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Postgraduate loans in England

Postgraduate Loans have enabled more than 10,000 students to study with the OU since 2016.

They’re not means-tested and are paid directly to you to support your study costs.

What is a postgraduate loan?

Administered and applied for through Student Finance England, a postgraduate loan is a non-means-tested maintenance loan paid directly to you. That means, if you study towards a masters degree and don’t already hold a masters degree or higher qualification, you could be eligible for up to £11,836 of funding.

The loan starts getting paid to you after you start studying, which means you’ll need to register and complete payment by an alternative method in order to begin your studies.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a postgraduate loan, you must:

  • be studying a full masters degree of a minimum of 180 credits that started August 2016 or later – you won’t be eligible if you’re studying towards a postgraduate certificate or diploma
  • not be linking credit transfer from a PGCE, PGCert or PGDip lower-level course
  • be only transferring credit for which you received a postgraduate loan, after 1st August 2016
  • living in England
  • aged under 60 when the course starts
  • studying towards a masters that can be completed in no more than three years and not already hold a masters degree or higher qualification.

How do the payments work?

You can receive up to £11,836. If you're studying for three or more years and apply for the maximum loan available, you'll receive up to £3,941.39 in the first year and the rest in the second and third years. The loan will be paid directly to you rather than to us.

For you to receive your first instalment, The Open University is required to confirm to Student Finance England that you are actively studying. We will do this on or after your module start date. Actively studying includes logging onto your module website and completing module activities, or submitting a Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA).

This example is for a £11,836 loan for a three-year course starting in October. Alternative payment schedules will apply to different qualification start dates and durations.

  October January April
Year 1 £1,312.48 £1,312.48 £1,316.43
Year 2 £1,312.48 £1,312.48 £1,316.43
Year 3 £1,316.42 £1,316.42 £1,320.38

 

Money paid directly to you

Postgraduate loans are paid directly to you as the student after you’ve started your studies.

You could get up to £11,836 over the duration of your qualification to help you with your study costs.

How do repayments work?

You’ll start repaying your loan the April after you stop studying.

Repayments will only start once you earn £21,000 or more per year. Once you’re earning £21,000 and over, you’ll pay back 6% of your income over the £21,000 threshold in affordable monthly instalments.

For example, if you’re earning an annual salary of £25,000 a year, you’ll pay £20 per month towards your loan. Interest will be applied to your loan at the Retail Price Index plus 3%, starting from the date you receive the first instalment.

Any loan repayments will be in addition to any repayments you’re making towards an undergraduate loan from Student Finance England.

How to apply

You’ll need to apply directly through Student Finance England. They’ll also be able to provide further information about postgraduate loans and assess your eligibility. As long as you started your masters after 1st August 2016, you can apply for a postgraduate loan up to 9 months after the start of the final year of your qualification.