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Postgraduate Loans for Doctoral Study
Scholarship value
Eligible students can borrow up to £28,673 (2023/24) (External Link)
Criteria
Am I eligible?
- UK and EU nationals who have been resident in England for three years prior to starting their doctoral programme
- You need to be under 60 at the time you register for your programme
- Your previous highest level qualification must be below Doctoral level
- You are keeping to the repayment terms of your previous student loans
- You are not in receipt of Research Council funding, a Social Work bursary, are eligible for an NHS bursary
What’s not included?
- Programmes where you are resident outside the UK for more than 50% of your degree
- Distance-learners not resident in England at the start of their programme and in the UK for the remainder
- Top-up programmes
- Doctorates by publication
Further details
The loans will be available for programmes including PhD/DPhil, EdD, EngD and integrated doctoral programmes. The programme can be taught or research-based, or a combination of both. All disciplines and subject areas are eligible. Loans will be available for full-time, part-time and distance learning. The loans cover split-site programmes as long as Kent is the lead institution and provided you spend at least 50% of your study time in the UK. The loans are not means tested and are paid directly into your UK bank account.
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 and Master’s loans. Details on repayment rates and rates of interest are available at https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/what-you-pay.
How to apply
Full details of Doctoral Loan scheme are available at https://www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan/further-information