Postgraduate Loans for Master's Degrees

Eligible students can borrow up to £11,570 (2021/22) (External Link)

You are encouraged to apply as early as possible but the deadline for applying is 9 months after the first day of either:

• Your first academic year if you are on a 1 year full-time course; OR
• Your second academic year if you are on a 2 year full-time course or a 3 or 4 year part-time course.

To be eligible for the loan:

• You're a UK national or have 'settled status', i.e., there are no restrictions on how long you can stay.
• You normally live in England.
• You've been living in UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course.
• Under 60 at the time you register for your Master's.
• Your previous highest level qualification must be below a Master's.
• You must be keeping to the repayment terms of your undergraduate student loan. You may also be eligible if you're an EU national and both the following apply: 
• You're living in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course.
• You've normally lived in the European Economic Area or Switzerland for the past 3 years (this is also known as being 'ordinarily resident')

The following is not included:

• Programmes where you are resident outside England for more than 50% of your degree.
• Postgraduate certificates, diplomas and other non-Master's degree options
• Undergraduate/integrated Master's e.g. MEng, MArch.
• Distance-learners not resident in England.
• 3 year part-time courses that are 1 year full-time.
• 4 year part-time courses that are 1 year full-time or that have no full-time equivalent.

Students are not eligible if they are eligible to apply for a healthcare bursary or are in receipt of a social work bursary from any of the following:

• National Health Service (NHS)
• Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)
• Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)

We endeavour to provide accurate information regarding the Postgraduate Loan (PGL) scheme but full details of the scheme including eligibility of students and programmes, are still being finalised by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Student Loans Company (SLC).

For further information please see: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=21647-Postgraduate-Loans.

Please note that loans are NOT available to students studying exclusively at Paris or Brussels.

A Postgraduate Master's Loan can help you with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master's course.

The loans will be available for both taught and research Master's programmes, including LLM, MBA, MFA, MRES (but not for PhDs). All disciplines and subject areas are eligible. Loans will be available for full-time, part-time and distance-learning Master's programmes (with certain exceptions). Eligible part-time courses are those that have a duration of:

- two academic years and has a one year full-time equivalent;

- or three or four academic years and has a two years full-time equivalent;

- or up to three years and has no full-time equivalent.



The loans will also cover split-site Master's at Kent's specialist centres in Brussels, Paris and Rome provided you spend at least 50% of your study time (and credits) at Kent's UK campuses. For any other split site programme, we recommend that you confirm with the relevant school the percentage of time spent in the UK and abroad.

The loans are not means tested and are paid directly into your UK bank account in three instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% through the academic year.

The earliest you’ll start repaying is either:

• the April after you leave your course
• the April 4 years after the course started, if you’re studying part-time

Repayments will be income-contingent and made concurrently with undergraduate loans. Details on repayment rates and rates of interest are available at https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/what-you-pay.