Preparing your postgraduate funding
While studying your postgraduate degree you will need to consider how to pay your course fees and how to cover your living costs.
There are loans, scholarships and discounts available but the eligibility criteria and amount you can access will be different than what you may have experienced if you applied for funding for your undergraduate degree.
It's a good idea to look at your course fees, explore your options and make a plan for how you expect to fund your studies.
Quick funding route finder
Whether you'll be studying as a home or international student will determine what funding options are available to you.
If you're unsure whether you would be considered a home or an international student, you can complete our fee status assessment.
I'm a home student
Make sure you know what your course fees are by checking the course page, and looking at the funding options available to you.
You may also want consider what your living costs will be, such as rent, food, bills and personal expenses so you know whether or not additional financial support would help you afford both your course and living expenses.
Often if you are able to secure funding, you won't receive an amount which fully covers your course fees and living expenses.
Calculate what your expected day to day costs will be, so you can see whether you'd benefit from working alongside your course, applying for additional funding, or find studying full or part-time more suitable to your lifestyle.
Questions to consider
Do you know how much your course costs?
Check the course page for the tuition fees. You'll find a breakdown of how much the course will cost depending on whether you're a home or international student.
You'll also need to consider your level of study, and whether you're intending to study full or part-time as this will alter the overall cost.
For a full breakdown on course fees, you can download our Postgraduate tuition fees documents.
Have you researched what funding could be available to you?
Check our guidance on what Postgraduate funding is available for home and international students.
Check the eligibility criteria of different funding options to find out what would be available to you.
Will you be self-funding?
If yes, have you estimated what your
living costs could be? Do you know how and when you would need to
make a payment to the university?
Have you applied for funding?
In the UK, applications for funding tend to open from the June before your course is due to start. It's recommended you apply before you start your course to ensure the money is in your bank account in time for your first fee payment.
You'll have until 9 months from the start of your course to complete your application.
Will you be working alongside your course?
If you need to find work before starting your course, our Careers and Employability Service have resources available to help you find part-time work in the local area and prepare you for interviews. It's recommended you allow time to secure work and have funds available to support you with living costs whilst looking for work.
Tips for your funding applications
- To make sure you have your funding before your fees need to be paid, it is recommended you apply before you start your course.
- You can start applying before you've been offered a place as the course name can be amended at a later date if needed.
- Applications open from June but you'll also have 9 months from the start of your course to complete the application.
Setting up a payment plan
If you're self-funding your course or if your Postgraduate loan or other source of funding is paid direct to you, you will be responsible for managing the payments of your course fees.
At the start of your course, you'll be contacted by the University Finance Department and be offered the option to pay your course fees in full or through installments.
If you choose to pay in installments, make note of when a payment is due to be made so you can be sure the money needed for the payment is in your bank account.
You can find out more information on what your payment plan could look like and how to contact the Finanace Team on our Money Advice webpages.
Resources
Below is a selection of fillable spreadsheets to help you keep a record of your incoming and outgoing payments, so you can feel in control and on-top of your finances.
Next steps