Postgraduate finance

If you're a UK student, studying full or part-time for your first master’s degree (taught or research), you can apply for a masters loan to cover the fees of your postgraduate course from The Student Loans Company. Postgraduate certificates (PGCerts) and postgraduate diplomas (PGDips) are excluded.

In addition, if you are studying for your first doctoral level degree (PhD or Professional Doctorate), you can apply for a doctoral loan to help with your living costs and tuition fees. 

Repayment

How and when you will repay your loan depends on whether you live inside or outside of the UK:

• if you are living in the UK – your employer will deduct repayments when your salary is the minimum amount.  View government funding repayment information. You must repay any undergraduate student loans you have alongside this.
• if you are living outside the UK – for more than three months after you finish or leave your course, you must let the Student Loans Company know to make arrangements to repay your postgraduate loan

Everyone deserves the chance to study at postgraduate level if they have the potential and drive to do so, no matter their background or financial situation. Here are the scholarships and bursaries available to help you take your study to postgraduate level.

• Bafta UK scholarship
• PGCE bursaries
• The Stationers’ Company bursaries
• Chelsea Arts Club Trust MA Materials and Research Award 
• Gangolli scholarship
• Inspire the Future scholarships 
• Kevin Walsh scholarship
• Niloufar Ebrahim Scholarship
• Postgraduate progression scholarship
• Salutem Care and Education scholarship
• The Kingston MBA Scholarship
• Master of Social Work (MSW) funding

If you’re looking to fund your PhD with Kingston University, some of our doctoral courses offer studentships through one of the six Research Councils or the Arts and Humanities Research Board. However, competition for studentships is fierce. The main funding bodies are:

• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 

• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

• Medical Research Council (MRC)

• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

You can apply for funding through many of these funding bodies via the South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). The SEDarc DTP also offers funding for postdoctoral fellowships. However, you cannot submit an application directly to SEDarc – you must apply through Kingston University or another one of the member universities.

Full and part-time UK and EU postgraduate students who face unexpected financial difficulties can apply for additional help from Kingston University's Student Support Funds. 

Payments may be used to help with course costs, travel, childcare costs or general living costs. In some cases, payments can be used towards tuition fees, provided you have paid at least 50% of the total fees due. As a general rule, you will need to have made financial provision for the majority of your tuition fees and living costs. The funds cannot be used as the main source of funding and are not available to international or EU students.

Full and part-time students who meet the residency criteria can apply. All awards are means-tested and you will need to provide proof of income and expenditure. The fund is discretionary, so not all students who apply will receive an award.

Applications are accepted from October until the beginning of July, or whenever the fund is fully allocated, whichever occurs first. More information about the fund can be found on the student intranet once you have enrolled.

You can pay for your tuition fees by instalment if you have a valid Recurring Card Payment (RCP) set up with the University. Payment via RCP enables you to spread your payments in line with the University's instalment plan, and there is no charge for paying in this way.

This will need to be set up before you can complete your enrolment by visiting our secure site and using either a UK or international issued card.

Remember: An RCP instruction must be in place at least five days prior to the instalment date for us to collect the payment. Ensure you have enough money in your account on the due dates, otherwise your bank or card issuer may make a charge to your account for every default.

It is your responsibility to check that your RCP instruction has been activated. If you wish to cancel your instruction, all you are doing is removing the option to pay by instalments. You will then be required to pay the outstanding balance in full immediately.

You can find more information and FAQs about paying your fees on the central Fees and Funding hub page.

The most convenient way to pay your fees is by using the University's secure payment website.

You can pay using the following cards:

• Delta
• Maestro
• Mastercard
• Solo
• Visa
• Visa Electron
• American Express

You can also pay over the phone if you call +44 (0)20 8417 3333.

You can find information about trusts and charities that offer educational funding from the Scholarship Hub website.

The first step is to write to your chosen trust or charity, giving a summary of your situation. If you fit its funding criteria, the organisation will send you an application form.

You should include the following details in your letter:

• the title and starting year of your course
• your age and place of birth
• brief details of your previous studies
• a brief explanation of your financial difficulties and why you're applying
• your estimated financial requirements
• how your studies will benefit yourself or others

Make sure your letter is well presented. You might also need to get a reference from your course tutor so make sure they'll support your application.

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees, the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

Before you enrol, we must receive notification of sponsorship, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.

If you are sponsored by a company or organisation, we will require notification of this to be provided via a completed Tuition fees sponsorship agreement form (PDF).  

We do, however, understand that there are some embassies that will only provide notification by letter. In those instances, this will be accepted as an alternate to the sponsor form, provided it is on the embassy's headed paper, is signed by an authorised officer and contains the following information:

• your full name (and University ID number if known)
• the amount (or percentage) of tuition fees the sponsor wishes to pay on your behalf for this academic year
• the name of the person to whom the invoice must be addressed and the address where the invoice should be sent
• the reference number (or purchase order number) to be quoted (if applicable)
• a valid email address for any overseas sponsor

See our Example sponsor letter (PDF). 

Sponsorship forms

Before enrolment to Kingston University, you must upload your completed sponsor form or letter to our Online Student Information System (OSIS).

Please note:

• the University reserves the right to reject a sponsor
• the University may conduct credit checks in full upon the sponsor
• notification of sponsorship is required for each academic year of study
• payment by a sponsor is due on receipt of invoice; there is no instalment option for sponsor payments

Remember, it remains your responsibility to ensure that the Accounts Receivable team has received notification of your sponsorship. The University will not be able to invoice your sponsor until we have received notification from them with all the relevant information.

If your sponsor fails to pay on receipt of invoice, or they withdraw their support at any point in the year, then you will be responsible for any outstanding fees at that point and the University will hold you liable for that amount. You will also be subject to the University's debt recovery procedures.

Disabled students may qualify for additional financial support through the Disabled Students' Allowance. This can provide extra help with:

• specialist equipment
• non-medical helpers, such as sign-language interpreters
• additional travel costs

The Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is not means tested. The amount that you will receive depends entirely on the nature of your disability and the extra costs that you have.

How to apply

You can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) before you begin your course. For details, contact Student Finance England.

An assessment of your disability will be made and a report will be sent to Student Finance England, who will allocate an amount according to your needs. You may also be able to obtain help with your travel expenses, if they are higher as a result of your disability.

For more information, visit our disability and mental health support page.

All current Kingston University students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties (SPLDs) can apply for help towards the cost of an educational psychologist's assessment if they do not already have a post-16 assessment. You will need to have been referred for an educational psychologist's assessment by the disability and mental health advisers at Kingston University. 

For more information, get in touch with the disability and mental health advisers on 020 8417 7314 or email disability@kingston.ac.uk.

The discount is awarded by the invoicing team and is usually an automatic process. However, there may be some cases where you may need to provide evidence of your previous award, if you do not receive the discount.

When completing your application to study, you will be asked to state your previous course at Kingston University and to supply your Kingston University ID number, if applicable.

If you are eligible, the discount will be applied to your course fees invoice. Or, if you're paying in instalments, your final instalment will be reduced by the value of the discount. 

Please note: you will receive an invoice for the full course fee. The discount is applied as a credit to this invoice shortly afterwards. You will receive a separate credit note via email.

In order to be eligible for the discount, please ensure you make us aware of your previous study when completing the online enrolment process. Any amendments to the information you’ve supplied about your previous study must be provided within 10 days of your registration at Kingston University and not later than 14 October (for September starts) or 3 February (for January starts).

• This discount of 10% applies to home and international fee status students.
• This discount is offered on full-time and part-time postgraduate courses.
• This discount is not available to international alumni who have applied to Kingston University using an educational representative/agent.
• The alumni discount generally applies to holders of a masters award who choose to study a new, unrelated masters or a research degree.
• Alumni that have completed a Kingston University degree at partner institutions do qualify for the discount, provided the degree awarded was a Kingston University (or predecessor institution) bachelor's degree.
• This discount cannot be combined with any other alumni or loyalty discounts offered by Kingston University, including faculty, department or school discounts that may be available.
• Alumni who have completed an undergraduate and postgraduate degree at Kingston are still eligible for the discount on additional postgraduate courses. In order to be eligible for the discount, ensure you include details of your Kingston University degree(s) on your application.
• This discount applies to research fees. There is no discount available on the writing up fee. The discount will be pro-rata for changes in research study mode or breaks in study.
• Students that withdraw or take a break in their studies will no longer be eligible for the discount and will therefore be liable for the relevant percentage of the full course fee determined by the date of their withdrawal or break. Further information about withdrawing from your course can be found on the main fees and funding page. Discount eligibility will be reassessed upon a resumption of study following a break.
• Students transferring to a course that is ineligible for the discount will be re-invoiced for the full fee due.
• This discount does not apply to any modular repeat fees.
• This discount does not apply to Work Force Development modular or course fees.
• This discount does not apply to courses invoiced by a partner institution.
• Final decisions on eligibility will be determined by the finance team.