Postgraduate funding guides
Plain answers to the questions people ask before a master's, a law course or a career accelerator: what it costs, what the student loan covers, and the ways to pay.
Law
Student loan for the PGDL
No. The PGDL is a postgraduate diploma, and the Master’s Loan is only for a full master’s. The ways round it, and what they cost.
Read the guide: Student loan for the PGDLFunding the Bar course
The Bar course as a diploma gets no student loan; as an LLM it does. Inns of Court scholarships, the BSB fee, and the ways to pay.
Read the guide: Funding the Bar coursePaying for the SQE
SQE1 is £2,006 and SQE2 £3,086 from September 2026. Which prep courses get the Master’s Loan, and what the loan leaves over.
Read the guide: Paying for the SQELaw conversion: diploma or master’s?
The same conversion content comes as a diploma with no loan, or a master’s with one. How the fees and funding compare.
Read the guide: Law conversion: diploma or master’s?
Technology, data and career accelerators
University career accelerators
Six-month online programmes from King’s, Cambridge and LSE with FourthRev. No student loan, a university certificate, and the ways to pay.
Read the guide: University career acceleratorsUniversity bootcamps
Imperial and Manchester bootcamps with HyperionDev run 12 to 36 weeks and give a certificate of completion. No student loan; the ways to pay.
Read the guide: University bootcampsComputer science conversion MSc
Conversion MScs for non-computing graduates qualify for the Master’s Loan. Fees of £13,550 to £19,200 for 2027 entry, and what the loan leaves.
Read the guide: Computer science conversion MScData science and AI master’s
Fees from £9,630 to £41,900 for 2027/28 among the courses we checked, most within or close to the Master’s Loan. The loan, the gap, and the alternatives.
Read the guide: Data science and AI master’s
Other master’s and degrees
Buckingham two-year degree and the FEA
A £27,750 two-year degree, a Student Finance England loan that stops at £15,660 or £16,310, and a future earnings agreement for the rest. What an FEA is.
Read the guide: Buckingham two-year degree and the FEAPsychology conversion MSc
Psychology master’s we checked cost £7,100 to £30,400, most within the Master’s Loan. Accreditation, part-time routes and the gap.
Read the guide: Psychology conversion MScFunding an MBA
MBA fees of £39,700 to £81,000 for 2027 against a £13,206 loan. Employer sponsorship, school scholarships and what the loan covers.
Read the guide: Funding an MBAFunding a second master’s
If you already hold a master’s, or had a master’s loan before, there is no second loan. What that leaves.
Read the guide: Funding a second master’sMSc Management fees and funding
Thirty-four full-time management master’s compared. Twelve cost less than the loan; the rest leave a gap of up to £37,794.
Read the guide: MSc Management fees and funding
How the funding works
Is the Master’s Loan enough?
The loan is £13,206 for fees and living costs together. Typical fees and living costs, and the gap most people need to plan for.
Read the guide: Is the Master’s Loan enough?Part-time master’s and the loan
Yes, for part-time courses of two to four years that are no more than twice the full-time length. How the loan is paid and repaid part-time.
Read the guide: Part-time master’s and the loanOnline and distance learning
Yes, if you live in England on the first day of the course and stay in the UK. The rule, and which online courses count.
Read the guide: Online and distance learningWhat the Master’s Loan does not cover
Diplomas, certificates, bootcamps, accelerators, top-ups, a second master’s, repeat years, and anyone 60 or over. What to do instead.
Read the guide: What the Master’s Loan does not coverWales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Funding follows where you normally live, not where you study. £19,635 in Wales, £7,000 plus £6,900 in Scotland, £10,000 in Northern Ireland, £13,206 in England.
Read the guide: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Money and planning
Paying without a student loan
Instalments to the university, employer sponsorship, level 7 apprenticeships, scholarships, savings and a StepEx loan. What each involves.
Read the guide: Paying without a student loanScholarships and alumni discounts
Alumni discounts of 10% at Leeds, 20% at Sheffield (capped at £2,500) and 20% at Newcastle. Where to look, and when.
Read the guide: Scholarships and alumni discounts
These guides give general information, not advice. Figures are for UK students and change each year; each guide shows its sources and the date each figure was checked.
Questions about these guides? Contact us.