UK loan options for MA degrees

If you’re interested in studying for an MA and you live in the UK, you could be eligible for a loan to help you fund your studies.

Depending on whether you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, there are different loan options available to help you fund your master's degree.

Here’s a guide to UK master's degree loans:

England

If you live in England, you can apply for a Master’s Loan to help you fund your masters degree. A Master’s Loan can help you with your course fees as well as your living costs while you study. If you have a disability, you can also get extra support with your studies.

With a Postgraduate Master’s Loan, you could be eligible for up to £11,836 towards your tuition fees and living costs, for courses starting on or after 1st August 2022.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a Master’s Loan in England, you need to be:

• Studying either a taught or research-based part-time or full-time master's course with a minimum of 180 credits. Distance learning courses are counted as eligible courses.
• Under 60 years of age on the first day of the first academic year of your chosen course.
• Able to satisfy the nationality/residency requirements.
• Someone who hasn’t already received funding for previous postgraduate studies. If you have, however, you might still be eligible for a Master’s Loan if you weren’t able to complete your previous course due to serious personal reasons, such as an illness or bereavement.

You can find out more about the eligibility criteria for a Master's Loan.

Wales

If you live in Wales and are looking to study either a part-time or full-time masters course, you can apply for Postgraduate Master's Finance. With this option, you could be eligible for up to £17,000 as a combination of a grant and a loan, depending on your income.

Your funding options as part of the Postgraduate Master’s Finance scheme include:

- A maximum grant of £6,885 and a loan of £10,115 if your household income is £18,370 or below.

- A grant of £1,000 and loan of £16,000 if your household income isn’t considered, or is above £59,200.

You can find out how much you can get under the scheme.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for Postgraduate Master’s Finance in Wales, you need to be:

• Able to meet the nationality and residency requirements.
• Under 60 years of age on the first day of the first academic year of your course.
• Studying either a taught or research-based part-time or full-time masters course with a minimum of 180 credits. Distance learning courses are counted as eligible courses.
• Someone who hasn’t already received funding for previous postgraduate studies.

You can find out more about the eligibility criteria for Postgraduate Master's Finance.

Northern Ireland

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to help you fund your masters degree.

The Tuition Fee Loan can cover all or part of your course fees, up to a maximum of £5,500. How much you can get depends on the duration and cost of your chosen masters course.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan in Northern Ireland, you need to be:

• Able to satisfy the nationality and residency requirements.
• Studying for either a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or masters degree. Eligible courses include both part-time and full-time courses (up to a maximum of 3 academic years), as well as distance learning courses.
• Studying either a taught or research-based postgraduate course at a publicly-funded university anywhere in the UK.
• Someone who hasn’t already received funding for previous postgraduate studies. If you have, however, you may still be eligible for the Tuition Fee Loan if you weren’t able to complete your previous course due to serious personal reasons.

You can find out more about the eligibility criteria for the Tuition Fee Loan.

Queen Mary Online offers a range of online masters courses that are eligible for funding if you live in the UK. You can contact our team of course advisers for advice and information on your eligibility and how you can apply.