Postgraduate loans

If you’re a UK student, you can get a loan to help you study a masters degree and some other postgraduate qualifications.

Loans have to be repaid after you have completed your course — unlike scholarships, grants and bursaries.

The amount you can get and eligibility rules vary depending on which country you normally live in.

England

How much you can get in a postgraduate loan depends on when your course started:

• on or after 1 August 2024, you can borrow up to £12,471
• on or after 1 August 2023, you can borrow up to £12,167
• between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023, you can borrow up to £11,836

The loan is to help with both tuition fees and living costs.

If you are from England: 

• loans do not depend on your income
• you must be studying a full masters course (180 credits)
• you must be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course
• funding is available for full-time, part-time and distance learning courses
• you apply once
• the loan is paid to you each year, in three instalments

For further details visit masters loans on the Government’s website.

Wales

How much you can get in a postgraduate loan depends on when your course started:

• between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024, you can borrow up to £18,770
• between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023, you can borrow up to £18,430
• between 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022, you can borrow up to £18,025

The loan is to help with both tuition fees and living costs. The funding has two parts:

• a means-tested grant
• a loan

How much of your funding is a grant, which you don’t have to repay, and how much a loan, which you must repay, will depend on your household income.

If you are from Wales: 

• you must be studying for a full masters course (180 credits)
• funding is available for full-time, part-time and distance learning courses
• you must be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you apply once
• the loan is paid to you each year in three instalments

For further details visit Student Finance Wales.

Scotland

Two types of loan are available — up to £7,000 towards tuition fees and £4,500 towards living costs.

If you are studying at Manchester Met, the loans are currently only available for full-time courses that are not offered in Scotland.

If you are from Scotland: 

• loans do not depend on your income
• you apply once
• the loan is paid to you in instalments

For further details visit Student Awards Agency Scotland.

Northern Ireland

For academic year 2023/24, the amount of postgraduate loan from Student Finance Northern Ireland has increased to £6,500 

Eligible courses include postgraduate diplomas and certificates, as well as masters degrees.

If you are from Northern Ireland:

• loans do not depend on your income
• funding is available for both part-time and full-time masters courses lasting no more than three years
• you need to make a separate application each academic year of your course
• the loan will be paid directly to the University

For further information, visit Student Finance Northern Ireland.