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Posted Aug. 27, 2025

Is student finance available for postgraduate students?

Getting the funding you need to pursue postgraduate study is of course important. Postgraduate study in the UK isn’t cheap after all, with home and international students both feeling the financial strain without the right support. While self-funding is an option, it’s not for everyone. Luckily, you have several avenues to explore. But, like undergraduate students, do postgrads have the same access to student finance?

Finance for masters students

There are more options than ever when funding postgraduate study in the UK. In addition to private postgraduate loans, the government offers postgraduate finance to those eligible and starting a full-time or part-time, taught or research program.

The Postgraduate Master’s Loan is one of the most popular postgrad funding routes. Students starting a course on or after the 1st August 2025, will receive £12,858 in total, regardless of the length of the course, and successful application is not means-tested, ie based on your or your family’s income. The funding obtained can be used to cover course fees and living costs, and is repayable only when your income exceeds the specific threshold amount.

Please note, the Postgraduate Master’s Loan is only available to UK students, with different criteria applicable to those based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Finance for doctoral degrees

If you’ve completed your masters degree and are looking for a new academic challenge, a PhD level course is the next natural step. You’ll be pleased to hear that government help is available to those starting doctoral degrees too. This includes Doctor of Philosophy (PhD/DPhil), Doctor of Education (EdD) and Doctor of Engineering (EngD) qualifications.

You could get up to £30,301 if your course starts on or after 1st August 2025. Like the Postgraduate Master’s Loan, the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan isn’t means-tested, nor is it repayable until your income reaches or exceeds the threshold amount. Qualification for the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan depends on your course, age and nationality. The chosen course can be full time or part time, and taught or research based. It can even be accessed by distance learning students.

There is a long list of criteria that could make you ineligible for applying for a doctoral loan, here the University of Sheffield offers a succinct summary:

“You will not be able to get a postgraduate doctoral loan if you already have a doctoral degree, or a qualification that’s equivalent or higher. You will also not be able to get a postgraduate doctoral loan if you’ve received or will receive Research Council funding (for example, studentships, stipends, scholarships and tuition fee support). There are additional criteria that may mean you are not eligible for a postgraduate doctoral loan.”

More postgrad funding support

Government loans aren’t your only options. You may be eligible for UK Research and Innovation funded studentships, industry-specific funding (including teacher training funding, social work bursaries and NHS bursaries), and additional grants from charities and trusts.

Many universities and several charitable organisations also provide merit-based, need-based or country-specific scholarships that help to cover postgraduate tuition and other expenses. Our Postgraduate Scholarships Zone offers a great rundown of university scholarships for postgraduate students as well as vital information on the benefits of applying and the types of scholarships available.

When exploring your funding and financing options as a postgraduate or doctoral applicant, be sure to start your search early. While government loans can be applied for within nine months of the first day of the last academic year of the course, applications for scholarships, bursaries and grants close much sooner. Deadlines for applications are generally six to 12 months before the first day of the course.

Don’t forget applications are still open for our Postgraduate Solutions Study Bursaries. There are five bursaries, worth £2,000 each, up for grabs. Find out more about how to apply here.

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