Help funding your Postgraduate study

Postgraduate study is an investment in your future. To help ensure studying remains affordable, there’s a range of support available.

Whether studying full-time or part-time, you could get a Masters loan to contribute towards your course fees and living expenses. Please note, you will just get one loan rather than separate loans for fees and maintenance costs.

If your course lasts for more than a year, the loan payments will be divided equally across each year of your course.

Who is eligible

You can apply for a Masters loan if you:

• Are studying a taught or research Masters course such as an MA, MSc or MBA

• Are under the age of 60 at the beginning of your course

• Are ordinarily resident in England

• You don’t already hold a Masters or higher qualification (holding a PGDip or PgCert will not affect your eligibility)

Most full and part-time Masters courses are eligible for a postgraduate loan. To check about a specific course, please contact us.

How to apply

You can apply online through Student Finance, either before or during your course (up to nine months into your studies). The loan isn’t means-tested and you’ll start repaying the money when you earn over a certain threshold.

You can still get the Masters loan if you have an existing undergraduate loan.

Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan

If you’re starting a full, standalone doctoral course, such as a PhD or professional doctorate, you could get a postgraduate doctoral loan. Find more details on eligibility criteria and how to apply on our website.

Find out more on the Gov website: https://www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan

Continue your studies with us and receive up to 25% off your postgraduate course fees:

• 25% discount – open to postgraduate students who have recently completed a University of Staffordshire undergraduate degree (excluding HNDs and foundation degrees)

• 10% discount – open to postgraduate students who completed an undergraduate degree with University of Staffordshire more than two years ago

If you are facing financial hardship, you can apply for short-term help from our discretionary Student Success Fund. 

Thanks to generous donations from alumni, businesses, and charitable organisations, we are able to offer a range of bursaries and scholarships. These include:

Creative Opportunity Award – A grant to go towards a student’s end-of-year show

Dr Ruth Thompson Global Teaching Scholarship – A grant to support attendance at a world-class education conference chosen by the Institute of Education

Dr Ruth Thompson PGCE Scholarship for the Teachers of Tomorrow – A scholarship to encourage more people from Staffordshire to train as teachers

Horizon Fund – Postgraduate Employability Award – A bursary support to help students access opportunities

PGCE Bursary – An individual award to help PGCE students from low-income households

The Friends Trust Education Bursary – to support cadets and adult volunteers during their studies

Sports scholarships – available through our High-Performance Academy for talented athletes competing at a regional, national or international level

More information and eligibility criteria.

If you are studying on a pre-registration healthcare course, you may qualify for extra funding. For details of the Health Training Grant and the NHS Learning Support Fund, see our dedicated funding page for healthcare students. 

There are a range of grants available to students, subject to availability and meeting eligibility requirements. These include:

Disabled Students’ Allowance – support for students who incur extra costs as a result of their disability

Student parents and carers – help with childcare costs or caring for adult dependants

Care leavers and estranged students – support for care-experienced students

More details about the grants and funding available.

If you’re a parent or get any form of disability benefit, you might also be eligible to claim state benefits alongside your studies. Book an appointment with our Students’ Union’s Student Advice Team to find out more.