Funding for UK Students

September 2010 and January 2011 entry

Postgraduate study is an exceptionally good way to develop your skills, expand your knowledge and improve your career prospects. There are several ways to help fund your studies and give yourself a headstart when it comes to looking for work.

Access to Learning Fund

This is a non-repayable award, intended to provide help to students who encounter financial difficulties during their studies. It is not intended to meet the bulk of the funding. If you encounter financial difficulties, you can apply for grants from this fund, ranging between £100 to £750.

Professional and Career Development Loans

Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans that can be used to help pay for work related learning. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work). The Learning and Skills Council will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries. Because the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should only be considered as an option once all other student funding options have been investigated.

For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Careers Advice on 0800 100 900. To apply for a PCDL you will need to quote our learner provider number which is 7158.

Discounts

Alumni discount

Students with a first degree from BU can now claim a discount of 15% on our postgraduate course fees.

A further 5% discount is available to students who pay the full tuition fee at or before enrolment, giving a total saving of up to 20%.

Simply include your existing BU degree details in your postgraduate study application and the discount will be applied as soon as your entitlement has been confirmed.

Early payment discount

If you pay your tuition fee on or before enrolment you will also be able to claim a 5% early payment discount. Terms & conditions apply.

Scholarships

UK and EU students can benefit from can benefit from an Academic Achievement Scholarship of £1,000. These will be awarded to those applicants enrolling on to postgraduate degrees, having met the conditions relating to the offer and who have achieved a first class Honours degree.

We also offer Scholarships in recognition of excellence in Music and Sports.

Self-financing

A straightforward approach to funding your postgraduate studies would be to finance them yourself. This could involve taking a loan from your bank or shopping around for a loans company that can offer you competitive rates and repayments. Remember postgraduate degrees can be time-consuming and demanding and you may not be able to spend too long working, so make sure you will be comfortable making the repayments. Similarly, you may be able to negotiate an increased overdraft with your bank to help finance your studies, or use savings to invest in your future. BU has a team of advisors on hand to help you with your budgeting. You can contact them via the Students' Union.

Your employer

If you are currently in employment and your postgraduate study will increase your knowledge in that field and enable you to operate more efficiently, your employer may be happy to contribute. This could cover some or all of your costs.

For more information, see Prospects - funding my further study or contact the Student Financial Support Advisers on +44 (0)1202 969696 or via email at: askBUstudents@bournemouth.ac.uk.

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Bournemouth University

Postgraduate / UK funding