Student Finance
If you are a UK or EU resident, you may be able to apply for a loan that will help you pay tuition and maintenance costs. There are two loans available:
Postgraduate Master’s Loan
Student Finance England offers loans to home and EU students to study a postgraduate master's course. The size of this loan does not depend on your or your family's income.
Postgraduate Doctoral Loan
If you are starting a doctoral course on or after 1 August 2018, you can apply for a loan from Student Finance England to help you pay tuition and maintenance cos. The size of this loan does not depend on your or your family's income.
You will not need to start re-paying either of these loans until you are earning over £21,000 a year.
You may also be able to find funding from other places:
Research Councils
Based on the course that you intend to study, there are several research councils that may be able to help you, including:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
- Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC).
- Medical Research Council (MRC).
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
You will need to be a "home resident" of the UK to apply. IF you are a EU resident, you are only able to apply to councils for tuition fees, not maintenance.
UCL Scholarships
You may be able to win an award or scholarship, which is open to students from the UK, EU and overseas. Go to UCL’s Scholarships and Funding page to find out more about how to apply and how much is available to you.
Sponsorship
If you're employed and considering a course, your employer may consider funding your studies. Many companies also sponsor students, as long as the course is linked to the business and you plan to work in this field after graduating. You can find out more about sponsorship by employers through UCL Careers Service.
Career Development Loans
Career Development Loans are available to UK residents, and generally last for two years. You can borrow up to £10,000 interest-free, but you will need to start re-paying the loan and paying interest a month after the end of the course.
Other Organisations
You may be able to find other bodies that offer funding for graduate students. If you are an overseas student, try contacting your own Ministry of Education to find out more. Organisations such as UNESCO, the EU Commission and the British Council often offer scholarships.
Furthermore, If you are a postgraduate research student and have completed your registration period, you will not be registered as a full-time student as you will no longer be paying any fees. Whilst you are writing up your thesis, the University will provide you with 'writing-up status' which will therefore allow you to apply for benefits if you meet the eligibility requirements. You may be able to claim Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit. This includes PhD students (part-time and full-time) who are in the writing up stage of their thesis. Please contact our Advice Service.