Funding for English, Welsh & Northern Irish

Statutory funding for students from England is administered by Student Finance England.

Masters Study

If you’re starting a master’s course you could get a Postgraduate Master’s Loan to help with course fees and living costs. You can find out more about the value of this loan via the link above. This will likely provide a contribution towards your tuition and living costs rather than cover these costs in full. 

This funding can be available if you are undertaking the course on a full or part-time basis and will be divided equally across each year if it will take you more than 1 year to complete the course. You can also claim this for distance learning courses.

You can usually only apply for this once and cannot get this if you have already achieved a qualification at this level or higher, or are behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.

The loan will be paid directly to you and is to be used for your course fees and living costs. You get the first payment after your course start date, once you are fully enrolled and can confirm this with SLC. The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% each year. After your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a letter with your payment dates or you can check them in your online account.

Remember that your support will be in the form of loans, which need to be paid back. Find out how the student loan works, including any interest rates and repayment terms, by visiting the UK Government website.

Doctoral Study

If you’re starting a doctoral degree, such as a PhD, you could get a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan to help with course fees and living costs. You can find out more about the value of this loan via the link above. This will likely provide a contribution towards your tuition and living costs rather than cover these costs in full. 

This funding can be available if you are undertaking the course on a full or part-time basis and will be divided equally across each year of study. You can also claim this for distance learning study.

You can usually only apply for this once and cannot get this if you have already achieved a qualification at this level or higher, or are behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.

The loan will be paid directly to you and is to be used for your course fees and living costs. It will be divided equally across each year of your course. You get the first payment after your course start date, once you are fully enrolled and can confirm this with SLC. The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% each year. After your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a letter with your payment dates or you can check them in your online account.

Remember that your support will be in the form of loans, which need to be paid back. Find out how the student loan works, including any interest rates and repayment terms, by visiting the UK Government website.

Students from England – Social Work

Funding for studying Social Work is usually available through the NHS Business Services Authority, but students from England can usually only apply for this when studying an eligible course in England.

You can find out more on the UK Government website or through the NHS Business Services Authority.

Statutory funding for students from Northern Ireland is administered by Student Finance NI.

If you’re starting a full-time or part-time postgraduate Master’s course, a Postgraduate Diploma, or a Postgraduate Certificate, you may apply for a Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan to help with course costs. You can find out more about the value of this loan via the link above. Should your course fee be higher than the amount available, you will remain responsible for meeting the additional costs.

You can usually only apply for this once and cannot get this if you have already achieved a qualification at this level or higher, or are behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.

The loan will be paid directly to the University on your behalf after you are fully enrolled and we confirm your attendance. It will be divided across each year of your course, and is paid in 3 instalments of 25%, 25% and 50% each year. After your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a letter with your payment dates or you can check them in your online account.

Remember that your support will be in the form of loans, which need to be paid back. Find out how the student loan works, including any interest rates and repayment terms, by visiting the UK Government website.

Students from Northern Ireland – Social Work

Students from Northern Ireland are unable to claim the Social Work Bursary if they choose to study outside Northern Ireland. You should read the information in the section above, and contact Student Finance NI to determine your eligibility.

Statutory funding for students from Wales is administered by Student Finance Wales.

Masters Study

If you’re starting a full-time or part-time postgraduate Master’s course you may apply for a Postgraduate Masters Finance package. This is a combination of grants and loans to help with course and living costs. You can find out more about the value of this support package via the link above.

This funding can be available if you are undertaking the course on a full or part-time basis and will be divided equally across each year if it will take you more than 1 year to complete the course. You can also claim this for distance learning courses.

You can usually only apply for this once and cannot get this if you have already achieved a qualification at this level or higher, or are behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.

The loan will be paid directly to you and is to be used for your course fees and living costs. It will be divided across each year of your course. You get the first payment after your course start date, once you are fully enrolled and can confirm this with SLC. The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% each year. After your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a letter with your payment dates or you can check them in your online account.

Remember that your support will be in the form of loans, which need to be paid back. Find out how the student loan works, including any interest rates and repayment terms, by visiting the UK Government website.

Doctoral Study

If you’re starting a doctoral degree, such as a PhD, you could get a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan to help with course fees and living costs. You can find out more about the value of this loan via the link above. This funding can be available if you are undertaking the course on a full or part-time basis and will be divided equally across each year of study. You can also claim this for distance learning study.

You can usually only apply for this once and cannot get this if you have already achieved a qualification at this level or higher, or are behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loan Company.

The loan will be paid directly to you and is to be used for your course fees and living costs. It will be divided equally across each year of your course. You get the first payment after your course start date, once you are fully enrolled and can confirm this with SLC. The loan will be paid in 3 instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% each year. After your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a letter with your payment dates or you can check them in your online account.

Remember that your support will be in the form of loans, which need to be paid back. Find out how the student loan works, including any interest rates and repayment terms, by visiting the UK Government website.

Students from Wales – Social Work

Students from Wales are unable to claim the Social Work Bursary if they choose to study outside Wales. You should read the information in the section above, and contact Student Finance Wales to determine your eligibility.

There are lots of alternative sources of funding, like charities and trusts, that can help finance your studies. These can include grants that can pay tuition fees, living cost support and funding for research expenses so this can be a good avenue to explore whether you have been unable to get funding through the above sources, or a simply looking to top this up.

When searching for additional financial support, it is important to understand that this can take up a lot of time. While there is no guarantee that you will find a source of funds for you, you definitely won’t find anything if you don’t try.

This type of funding can vary from small amounts, such as £200, to larger amounts that might cover your full tuition fee for a year. Most students who achieve success with these types of funds do so because they continually research and apply to everything they can. Numerous grants of £200 can really add up.

It’s also important to remember that most of these funds are competitive, similar to applying for a job. Many people might apply, but there may be only one award available. As such, it is important that you spend time on any application. Carefully follow any guidance notes and make sure your application will stand out in a crowd.

The best place to start exploring this avenue is through our Alternative Trusts and Scholarships page. Click on the link and you will find a lot of resources to help get you started. Just remember, we can’t possibly include every fund on our page, so don’t limit yourself to this page alone.

It's important to remember that you are responsible for meeting the cost of tuition throughout your studies, so if you do not apply for support, are not eligible to receive this, or the support you do receive does not cover your full tuition fee amount, you will be classed as a self-funded student and will be expected to meet this cost yourself.

It's important to plan ahead if you are going to be funding your studies yourself. In most cases, you will be able to spread the cost over the academic year, but that is still an additional monthly expense that you should plan for. You will also be required to pay a deposit at the point you enrol, and enrolment will not be completed until this is done, meaning any student funding you are due to receive will be delayed.

Check out FAQs.

Remember, your full-time student funding is awarded as a contribution towards your living costs, and is not designed to cover the cost of tuition. If you are self-funding, we encourage you think of the tuition fees as another expense you are committing to, and think carefully about how affordable this is for you.

Plan ahead by visiting our Budgeting and Planning web pages.