses - through a student loan

Graduate-entry medical students can also get support from Student Finance England for fees charged over £3,465.

Charities and trusts

Charities and trusts sometimes provide grants, often for students from poorer backgrounds or those who’ve achieved academic excellence. Find out more at your local library in these publications:

• the Educational Grants Directory
• the Charities Digest
• the Grants Register
• the Directory of Grant Making Trusts

You can also use the Family Action grant search.

Learned societies

Societies sometimes offer funding for postgraduate or postdoctoral research. They include:

• the British Academy (for humanities and social sciences - postdoctorate only)
• the Royal Academy of Engineering (for engineering)
• the Royal Society (for science - postdoctorate only)

Other help

You might be able to get funding from:

• an individual - sometimes people donate awards to help postgraduates (these are usually offered through your university or college)
• your employer - they might sponsor you if the course is relevant to your job
• a Disabled Students’ Allowance
• the Student Awards Agency for Scotland if you’re from Scotland

Funding applications usually have to be in by the spring before you start studying in the autumn.