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Postgraduate loans

  1. Home
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  3. Postgraduate
  4. Fees and funding
  5. Postgraduate loans

Postgraduate loan (PGL) for Masters study

If you are starting a Masters course, studying either full- or part-time from 1 August 2023, you may be eligible for a postgraduate study loan.

Eligibility information

To be eligible for a postgraduate study loan:

  • you have to be studying a taught or research Masters course. This applies to MA, MSc, MPhil, MRes, MBA and some LLM courses
  • you can be studying at university or by distance learning
  • your course can be one or two years long, if you are studying full-time
  • part-time courses must be studied at a minimum 50% intensity of the equivalent full-time course
  • you must be studying for a full Masters award – you cannot be topping up from previous study or experience, for example receiving exemptions or APL/AP(E)L or starting mid-way through a course.
  • you can check your personal eligibility at Gov.uk

Not all postgraduate courses qualify for the postgraduate loan scheme. The following is a summary of the courses that do not qualify:

  • PgDip
  • PgCert
  • Postgraduate Doctoral degrees (see below)
  • Masters degrees that are undertaken as an integral part of postgraduate doctoral degrees
  • Courses with a postgraduate element that are currently eligible for undergraduate support (e.g. Initial Teacher Training (PGCE), Integrated Masters, Masters of Architecture (MArch). Students may be eligible for a PGL for the MArch course where they are ineligible for undergraduate support for this course, for example, because the gap between RIBA parts 1 and 2 is deemed to be too long, or where the MArch course is studied on a part-time basis.

Some part-time courses do not qualify because they take longer to complete than twice the equivalent full-time course. For further clarification, see the full list of courses that do not qualify (PDF File 67 KB). This list is subject to change, and is being updated as our curriculum develops, so please check regularly to ensure the course you are applying to study on doesn't appear on this list.

Students in receipt of NHS or Social Work bursaries are ineligible for PGLs.

Students who already hold an equivalent level Masters qualification are also ineligible.

PLEASE NOTE: Universities have an obligation to inform Student Finance England of any changes to your programme of study, after enrolment, which may affect your eligibility for the postgraduate loan. These include:

  • transfers to programmes that do not qualify for the loan scheme (for example from MSc to PGDip programmes)
  • the award of APL or APEL credit giving you exemption from studying the full Masters programme
  • withdrawal or interruption from your course
  • exiting the course with a lower qualification

As a result of this notification, Student Finance England may cancel your loan and reclaim any overpayment deemed to have been made.

If your loan application is approved by Student Finance England and you have evidence of this at the point of enrolment, we will fully enrol you on the course (providing all other enrolment conditions are met), without the need for any upfront payment.

Students starting in September 2023 or January 2024, enrolling on programmes of at least 1 year's duration, in this situation, are offered an exceptional instalment arrangement.

Exceptional instalment arrangement for postgraduate loan holders

September 2023 start courses January 2024
start courses
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 27 October 2023 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 23 February 2024
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 26 January 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 6 May 2024
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 6 May 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 11 October 2024

Different instalment dates apply to non-postgraduate loan holders. For more information please visit the self-funding students section of our How to Pay page.

Your loan will be credited to your bank account by Student Finance England once you have fully enrolled, and we have confirmed your registration.

For further information, see the postgraduate loans information sheet (PDF File 68 KB).

Should your course duration be longer than 1 year but under 25 months (i.e. 13-24 months), your postgraduate loan will be paid in equal termly instalments over two years by Student Finance England (SFE). For a £12,167 loan (2023/24 maximum), that would be £6,083.50 each year.

However, if your course duration is 1 year (12 months), the full amount of loan applied for (£12,167 maximum) will be paid in 3 equal termly instalments by SFE, across the one year.

If your course duration is between 25-36 months and the equivalent full time course duration is 2 years (for PGL purposes) your loan will be paid across 3 academic years

If you can’t find your course on the Student Finance England’s list of approved courses, please ensure that you have indicated the correct duration of the course. Any course which runs for more than 12 months, even if it’s for 13 months, is categorised by Student Finance England as a two-year course.

Visit Find A Masters for a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions.

Postgraduate doctoral loans (PGDL)

These loans are available to new students starting their PhD in the 2023/24 academic year. You may be able to borrow up to £28,673 (or £28,395 for students from Wales) (2023/24) to help pay university fees, living costs and other expenses. You can also check your personal eligibility at gov.uk.

You can take out a loan to help with course fees and living costs and the loan will be credited to your bank account by Student Finance England (SFE) once you have fully enrolled and we have confirmed your registration.

Payments to you will be split over the length of the PhD programme: if the programme length is 4 years, you will receive £7,168.25 each year (£7,098.75 for students from Wales).

Eligibility information

To be eligible for a postgraduate doctoral loan:

  • you must enrol on and complete a PhD in 3-8 years. This can be full-time, part-time or via distance learning
  • you must be starting a PhD from scratch, commencing in the 22/23 academic year
  • you must join one of the PhD intakes with a full 1st year(*)
  • You MAY NOT bring any previous research to the PhD (PhD research in the same field, MRes) or transfer in from a course which started before 22/23
  • you can check your personal eligibility at Gov.uk

(*) Please note that not all LSBU PhD programmes qualify for the PGDL. LSBU has intakes every month for PhD programmes between September 2022 and June 2023. Some of these monthly intakes will run for a short first year before re-enrolment on year 2 in September 2023. These programmes DO NOT qualify for the PDGL.

In order to be eligible for the PGDL, you MUST apply for, and enrol on, a full 1st year programme. The full 1st year programmes are only available in September 2022, January 2023 and April 2023. You can specify to the Admissions Team at the application stage (or at any time before you enrol) in which month you are joining the PhD programme and that you are applying for a PGDL. This will ensure you remain eligible for the PGDL.

Please note: universities have an obligation to inform Student Finance England of any changes to your programme of study, after enrolment, which may affect your eligibility for a PGDL. These include:

  • Transfers to programmes that do not qualify for the loan scheme
  • The acceptance or recognition of other PhD research in the same field giving you exemption on the PhD programme
  • Withdrawal or interruption from your studies
  • Transfer to a course with a lower qualification (ie. MPhil)
  • Receiving UKRI funding

As a result of this notification, Student Finance England may cancel your loan and reclaim any overpayment deemed to have been made.

If your loan application is approved by Student Finance England (SFE) and you have evidence of this at the point of enrolment, we will fully enrol you onto the PhD (providing all other enrolment conditions are met) without the need for any upfront payment.

Students, with a PGDL, starting in September 2022, January 2023 or April 2023 are offered an exceptional instalment arrangement.

Exceptional instalment arrangement for postgraduate doctoral loan holders

September 2023 start courses January 2024 start courses April 2024 start courses
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 27 October 2023 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 23 February 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 6 May 2024
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 26 January 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 6 May 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 11 October 2024
1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 6 May 2024         1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 11 October 2024 1/3 of the year's tuition fees by 31 January 2025

Different instalment dates apply to non-PGDL holders. For more information, please visit the self-funding students section of How to pay.

Student Finance England

Applications for a PGDL should be made direct to Student Finance England (SFE). Register with SFE.

The PhD programme list may not specifically detail the title of your PhD and you should choose from the following headings:

  • Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care
  • Health and Social Sciences
  • Applied Sciences
  • Law and Social Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Built Environment and Architecture
  • Computer Science and Informatics
  • Education
  • Professional Doctorate in Education
  • Business
  • Arts and Creative Industries

If you are unsure of which course title to select on the SFE website, please contact us via MyAccount

Visit Find a PhD for a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions.

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