Postgraduate finance

If you're a UK student, studying full or part-time for your first masters 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. 

The SLC postgraduate loan is paid directly to you by instalment. You are therefore considered a self-funding student if you use the loan to pay your fees. Unless you can pay the tuition fees in full upon receipt of invoice, you will need to set up a payment plan with the University.  

For further details on how to set up a payment plan, view our payment options page.

If you are a UK postgraduate student receiving a loan that spans two years, please send a copy of your loan schedule to [email protected]. The Accounts Receivable Team can then make sure your plan aligns with your loan schedule. 
 

Repayment

How and when you will repay your loan depends on whether you live inside or outside 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.

For information about the funding of research degrees, including through studentships, please see 'Research degree funding and studentships' on our Research Degrees webpage.

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.

If you are intending to fund your studies yourself there are two ways you can do this. You can pay by:

• Single Payment – make a one-off payment for your full fees for the year before enrolment via our secure University Payment Portal using a variety of methods including card and e-wallets.

OR

• Instalments – set up a payment plan within the University Payment Portal to spread the cost of your tuition fee (this can only be done after you have enrolled and have been invoiced for your tuition fee). You can use a UK or International issued card to authorise the University to take payment for your fees on the agreed dates.

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.

Find out how to arrange payment via sponsorship, on our payment options page.

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 [email protected].

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. If you’re paying via instalments, the discount will be apportioned evenly across all of your instalments.

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.

Eligibility criteria

• The 10% discount is available to home and international fee status students.
• Applies to full-time and part-time postgraduate courses, including research degrees.
• Alumni must have completed a bachelor’s degree or postgraduate degree awarded by Kingston University or a predecessor institution.
• Alumni from partner institutions qualify only if their degree was awarded by Kingston University.
• Alumni pursuing a new, unrelated masters or a research degree are eligible, even if they already hold a Kingston postgraduate degree.

Who is not eligible

• International alumni who apply via an educational representative/agent.
• Students on courses invoiced by a partner institution.
• Students undertaking Work Force Development courses or modules.
• Those required to repeat individual modules (modular repeat fees are excluded).
• The discount is not valid on continuation fees for research degrees.

Conditions of use

• Students who withdraw or take a study break will lose their discount and be charged the standard fee, based on their withdrawal date. Further information about withdrawing from your course can be found on the main fees and funding page.
• If a student resumes study, discount eligibility will be reassessed at that time.
• For Research students who change their study mode or take a break, the discount is pro rata.
• Students who transfer to an ineligible course will be re-invoiced for the full standard fee.
• This discount cannot be combined with any other Kingston University alumni, loyalty, faculty, departmental or school discounts.
• Students should retain their original University number throughout their study at Kingston. However, if a new student number is issued, then you may need to contact the Finance team to request the discount.
• The Kingston University Finance Team makes the final decision on discount eligibility.