Postgraduate funding

Postgraduate loans

Postgraduate students are able to apply for a postgraduate loan from the UK government. The postgraduate loan is not income assessed.

Loans are available for both taught and research master's programmes (MA, MSc, MBA, MREs, LLM and MPhil) and cover all subject areas.

Eligible new postgraduate students can borrow up to £12,471 to pay for any costs (ie, accommodation and tuition fees) associated with their study.

Full-time, part-time and distance learning modes of study are all included.

Postgraduate loans are not available for postgraduate certificates or postgraduate diplomas. You cannot apply for a loan if you have already gained a qualification at master's (or higher) level.

Download our postgraduate funding factsheet

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on how to apply, how to repay your loan and eligibility criteria.

Discounts for Solent University graduates

Solent University offers graduates a generous discount on postgraduate study.

Solent alumni are eligible for a 20% reduction of tuition fees if returning to study a postgraduate course.

Discounted fees

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to help UK, EU and international students to pay for their postgraduate education. Follow the link below to find out more about academic merit scholarships.

Scholarships

Doctoral loans

Postgraduate doctoral loans are available for eligible students from the UK Government, and can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course, such as a PhD. Whether you qualify depends on your course, your age and your nationality/residency status. You may also be eligible for extra support if you have a disability.

You have to repay your postgraduate doctoral loan at the same time as any other student loans you have. You’ll be charged interest from the day you get the first payment. You will be able to apply for funding for the 2018 to 2019 academic year in summer 2018.

Full information is available on the GOV.UK website.

Other sources of postgraduate funding

A range of charities and commercial organisations run their own postgraduate bursaries. Some may require you to demonstrate eligibility by producing a written application, short video or other creative project. Others will simply require you to apply online. Some useful links are included below:

The University also subscribes to the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding. The Guide has information on alternative sources of funding - especially charities - which can make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any student, regardless of subject or nationality. The Alternative Guide Online contains a database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance, and numerous tools to help you prepare a grant application. The Guide is free to use for all students and staff with a Solent log-in. If you are a prospective student who has applied to the University, please email research.admissions@solent.ac.uk to request a PIN to give you access to this resource.

International students may be eligible for funding through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.