Postgraduate Funding >

Funding a postgraduate course has always been difficult. Competition for funding is fierce and normally only students with good undergraduate degrees (2:1 and above) are considered. There are different sources of funding available according to your domicile as follows:

 

Arts and Humanties Research Board

The Arts and Humanities Research Board provides awards for two categories of postgraduate student:

  • those pursuing full-time postgraduate diploma/masters courses in certain practice-based, professional and vocational areas of study, including art and design.
  • those pursuing practice-based doctoral research in subjects such as art and design and the performing arts.

For more information and applications forms contact the AHRB directly:

Postgraduate Awards Division, Arts and Humanities Research Board
Whitefriars
Lewins Mead
Bristol
BS1 2AE

+44 (0) 117 987 6543
www.ahrb.ac.uk

 

Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan (PTFL)

The current Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme (PSAS) is to be replaced in academic year 2012-13 with a repayable student loan model.

There will be no formal nomination process as all eligible students will be able to apply direct to SAAS for a non-means tested loan.  There will be no limit to the number of eligible students who can apply for this support.

The application form will be available to download from the SAAS website at www.saas.gov.uk  from April 2012.

Q & A

  •  What is an eligible student?

New Scottish domiciled and EU students undertaking an eligible postgraduate course for the 2012/13.  You must not have received support from UK public funds for a previous vocational postgraduate course.  Or, if you are an EU national you have not received support from another EU country.

  •  Will a student require to have an offer of a postgraduate place before they can apply for a loan?

 Yes, all applicants must send a clear copy of their unconditional offer together with their application form to SAAS before their loan can be assessed.

  •  What are eligible courses?

There will be no change to the eligible course list for 2011/12 which is available on the SAAS website.  Should an institution wish to offer an eligible full-time course on a part-time basis (in 2012/13) then a PTFL would be available.

  •  Will EU students be eligible to apply for a PTFL?

Eligible EU students who apply for a PTFL are subject to the same student loan repayment terms as any Scottish domiciled student.  Under the terms of student loan legislation, this means that EU students will need to apply for a UK National Insurance number to be eligible for a PTFL.  Students in this position should  phone the National Insurance Office on 0845 600 0643 to arrange this.  Please make sure your EU students are aware of this if they wish to apply for a PTFL from SAAS. 

  • Who will carry out eligibility checks on the students who apply for the loan?

 SAAS will continue to carry out full eligibility checks.

  •   What will the closing date be for applications?

 31 March 2013 for the 2012/13 session.

  •  What will happen in respect of those postgraduate students who apply for a PTFL but do not complete the course?

SAAS will capture this information from the attendance data provided by the Institutions.  If students withdraw before the cut off date (1 December) then no fees are payable by SAAS although the institution may charge the student a fee which they are liable to pay themselves.  Where students withdraw after the fee cut off, the institutionmaycharge the full fee amount (up to £3,400 for full-time and up to £1,700 for part-time) or a reduced fee. In these cases the student will still receive a fee loan. 

 

 Other Sources of Funding

If you are eligible, there are other alternative sources of funding in existence, in the form of grants and trusts. If you require further guidance on this please contact Student Welfare in for assistance in the first instance.