Master's Loans, scholarships, bursaries
Loans, discounts and bursaries
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).
Postgraduate Open Days
Get to know us better at one of our events and experience life as a postgrad at Portsmouth.
Watch a recent funding webinar
Hear from our in-house Student Finance Team to make sure you’re in the know about available funding options, as well as application and repayment processes.
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 £12,858 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.
£2,000 Postgraduate Solutions Study Bursaries
Postgrad Solutions are currently offering 5 Bursaries towards postgrad study for those starting in 2024, worth £2,000 each.
Students from all courses and subject areas are invited to apply, regardless of your chosen study mode or whether you're in receipt of wider funding.
For the majority of cases, payment will be made direct to your institution and discounted from your tuition fees. In some circumstances payment can be put towards student living costs and accommodation. You'll need to have accepted your offer of study at your chosen institution to be considered. The closing date for all entries is Monday 30th September 2024.
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. Please note if you receive the MSc Social Work bursary you are not eligible for the Postgraduate Master's Loan.
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.
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 and scholarships
If you train to teach at a secondary school in 2025/26, you may be able to get a bursary of up to £29,000 from the Department of Education on the following courses:
- English
- Geography
- Mathematics
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Scholarships are offered by independent charitable institutions. They set their own eligibility criteria and you’ll need to apply through the relevant scholarship body. The following PGCE courses are eligible for scholarships:
- Chemistry
- Languages (French, German or Spanish only)
- Maths
- Physics
Further Education and Skills PGCE and CertEd bursary
If you study to become a teacher in further education on our Further Education and Skills PGCE or CertEd in 2025/26, you may be eligible for a bursary or grant awarded by the Department for Education.
If you're not already working in teaching or further education and you'll be studying either of these courses full-time, you may be able to get a pre-service bursary. Pre-service bursaries, paid to you, are available in the following subjects:
- Mathematics - £31,000
- Science (including chemistry, physics and biology) - £31,000
- Engineering (and/or manufacturing) - £31,000
- Computing - £31,000
- SEND - £15,000
- English (capped at 100 places) - £10,000
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. (Choose the ‘I am a prospective student’ option and enter our PIN – 7517 – and your email address to get your username and password.)
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
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.
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.
Financial support
Other sources of funding are available for students with a disability, parental responsibilities or students who have been in care. If you have questions or want to speak someone to find out more, you can contact our in-house Student Finance Centre at student.finance@port.ac.uk.
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.