Government grants and loans

If you want to apply for a postgraduate course at Brighton and are unsure if you can meet your tuition fee or living costs, the government have two loan schemes for postgraduate students which could help: the masters loan scheme and the postgraduate doctoral loan.

There is also a range of other funding packages available to postgraduate students including teaching training bursaries and grants.

Students talking

Postgraduate masters loan

You can apply for a postgraduate masters loan from Student Finance England to help fund your course or living expenses, if you are:

  • a UK national or Irish citizen or have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (gov.uk) or indefinite leave to remain (no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK)
  • normally living in England
  • living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland for 3 continuous years before the first day of your course
  • under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course.

You may also be eligible if you have another immigration status including pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you meet certain criteria. Information for other students who may be eligible and full details of eligibility criteria can be found at Master’s Loan Eligibility (gov.uk).

If you have a loan from a previous undergraduate course, it will not affect your eligibility for a postgraduate master's loan.

The government has yet to confirm the amount you can borrow for a course in academic year 2025–26. As an indication, the amount available in academic year 2024–25 was £12,471.

Further details on what is available, and eligibility can be found on the Student Finance England website.

More information about the loan scheme is available on:

Postgraduate courses eligible for the undergraduate student loans package

Postgraduate students on designated, non-salaried PGCE courses and postgraduate pre-registration healthcare courses should apply for the undergraduate student finance package, even though they are studying for a postgraduate course.

Additional funding for postgraduate teacher training courses

You may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship when training to teach. Details of eligible subject areas and personal eligibility criteria can be viewed on the Train to Teach website.

Pre-registration allied health professions courses (including podiatry)

Eligible full-time students starting a postgraduate pre-registration course in the allied health professions from academic year 2025–26, will be able to apply for the standard undergraduate student support package of loans to cover tuition fees and living costs.

Eligible students starting in academic year 2025–26 may also receive a University of Brighton bursary.

Eligible new and continuing students studying undergraduate and postgraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and some allied health can apply to the NHS Learning Support Fund, for additional funding including a Training Grant of £5,000 each academic year.

Further details can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority website.

Postgraduate doctoral loan

If you are starting you doctoral degree in academic year 2025-26, you can apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan to help with course fees and living costs. Details of the amount you can borrow from September 2025-26 have yet to be confirmed by the government. As a guide, the amount available in academic year 2024–25 was up to £29,390.

You can apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan in any year of your course. But if you apply after your first year, you might not get the maximum amount.

Further details are available about doctoral loans on the gov.uk website.