Postgraduate loans for master’s students

If you’re coming to Manchester this year to begin master's study, you could qualify for a loan from the UK government.

The maximum loan for students starting courses on or after 1 August 2024 is £12,471, which is paid directly to you and is non-means tested.

Who can apply?

UK students living in England

• The loan is available to UK or Irish nationals, or those who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or there are no restrictions on how long you can stay.
• You normally live in England.
• You have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland for three continuous years before the first day of your course, apart from temporary absences such as going on holiday.
• UK applicants from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man who move to England solely for the purpose of attending the course will not be eligible.

You may also be eligible if you’re a UK national (or family member of a UK national) living in the UK, the EU, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past three years, who either:

• returned to the UK on or after 1 January 2018 and by 31 December 2020 after living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein;
• was living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein on 31 December 2020.

EU nationals or a family member of an EU national

You may be eligible if you’re an EU national or a family member of an EU national, and:

• you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme;
• you’ve lived in the UK, Gibraltar, EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past three years (also known as ‘ordinarily resident’);
• you are studying at a university or college in England.

You could also be eligible if you’re:

• the child of a Swiss national and you and your parent have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme;
• a migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein with pre-settled status, or a family member of a migrant worker where both have pre-settled status;
• a resident of Gibraltar who is a UK or EU national, or your family member.

You may also be eligible with another residency status, see the gov.uk website for full details.

You will not be eligible if:

• you already receive payments from student finance for another course;
• you have received a postgraduate master’s loan before, unless you received a Disabled Students’ Allowance, or you left your course due to illness, bereavement or another serious personal reason;
• you already have a master’s degree or a qualification that’s equivalent or higher;
• you’re behind in repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.

What courses are included?

Eligible courses at Manchester include LLM, MA, MEd, MBA, MEnt, MPhil, MRes, MSc, MSc by research, MusM.

Intercalating medical students taking a master’s course are eligible to apply. Medical students should note that if they plan to intercalate and take a master’s course between Years 2 and 3, they will not be eligible for undergraduate tuition fee loans when they return to Year 3 of their medical degree. However, there will be no interruption to funding if they intercalate between Years 3 and 4.

Courses not included are postgraduate certificates/diplomas (PGCert, PGDip, PGCE), integrated undergraduate master’s (MChem, MMath), Master of Architecture (MArch), doctoral degrees, and those already funded via an NHS or social work bursary.

How long are the courses?

• full-time for one or two academic years;
• part-time and last for two to four academic years (up to twice as long as the equivalent full-time course);
• part-time for three years if it does not have a full-time equivalent;
• you can also study via distance learning.

What are the repayments?

The UK repayment threshold currently stands at £21,000. Repayment amounts are 6% of income above the relevant threshold. 

For full details on repayment of student loans please visit the gov.uk website.

How do I apply?

The application process usually opens in the May/June before a course’s September start date.

You can apply online on the UK government’s website. We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that you receive your loan for the start of your course.

If you’re unable to see your chosen course at Manchester, please contact the University’s Student Finance team using our online enquiry form.