Masters loan - University of Staffordshire

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Starting a Master's course? A UK government Master's Loan can help cover tuition fees and living costs, whether you study full-time or part-time.

You can access up to £12,858 and won’t need to start repaying the loan until after you graduate and your annual income exceeds £21,000 (the current threshold).

Applying from outside of England?

Funding for a UK government Master’s Loan varies depending on where you live. Since our campuses are in England, this page focuses on students resident in England.

Not from England? Explore funding options for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, EU.

Unsure about residency? Residency typically means living in England for at least 3 years before your course starts.

Find out more

Alumni discount

If you've previously completed a University of Staffordshire undergraduate or postgraduate taught degree (excluding HND and foundation degrees) you may be entitled to a discount of up to 25% off your course fees.

Funding your Master's Degree with a Loan

Considering a Master’s degree? You can apply for a Master’s Loan to help cover your tuition fees and living costs. Here’s what you need to know about eligibility, loan amounts, and payments.

How much can you borrow?

You can apply for a Master’s Loan of up to £12,858, even without a confirmed place and if you have an existing undergraduate loan.
You don’t have to borrow the full amount, you can request a smaller loan to cover tuition fees, living costs, or both.
There’s no minimum loan amount, and you can adjust your request (as long as it’s not less than what’s already been paid) up to one month before the academic year ends.

When and how are payments made?

The loan is paid directly to your bank account in three instalments. For a one-year course, payments are made:

At the course start date (within 3–5 working days after the University confirms your registration).
4 months after the course start date.
7 months after the course start date. For courses lasting 2, 3, or 4 years, payments are spread evenly across the duration of your course.

Eligibility

To qualify for a Master’s Loan, you and your course must meet specific requirements, but don't worry the loan is not means-tested, so your income or savings won’t affect your eligibility.

Personal eligibility

You can apply if you:

Are studying a taught or research Masters course such as an MA, MSc or MBA.
Are under 60 years old (59 or younger) at the start of your course.
Are ordinarily resident in England.
Don’t already hold a Master’s degree or higher qualification (holding a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate is fine, as long as you’re studying a full Master’s degree).
Are not transferring credits from previous study to shorten your Master’s degree.

Course eligibility

Most full-time and part-time Master’s programs (worth 180 credits, including a dissertation or project) are eligible, including:

Full-time courses lasting up to 2 years.
Part-time courses lasting 2–4 years (no more than twice the length of an equivalent full-time course).
Part-time 3-year courses with no equivalent full-time option.

You cannot apply if your course:

Qualifies for an NHS Bursary (even if not awarded).
Is a Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip), PGCE, or integrated Master’s.
Is covered by other student funding schemes.

Unsure about your course? Check our individual course pages or contact us.

Repaying your Master's Loan

Your Master’s Loan is designed to be affordable, with repayments starting only when you’re earning over the repayment threshold.

When do repayments start?

The earliest you’ll start repaying your loan is the April after you finish or leave your course, but only if your annual income is over £21,000 (the current repayment threshold).

How much will you repay?

You'll repay 6% of your annual income over £21,000 each year.
Example: If you earn £30,000 annually, you’ll repay 6% of £9,000 (£30,000 - £21,000), which is about £45 per month.
If your income drops below £21,000, repayments pause until your income rises above the threshold again.

Want to know more?

For further details, including how much you’ll repay and how interest is calculated visit Student Loan Repayment.

How to apply

Applying for a Master’s Loan is straightforward, and you'll only need to apply once, even for courses that last longer than a year.

You can apply online through Student Finance or download and print the application forms to send by post. You don't need to wait for a course offer - you can apply anytime.

The deadline for applying is nine months after the first day of either:

Your first academic year if you’re on a one-year, full-time course
Your second academic year if you’re on a two-year, full-time course or a three or four-year, part-time course

Start your application

Applying from outside of England

Northern Ireland

From Northern Ireland? You can apply for a postgraduate loan through Student Finance NI to help cover your tuition fees for a wide range of programs, including Master’s degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas (PgDips), and Postgraduate Certificates (PgCerts). Here’s what you need to know:

Up to £6,500 towards tuition fees (paid direct to the university)
Open to UK applicants ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland for study anywhere in the UK (as long as the course is not available in Northern Ireland)
Pay back 9% of your annual income when it is more than £24,990

Apply online through the Student Finance NI portal, or go to findamasters.com for further information.

Scotland

From Scotland? You can apply for a postgraduate loan through Student Awards Agency Scotland to help cover your tuition fees for a wide range of programs, including Master’s degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas (PgDips). Here’s what you need to know:

Up to £7,000 towards tuition fees (paid direct to the university)
Up to £6,900 towards living costs (paid to the student)
Open to UK applicants ordinarily resident in Scotland for study anywhere in the UK (as long as the course is not available in Scotland)
Pay back 9% of your annual income when it is more than £31,395

You can apply online through the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website or visit findamasters.com for more information.

Wales

From Wales? You can apply for a combination of loans and grants worth up to £19,255, which you can use towards your course and living costs.

Open to UK nationals resident in Wales / people with EU settled status or indefinite leave to remain, resident in Wales
Pay back 6% of your annual income when it is more than £21,000

You can apply online through the Student Finance Wales portal, or visit findamasters.com for more information.

European Union

.You may be eligible if you're an EU national, or a family member of an EU national. For more information on applying as an EU national, visit findamasters.com.

Got a question?

We're here to help make sense of student finance.

Our enquiries team are on hand to ask any questions you may have about how to apply for a student loan, or other financial matters.