Fees and funding

If you normally live in England and are under 60 when you start your course, you may be able to borrow up to £12,471 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024. This loan is available whether you are studying full-time, part-time or online.

You can use this loan to pay for your tuition fees or living costs while you are studying a taught or research-based postgraduate course at masters level such as an MA, MSc, MBA, LLM, MRes or MPhil.

You have to meet certain eligibility criteria. Check the Postgraduate Masters Loan information on the gov.uk website.

Interest is charged on the Masters Loan and, of course, you need to pay the loan back – but not until you have graduated and your salary is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan. The threshold amounts change every year. You can make voluntary payments to your loan at any time.

If you are under 60 when you start your course, you may be able to borrow up to £28,673 to study a doctoral-level course, such as a PhD or EdD, if your course starts after 1 August 2023. This loan is available whether you are studying full-time or part-time.

You can use this loan to pay for your tuition fees or living costs. You have to meet certain eligibility criteria. Postgraduate Doctoral Loan information on the gov.uk website.

Interest is charged on the loan and, of course, you need to pay this loan back - but not until you have graduated (or it’s the April four years after the course started) and your salary is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan. The threshold amounts change every year.

If you have already completed a full undergraduate degree with us, you could get a discount on your postgraduate course fees. This applies to most postgraduate courses.

A 25% alumni discount is available if you graduated in the academic year 2021/22 or 2022/23 and fully enrol on a postgraduate course by July 2024. Otherwise, our normal alumni discount is 10%. More information can be found here.

Read terms and conditions for our alumni discount

For UK students on a part-time course, our flexible payments make it easier for you by spreading the cost across the academic year. The repayment dates depend on when you enrol on the course.

We offer several research studentships each year. These are very specific research degrees that are either fully or partially funded so they are highly competitive.

Find out about our latest studentships and other sources of funding for your research degree.

If you are working and your course is related to your job, your employer may be willing to pay some or all of your fees.

They will need to send us a sponsor letter on headed paper confirming that they will pay for all or part of your course.

If you are training to be a teacher, you can get finance for Initial Teacher Training, a PGCE and SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training).

Bursaries are also available – these don’t need to be repaid but they do vary according to the subject you’re planning to teach and the classification of your first degree.

Find out more about paying for your teacher training on the Get Into Teaching website.

Funding has recently changed for postgraduate pre-registration health care courses. If you are studying one of the following courses, you will be able to apply for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan with the same terms and conditions as an undergraduate loan.

• MSc Nursing (Adult) with NMC registration
• MSc Nursing (Mental Health) with NMC registration
• MSc Diagnostic Radiography (pre-registration)
• MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-registration)

Visit the Student Finance website to find out more, particularly the Eligibility section.

If you are studying another health care course or a social work course, you may be entitled to a bursary to help with living costs and tuition fees. Bursaries don’t need to be repaid. Find out more about social work bursaries and health care bursaries.

In order to meet your visa requirements, you must show that you have access to a certain amount of money for your course fees and living costs in the UK – this is called maintenance. The amount of money you need depends on how long your course is and how much of your course fees you have already paid. 

Find out more about maintenance.

International postgraduate students may be eligible for a number of scholarships, discounts and bursaries.

Find out more about international scholarships, discounts and bursaries.

If you normally live in England and have a mental health problem, long-term illness or any other disability, you may be eligible for support through the Disabled Students' Allowances scheme.

The support you receive depends on your individual needs, not on your income or savings.

Find out more information on the gov.uk website.

Please also talk to us about what support you need to study.

From September 2020, all undergraduate and postgraduate pre-registration nursing, occupational therapy and radiography students will receive a grant of at least £5,000 per year that will not have to be repaid. An additional £3,000 per year is available in some circumstances to support with childcare costs and depending on regional demand for your profession. The new package will supplement existing support available, such as tuition fee and maintenance loans.

Find out more about Nursing and Allied Health Funding