Find your postgraduate Masters and PhD funding here
If you’re looking for funding for your postgraduate study, you are in the right place. Welcome to Postgraduate Studentships, the only website designed specifically for postgraduates and intending postgraduates, that brings together all the different types of funding available for postgraduate students, at both Masters and PhD/Doctoral level.
Latest Postgraduate News: Information on the Master’s Loan can be found here. Find out more about the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan here.
Browse our specialist database of funding from charities, research councils and other general funding bodies and see funding information from a range of Universities and Institutes. Start looking now for Masters Funding and PhD funding.
Introductory guides to postgraduate study and funding
To find out more in general about postgraduate opportunities in the UK, start with our quick introductory guides to postgraduate study.
One registration, two specialist postgraduate websites
When you register (it’s quick, easy and free!) on Postgraduate Studentships or Masters Compare, you’ll find your account works on both sites: once you’ve registered, just log in on either sites’ login pages.
Regular email notifications
To receive a regular notifications from our Think Postgrad websites in your subject area, select your subject as you register. We’ll email you with the latest funding added to Postgraduate Studentships in your subject, as well as new courses added to Masters Compare, and our most recent articles about all things postgraduate.
Search and Compare Masters courses
If you are looking for Masters courses as well as funding, take a look at Masters Compare. Search thousands of Masters courses and compare up to 4 courses and save the comparisons you make and details of the courses you are interested in.
More Questions?
If you still have questions and would like to know more about how to use Postgraduate Studentships most effectively, please contact us.
Financial support for UK and EU students
Students from EU countries will be eligible for ‘home fee’ status and student finance support during the 2020-21 academic year. This means that EU students will be charged the same amount for tuition fees as students from within the UK. Your course must start in this time.
If you meet the requirements then the Government has confirmed that this will be available for the length of time your course takes to complete.
This commitment for the 2020-21 academic year is an additional commitment on student finance for EU nationals who start their course in the 2019-20 academic year.
The financial support will be available to both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at institutions in England, as well as support at postgraduate level from UK Research and Innovation.
Want to be kept up to date?
Students can now apply for a Postgraduate Masters Loan. Our guide below relates to the Postgraduate Loan for England.
About the Loan
You can get up to £11,222 starting in 2020 for your whole course. The loan will be paid directly to you, in instalments during the course, and can be used as a contribution towards fees, or other study or living costs during the masters course, as you decide.
Who is eligible for the Postgraduate Masters Loan?
Who is not eligible for the Postgraduate Masters Loan?
If you are a UK national, or have settled status or leave to remain in the UK but you ordinarily live outside England, ie in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, then you are not eligible. See below for details on Postgraduate Loans in other parts of the UK.
If you already have a Masters level qualification (or equivalent), or a higher level qualification, such as a PhD, you will not be eligible under Equivalent Level Qualification (ELQ) rules.
Which type of courses are covered by the Postgraduate Masters Loan?
Are there any courses that are not covered?
Courses that are not at full master’s level, for example postgraduate diplomas or certificates, including PGCE, or a graduate certificate, are not covered by the loan.
The Money
Key Points
For more information on how to apply visit the SFE website here.
Postgraduate Loans in other parts of the UK
Scotland
In 2017, the Scottish Government confirmed plans for a £10,000 Masters Loans. You will need to apply through SAAS (Student Awards Agency Scotland) and must check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Further information for 2020/21 is available here.
Northern Ireland
A Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan for Northern Ireland students is available for new and continuing students. The only way to know how much you may be eligible for is to submit your application, you could receive up to £5,500. Applications for academic year 2020/21 are now open. Find out more here.
Wales
You can apply for a Postgraduate Loan in Wales if you’re starting a postgraduate Masters course in 2020/21. You could get up to £16,000 to help towards your course and living costs. Find out more here.
What if I have more questions?
We suggest you talk to the universities you are applying to. To get regular updates on the loan and other Masters funding, register now for our newsletter. You can also check out the postgraduate loan video from Student Finance England.
Applications are now open for PhD loans in England and Wales! Students have the opportunity to borrow up to £25,700 to help cover costs of course fees and living expenses while studying a UK PhD.
What is the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan?
How much will I be able to borrow?
You will be able to borrow up to £25,700. The amount you receive is not based on your family’s income and can be used to cover your cost of living and pay your course fees.
Am I eligible for a loan?
Your eligibility depends on:
In order to qualify for a PhD loan, you must:
Is my doctorate eligible?
PhD loans are available for most types of doctoral degrees, in any subject, as long as your course is in the UK. This includes both academic and professional doctorates. The course must be a full, standalone doctoral course, not a top-up.
Your course must begin on or after 1 August 2018 and must last at least 3 years but must not exceed 8 years. You will be able to study full or part time, and the degree can be taught, research-based, or a combination of both.
How do I apply?
You can now apply for courses which start on or after 1 August 2019.
You can apply for a PhD loan online by logging into your Student Finance England account if you’ve taken out a loan before, or click here to set up a new account. Creating an account will take approximately 10 minutes and you will need your National Insurance number.
You can also download a PDF application form to apply by post. The address is located on the form.
When do I apply?
The deadline for applying is flexible and depends on when your course begins. You’ll need to apply within nine months of the first day of the final academic year of the course.
Below is an outline of the academic year. The first day of your course will depend on the point in the year when you begin studying.
Course start date between: 1 August – 31 December, First day of academic year: 1 September
Course start date between: 1 January – 31 March, First day of academic year: 1 January
Course start date between: 1 April – 30 June, First day of academic year: 1 April
Course start date between: 1 July – 31 July, First day of academic year: 1 July
How do repayments work?
You won’t have to start repaying your PhD loan until you begin earning over £21,000 a year. You’ll only pay back 6% of what you earn over the repayment threshold.
If you are employed and earning over £21,000 a year, then you will start repaying your PhD loan from either the first April after you leave your course, or the April four years after the course begins, whichever comes first.
It’s important to take into consideration that you will be expected to repay any outstanding undergraduate student loans at the same time.
Interest is charged from the day you receive the first payment until you repay the loan in full or it’s canceled. The current interest rate is set at 6.1% and may rise based on the RPI (Retail Price Index) +3% from March of that year.
Any remaining loan balance will be cancelled after 30 years from the point you first begin paying it back.
If you end up having to leave your course early or your circumstances change, you’ll have to pay back any overpayment regardless of whether your income is less than the repayment threshold. Get in contact with Student Finance England for further information.
Postgraduate Doctoral Loan in Wales
Applications are now open for Welsh doctoral loans. Students who are resident in Wales will also be eligible for a PhD loan worth up to £25,700.
Applications can be made online or by post and should be sent to Student Finance Wales.
Find out more
Further eligibility requirements can be found here on the GOV.UK website.
Sign up for or email updates for further information as well as the latest PhD funding opportunities as they are added to Postgraduate Studentships.
Next Steps
Search our listings of the latest PhD Funding available by subject area
Who provides PhD and Masters funding: studentships, scholarships and bursaries?
Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources, described briefly below. Examples of most of these types of funding are included in Postgraduate Studentships Funding Database, with the exception of funding you may be able to obtain from your Employer and Self-funding:
Most of the funding listed on Postgraduate Studentships at any time applies to study in the UK, although there are some exceptions and some funding is listed for universities in Europe and occasionally outside Europe.
You can start looking now for Masters and PhD funding.
For more advice and information see our advice pages.
Postgraduate study offers students a wide range of options. The following brief guide outlines some key issues about different types of study, and identifies some of the things you may need to think about when choosing which kind of study is right for you.
Why choose postgraduate study?
There are many different reasons for choosing postgraduate study, but in general most people choose to study at this level for one or more of the following reasons:
Whichever reasons you identify most closely with, it is important to make sure that the programme you choose will help you realise your goals, and that you are realistic about the requirements and commitments of the programme as well as the benefits you expect to result from it, and the impact it will have on your life. This may therefore effect where and how you study, how much you can afford to pay or borrow, and how much funding you look for.
If you are choosing postgraduate study for more than one of the reasons above, it may be helpful to consider which of the reasons is more important to you, and which factors should determine how you choose your course.
Applying for postgraduate study in the UK
In the UK, Universities require you to apply separately to each institution, with each University having its own requirements and application form, usually online, and its own set of deadlines, which can even vary from course to course within a single university. There is no central postgraduate application system, although a small number of universities run some or all of their postgraduate applications through UCAS.
ThinkPostgrad
If you are thinking about postgraduate study as a means of postponing your entry into the world of work, we recommend that you consider whether you will really enjoy the course and benefit from it personally, professionally or academically, and take into account the pros and cons of study, including the cost, before applying.
You can start looking now for Masters or PhD opportunities with funding on Postgraduate Studentships, or for courses in your subject area on Masters Compare.
Our annual Postgraduate Studentships PhD Funding Fair takes place in December every year and is held in Central London.
The event is your opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from some of the top UK Universities. All of the Universities present at the Fair have PhD funding opportunities to offer and are looking for the best students. As this is a specialist event, there are limited spaces in both the morning and afternoon sessions. In order to attend, you will need to have applied, been accepted, and have received a personal invitation to the Fair.
– Dedicated event focusing on the needs of potential PhD students
– Face-to-face opportunity to discuss your PhD plans and aspirations
– Meet high quality Universities with definite PhD funding to offer
– Chat to current PhD students about their experience of looking for and being a PhD student
– Attend talks on how to apply for a PhD and funding
The fair will be divided into two main subject sessions covering PhD funding:
The Morning Session:
– Arts and Humanities
– Law
– Management
– Social Sciences
The Afternoon Session:
– Science
– Engineering
– Mathematics
Participating Universities in each Session have specialist staff available to talk to students attending about funding that is already available, and funding to be announced, and how to apply for a PhD.
In each session, a number of talks from participating universities will help to give students insight into how to make a successful application, and what to expect when studying a PhD.
The PhD Student Peer to Peer Advice Room is a unique opportunity which always proves very popular. You are able to chat in person to current PhD students about their experience of looking for and doing a PhD, and their tips for success.
To apply to attend the PhD Funding Fair log in or register your details here.
Sign up for our email newsletter to receive updates on the PhD Funding Fair, as well as details of the latest postgraduate funding opportunities posted on Postgraduate Studentships. (If you are already registered, simply change your account settings)
In the meantime you can check out the latest postgraduate Open Days, Fairs and Events coming up soon.
Also, you can keep up to date with the latest PhD Funding Fair news and PhD opportunities added to Postgraduate Studentships on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
