Loans, scholarships and bursaries
Master's and postgraduate taught
There are many ways to finance your postgraduate studies with us. The funding avenues open to you vary depending on several factors, starting with what you choose to study. Explore what financial support you could get for your postgraduate degree here.
Most postgraduates pay for their studies using loans, scholarships and bursaries, and often a combination of the three. In case you're not sure – loans need to be repaid (depending on what you earn after graduating), but scholarships and bursaries don't.
If you're applying for an undergraduate (Bachelor's) course or postgraduate research programme, or you're an international student, we also have information on undergraduate scholarships and bursaries, funding a postgraduate research degree and scholarships for international students (including our Transition Scholarship for EU students).
Loans, discounts and bursaries
Government Postgraduate Master's Loan
Most students fund their Master’s degree with a Government Postgraduate Master's Loan, which you can use to fund your tuition fees, living costs and other course costs. The loan is paid directly to you.
These loans aren’t based on your income or your family’s income, so you can choose how much you borrow, up to a maximum of £11,570 per course. You'll start repaying your loan after your course, once your annual income is more than £21,000. The loan starts accruing interest from the day you receive the first payment.
How to apply
If you’re an English national, you can apply for a Government Postgraduate Loan online through Student Finance England. If you’re a Welsh national, apply online through Student Finance Wales.
Alumni discounts
If you've studied at the University of Portsmouth on an undergraduate programme before, you may be able to get a 20% discount off your course tuition fee – use our alumni discount checker to see if you're eligible for this scholarship.
£3,000 Master's discounts
Scholarships for new students
Courses starting in September/October 2021
You need to have applied for the scholarship by 30 June 2021. Scholarships will be allocated and students notified by 30 July 2021.
Courses starting in January/February 2021
To be considered for this Master’s Scholarship you must be a UK student and:
- accept an offer on a full-time (including distance learning) MA, MSc, MPA, MRes or LLM course by 26 November 2021, to start in January/February 2022
- achieve, or have already achieved, a first-class honours degree
For more information, please visit our Master's Scholarships for new students page.
Scholarships for 2021 Portsmouth graduates
Courses starting in September/October 2021
To be considered for this Master's Scholarship you must:
- be classed as a UK fee-paying student
- achieve a first or upper second (2:1) honours degree from Portsmouth
- accept an offer on a full-time (including distance learning) MA, MSc, MPA, MRes or LLM course before Wednesday 1 September 2021 to commence in September/October 2021
Courses starting in January/February 2021
To be considered for this Master’s Scholarship you must be a UK student, achieve a first or upper second (2:1) honours degree and:
- accept an offer on a full-time (including distance learning) MA, MSc, MPA, MRes or LLM course before 26 November 2021, to start in January/February 2022
For more information, please visit our Master's Scholarship for current students page.
Master's in Architecture Funding
If you’re studying MArch Architecture, you can usually get undergraduate student funding instead of postgraduate funding, but you'll need to start your MArch course within 3 years of completing your undergraduate degree. Email our Student Finance Team for more details – student.finance@port.ac.uk.
Faculty of Business and Law Scholarship
This scholarship awards a 40% discount off any tuition fee relating to a full-time or part-time 180 credit postgraduate course in our Faculty of Business and Law. It excludes distance learning or 'top up' courses. See our Faculty of Business and Law Scholarship page for more information.
MSc Social Work bursary
If you’re a UK student studying an MSc in Social Work, you may be able to get a bursary from the NHS Business Services Authority. The bursary consists of a basic grant of up to £4,052 towards course tuition fees and £3,362 towards your living costs. You might also get a further maintenance grant of up to £2,721. You can apply for this bursary on the NHS Business Services Authority website.
Other sources of Master's funding
Charitable grants and bursaries
Some organisations, charities and trusts offer bursaries and grants. These are often given to high-performing students or people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
You can search for sources of Master’s funding from charities, trusts and foundations on The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding website. To register, you'll need your email address and our PIN – 7517.
You can also use the following publications to search for grants. You can access these at local libraries:
- Educational Grants Directory
- Charities Digest
- Grants Register
- Directory of Grant Making Trusts
Postgrad Solutions
Postgrad Solutions now offer 15 bursaries across a number of subject areas. Visit their website to find out more and apply.
Staff discounts
If you or one or both of your parents works at the University, you can get a 30% discount on course fees. Email income@port.ac.uk to check you're eligible before applying for a course.
PGCE funding
If you’re doing a PGCE, you can get undergraduate student funding, such as a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan to fund your course. Depending on your circumstances and the course you choose, you may also be eligible for one of the following bursaries. You won’t need to pay these back.Secondary PGCE Bursaries
If you’re training to teach at a secondary school in 2021/2022, you may be able to get a bursary of up to £26,000 from the Department of Education. The amount you receive depends on the subject you study and how well you did in your undergraduate degree.
You can apply for the bursary if you plan on studying one of the following PGCE courses:
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Science
Research degree and PHD funding
To find out how to fund your research degree or PHD, see our funding your research section. You'll find details about research council studentships and bursaries, plus guidance on finding a funded PhD project at Portsmouth.
Financial support
Other sources of funding include financial support for postgraduate students with dependants and financial support for disabled postgraduates.
