Money matters: postgraduate students 2023/24

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Money matters

Postgraduate students

2023/24 entry

This guide outlines the tuition fees and financial support arrangements for UK students joining a taught Masters degree, postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, MRes or MBA at Edge Hill University between August 2023 and July 2024.

We can help explain what student funding you may be entitled to receive and how to apply for it. You are encouraged to explore all potential sources of additional funding for your postgraduate studies to maximise the total amount you have to support the payment of tuition fees and your living costs.

Introduction

Please note, the information on these pages may be subject to change and does not apply to PGCE/PGDE students.

Unless you are applying for funding to Student Finance Wales, if you are applying to study MSc Midwifery or an MSc Nursing pathway, or if you are applying to study a PGDip Nursing pathway on a full-time basis, for student finance purposes please apply for financial support as if you are an undergraduate Nursing student rather than for postgraduate funding. Student Finance Wales treat MSc Midwifery, MSc Nursing and PGDip Nursing as postgraduate courses.

If you are applying to study a PGDip Nursing pathway on a part-time basis, you will be classed as a postgraduate student for student finance purposes.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate and associated financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our dedicated guide to EU student finance for further information.

Tuition fees and financial support information for overseas students can be found on our international student finance pages.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for postgraduate courses vary depending on the programme and type of study.

We’ve highlighted tuition fees for UK students joining selected postgraduate courses in academic year 2023/24 below.

You can find tuition fees for all postgraduate programmes, including professional development pathways, on individual course pages.

Course	Full-Time Fee	Part-Time Fee
MSc Applied Management of Offending Behaviour	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Applied Sport & Exercise Science	£8,500	£47 per credit
MBA Business Administration (all pathways)	£14,500	£80 per credit
MSc Business and Management	£8,500	£47 per credit
PGCert Business and Management	£2,820	Not applicable
PGDip Business and Management	£5,640	£47 per credit
MSc Child & Adolescent Mental Health & Wellbeing	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Collaborative Performance Practice	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Computing	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Conservation Management	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Creative Writing	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Cyber Security	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Data Science & Artificial Intelligence	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Digital Arts	£8,500	£47 per credit
PGDip Education Mental Health Practitioner for Children and Young People	Funded by Health Education England	Not applicable
Professional Doctorate Education (EdD)	Not applicable	£3,540 a year
Professional Doctorate Emergency Services Management	Not applicable	£3,540 a year
MA Film and Media	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Health Psychology	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA International Creative Enterprise	£8,500	£47 per credit
LLM International Cyber Regulation and Policy	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Marketing Communications & Branding	£8,500	£47 per credit
PGCert Mental Health & Wellbeing Practitioner: Specialist Adult Mental Health	Funded by Health Education England	Not applicable
MSc Midwifery	£9,250 a year	Not applicable
MA Modern History & Culture	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Nineteenth-Century Studies	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Nursing (all pathways)	£9,250 a year	Not applicable
PGDip Nursing (all pathways)	£9,250	Not applicable
PhD Doctor of Philosophy	£5,900 a year	£3,540 a year
MSc Physician Associate Studies	£9,250 a year	Not applicable
MSc Policing and Law Enforcement Investigation	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Psychology (Conversion)	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Psychology in Business	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Psychotherapy and Counselling – Contemporary Creative Approaches	£4,625 a year	£51 per credit
MSc Public Health Nutrition	£8,500	£47 per credit
MRes Masters by Research	£5,500	£3,700 for Year 1, £1,800 for Year 2
MA Safeguarding in Sport	£8,500	£47 per credit
MA Social Sciences (all pathways)	£8,500	£47 per credit
PGCert Social Sciences (Critical Autism Studies)	£2,820	Not applicable
MA Social Work	£8,500 a year	Not applicable
MSc Sport, Physical Activity and Mental Health	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Sports Therapy	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Strategic Leadership in Emergency Services and Law Enforcement	£8,500	£47 per credit
MSc Sustainable Leadership and Management	£8,500	£47 per credit
PGCert Supervision: Children and Young People's Mental Health & Wellbeing	£5,000	Not applicable
MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)	£8,500	£47 per credit

Tuition fees for each academic year must be paid in full upon enrolment or in three equal instalments.

180 credits are required to complete a taught Masters degree (MA/MSc/MBA), 120 credits are required to complete a PGDip and 60 credits are required to complete a PGCert.

Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) Scheme

If you have recently left the British Armed Forces, or are a serving member in the qualifying resettlement phase, you may be eligible to use Enhanced Learning Credits to receive financial support towards the cost of tuition fees.

Edge Hill University is an approved Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) provider, enabling eligible military personnel to potentially receive funding for up to three separate Ministry of Defence financial years (1 April – 31 March) while studying with us.

You can view a list of eligible Edge Hill programmes using the provider search on the Enhanced Learning Credits website. If a course you are interested in is not listed, please email [email protected] for clarification.

Fee remission

If you’ve graduated from Edge Hill University since September 2020 and are enrolling on an eligible postgraduate programme at the University in academic year 2023/24, you could benefit from a reduction in tuition fees.

The fee reduction offer for studying on an eligible taught postgraduate taught course or MRes/LLM research programme is:

50% tuition fee discount for students who completed their final year of undergraduate or PGCE/PGDE study at Edge Hill University in academic year 2021/22 or 2022/23.
20% tuition fee discount for students who completed their final year of undergraduate or PGCE/PGDE study at Edge Hill University in academic year 2020/21.

The fee reduction offer for studying on a PhD or Professional Doctorate is:

50% tuition fee discount for students who completed the final year of their MRes or postgraduate taught course at Edge Hill University in academic year 2021/22 or 2022/23.
20% tuition fee discount for students who completed the final year of their MRes or postgraduate taught course at Edge Hill University in academic year 2020/21.

Eligibility criteria

To meet the criteria of the fee reduction offer, you must:

Have graduated with an undergraduate or PGCE/PGDE award (excluding exit awards) from Edge Hill University since September 2020. You could have completed, for example, a BA/BEng/BSc/LLB (Hons) degree or a foundation degree (FdA/FdSc).
Be joining a full-time or part-time taught Masters degree (MA/MSc/LLM/MBA), Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, MRes, PhD or Professional Doctorate at Edge Hill University in academic year 2023/24.
Have UK resident status. Exemptions to the UK residency criteria may apply for EU students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or who are Irish nationals. Study Abroad students who have studied at least one semester may also be eligible.

This benefit is only offered once per student, with the exception of students progressing to Doctoral study within three academic years of completing a postgraduate taught or MRes award.

You will not be eligible for the fee remission if you are joining an integrated Masters degree (MComp/MEng/MSci/MNSW), PGCE/PGDE, PGDip Education Mental Health Practitioner for Children and Young People, MMed Medicine (all pathways), PGCert Mental Health & Wellbeing Practitioner: Specialist Adult Mental Health, PGCert Medical Leadership, MSc Midwifery, MSc Nursing (all pathways), PGDip Nursing (all pathways), or MCh Surgery (all pathways). You will also not be eligible if you receive a Social Work Bursary or if you are joining PGCert Supervision: Children and Young People’s Mental Health & Wellbeing on a commissioned place where your tuition fees will be paid by Health Education England.

Edge Hill University staff, in addition to postgraduate students returning for the second or subsequent year of a course, which started prior to academic year 2023/24, are excluded. Students in debt to the University are not eligible.

The offer applies to the full duration of the course, excluding any repeated years, but you must be studying a minimum of 60 credits a year, with all modules confirmed at the start of your academic session, to receive the discount. An exception applies for PGCert SpLD (Dyslexia) with AMBDA/ATS, part-time MSc Psychotherapy and Counselling – Contemporary Creative Approaches, MRes, PhD and Professional Doctorate courses only, where course delivery does not allow for a curriculum of 60 credits.

If an external bursary or sponsorship agreement is sought for payment of tuition fees at any point during the programme, the fee remission offer will cease and the full tuition fee will become payable. Please note, if you are joining MSc Physician Associate Studies, receipt of the Health Education England travel grant for this course will not impact on your eligibility for alumni fee remission.

Loans

Postgraduate Loans

Postgraduate Loans are subject to different financial arrangements and eligibility criteria depending on whether you are domiciled in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The information below applies to eligible students domiciled in England only. You should refer to the website of the relevant funding body for loan amounts and eligibility criteria if you are domiciled in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Loan amount

Postgraduate Loans provide up to £12,167 for eligible taught Masters degree (MA/MSc/LLM), MBA or Masters by Research (MRes) programmes at Edge Hill University in academic year 2023/24. If you will be studying part-time over two, three or four academic years, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course.

These non-means-tested awards are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. If you successfully apply for a Postgraduate Loan, the money can be used at your discretion, perhaps as a contribution towards tuition fees and/or other study expenses and living costs.

You can choose the loan amount you wish to receive up to the maximum amount. There is no minimum loan request amount and you can amend the amount requested, providing it is not less than has already been paid, up to one month before the end of the academic year.

Postgraduate Loans will be paid directly into your UK bank account in three instalments across each academic year. The first instalment will typically follow your course start date (subject to confirmation of enrolment). The second and third instalments can be expected after four months and seven months of study respectively and will typically be paid on the last Wednesday of the month.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan you must:

Be a UK student, or have settled status in the UK, and have been ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years on the first day of the first academic year of the course. You must have been most recently resident in England and must not have moved there from elsewhere in the UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man solely for the purpose of attending the course. Temporary absences, such as for education or travelling, should not impact on your eligibility for a Postgraduate Loan.

You must also:

Be joining a taught Masters degree (MA/MSc/LLM), MBA course or Masters by Research degree (MRes). There are no subject restrictions.
Be joining a programme advertised as 1-2 years full-time or up to 4-years part-time. You can take up to two years for the equivalent of a one year full-time course, up to four years for the equivalent of a two year full-time course, or you can study a three year part-time programme with no equivalent full-time course.
Be aged under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course.

You will not be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan if you:

Already hold a Masters qualification (or an equivalent or higher level qualification), even if this qualification was entirely self-funded or achieved outside of the UK. However, possessing lower level qualifications, such as a Postgraduate Diploma or PGCE, will not affect your eligibility for a Postgraduate Loan.
Are studying a 3-year or 4-year part-time programme with a 1-year full-time equivalent or a 4-year part-time programme with no full-time equivalent.
Are joining a programme advertised with a maximum length of study that exceeds four years in length, regardless of the time taken to complete the course on an individual basis.
Are a repeat year student or have already received a Postgraduate Loan (although compelling personal reasons for receiving funding for a repeat year of study may be considered).
Are studying an integrated Masters degree, such as MComp, MEng, MSci or MNSW awards, a PGCE/PGDE, MPhil/PhD, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.
Successfully apply for a Social Work Bursary (MA Social Work students only).
Are undertaking a partial Masters degree as a direct entrant due to recognition of prior learning, where previous study and/or work experience has been taken into account.
Are in arrears to the Student Loans Company or have previously been found to be ‘unfit’ for student support (for example, because of attempted fraud).

Doctoral Loans

The Government is offering Doctoral Loans worth up to £28,673 for eligible English-domiciled PhD and Professional Doctorate students embarking on research programmes.

To be eligible, you must be aged 59 or under, not already hold qualifications at Doctorate level and not be receiving Research Council funding.

Further details about Doctoral Loans can be found at www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan.

Loan repayments

Repayments of Postgraduate Loans and Doctoral Loans are not expected to start until April 2025, subject to you earning above the current repayment threshold of £21,000 a year, from that date.

The amount you repay will be linked to your income. You will be expected to repay 6% of your income that is above £21,000 a year in repayment of Postgraduate Loans and Doctoral Loans, in addition to repayment of any outstanding Tuition Fee Loans or Maintenance Loans from undergraduate study (for which different repayment criteria apply).

So, for example, if your salary is £30,000 a year, the 6% repayment for a Postgraduate Loan would apply to £9,000, meaning you would repay around £45 per month, with the current repayment threshold of £21,000 a year. If your income falls below the repayment threshold, for any reason, you will not have to make repayments until your income rises above this threshold again.

The Government will typically apply interest on your student loans at inflation (Retail Price Index – RPI) plus 3%. Interest will accrue from the date the first loan instalment is paid into your bank account. A Government cap of 7.3% is currently in place until August 2023 on the maximum interest rate that can be applied to most student loans. Further information about student loan repayments is available on GOV.UK.

The Student Loans Company will work with HM Revenue and Customs to collect repayments. Any monies still owed after 30 years will be written off.

If you leave your course early, you will still have to repay your student loans and your entitlement to future postgraduate student finance may be impacted.

Alternative funding

Religious faith may mean taking out student loans and paying the required inflation-based interest is an issue for some students and could be prohibited for religious reasons.

The Government is working towards an alternative Sharia-compliant student finance package for these circumstances. The suggested alternative financial product would result in identical graduate repayments to the current student loan system but would not be interest based.

Further details are awaited from the Government. In the meantime, you may find it useful to contact a local Imam to discuss Sharia-compliant finance if you have any concerns. Alternative sources of funding, while limited, are outlined on our money advice webpages.

Grants

Research Council grants

Research Councils are the main public investors in research in the UK and a potential source of funding for postgraduate study.

Further information about Research Council Grants is available on the UK Research and Innovation website and Prospects website.

Charity and trust funding

Several charities, foundations and trusts offer limited funding to postgraduate students. Typically, you will need to comply with certain specific criteria. Such awards are often made to students from lower income families or those students who have achieved academic excellence. Funding from charities and trusts is unlikely to cover your course fees and expenses in their entirety but may help towards your overall costs.

Turn2Us’ Search for Grants is a useful starting point to identify potential sources of funding or alternatively you can consult publications such as the Educational Grants Directory, Charities Digest, Grants Register, or Directory of Grant Making Trusts to find out more.

Disabled Students’ Allowance

You will not be entitled to a grant to contribute towards your living costs. However, if you have a disability or specific learning difficulty, you may be eligible for support tailored to your individual needs through the Government’s Disabled Students’ Allowance.

Disabled Students’ Allowances are worth up to £26,291 for eligible students in academic year 2023/24. These allowances are designed to help with the cost of specialist equipment (such as computer software), extra travel costs due to a disability, or other support necessary to enable you to study.

The amount you will be eligible to receive will vary according to the intensity of study. You should be aware that £26,291 is the maximum amount and most students get less.

Bursaries

Social Work bursary

If you are joining MA Social Work, you may be eligible to apply for a Social Work bursary, including an annual placement allowance.

Further details of availability and eligibility criteria for the Social Work bursary are still to be announced for academic year 2023/24. In previous years, residency conditions and additional eligibility criteria have applied. While all eligible students could expect to receive the placement allowance, universities were allocated a certain number of Social Work bursary awards and were required to nominate some of their students to receive one. Receipt of a Social Work Bursary was therefore not guaranteed and there was no right of appeal.

Scholarships

A range of scholarships are available to current students which you may be eligible to be considered for once you are enrolled on a postgraduate programme and are studying with us (full-time students only, exclusions apply).

The majority of these scholarships, however, are only available to students enrolled on full-time courses longer than one year in length which excludes many postgraduate courses..

You can also make the most of your student experience and take advantage of career enhancing opportunities by applying for financial support from our Student Opportunity Fund. This fund is available to support both eligible full-time and part-time students.

For more information on the full range of scholarships, including eligibility criteria for each award, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships.

Studentships for research degree students

If you are a prospective research degree student, you may be able to take advantage of the opportunity to study for a fully funded MRes or doctorate while gaining valuable teaching experience by successfully applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistant studentship.

These studentships may waive some or all of the tuition fees (depending on the studentship) and typically include payment for the delivery of undergraduate teaching (or teaching support) duties.

The University usually advertises its Graduate Teaching Assistant studentships on jobs.edgehill.ac.uk early in the calendar year for entry the following October. Other studentships, such as Doctoral Tutor studentships, may also be advertised throughout the year on departmental webpages and at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentships.

How to apply

Fee remission offer

If you are an Edge Hill graduate, your eligibility for the fee remission offer will be assessed during enrolment.

Postgraduate Loans

English-domiciled students can apply for a Postgraduate Loan at www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan. Applications are expected to open in early 2023.

If you are a student domiciled in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you should consult the website of the relevant funding body for further information on the application process:

Doctoral Loans

English-domiciled students can apply for a Doctoral Loan at www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan. Applications are expected to open in early 2023.

If you are a student domiciled in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you should consult the website of the relevant funding body for further information on the application process:

Research development grants

Information about applications for Research Development Grants is available from the UK Research and Innovation body.

Disabled Students’ Allowance

For information on how UK students can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance, you should consult the website of the relevant funding body:

If you feel you may have a support requirement, we encourage you to arrange a confidential chat with a member of Inclusive Services.

Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) Scheme

Further information about making a claim is available at www.enhancedlearningcredits.com. You will need to quote our provider number (2871) on your claim application form.

If your claim application is successful, you will need to present your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN) at enrolment.

Contact us

If you have any queries about tuition fees, the fee reduction offer or scholarships, you can email Academic Registry.

Academic Registry
Email [email protected] or [email protected]
Please note, if you are joining an Education or Health and Social Care professional development programme, you should contact the relevant faculty directly with any tuition fee queries. You can email the Faculty of Education at [email protected] and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at [email protected].

If you have any questions about your eligibility for financial support, or if you wish to receive advice and guidance on applying for funding (including support in completing funding applications), you can get in touch with the Money Advice Team.

Money Advice Team
Email: [email protected]

Alternatively, you can contact the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre.

Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre
Email: [email protected].

Please note, all advice and guidance provided by the University is subject to any information which you choose to impart to us, about your individual circumstances, being correct.

The advice and guidance you receive will be based upon current eligibility criteria from external organisations such as the Student Loans Company. However, if any changes are made to this eligibility criteria by an external organisation, the University cannot be held responsible.

All staff will treat any information you share with them in the strictest confidence.

Further information

Our Student Services webpages includes money advice, including useful tips on how to increase your income and reduce your expenses while at university, together with advice about keeping track of your finances and managing your money effectively.

Student finance resources and information, including a popular discussion forum, for English-domiciled students can be found on The Student Room website.