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 Loan for master’s degrees

If you’re starting a master’s course, you can apply for a Postgraduate Loan of up to £10,280 to help with course fees and living costs.

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:

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:

Other help

You might be able to get funding from:

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