Master's loans for 2025-entry
If you are undertaking your first master's degree, a Postgraduate Master's Loan may be available to you from the UK government to contribute towards your course fees, your living costs, or both.
Please note that details for students starting in 2025 have not yet been released in full by the UK government. All figures and eligibility criteria on these pages refer to those who started in 2024, unless stated otherwise, and will be updated when further information is available.
How much is available?
The type and amount of support you can apply for depends on where you are ordinarily resident.
England (and Republic of Ireland)
You can apply for a loan of up to £12,858 which you can use towards your course and living costs. This figure has been confirmed for students starting in 2025/26.
If you’re studying for two, three or four academic years, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course.
This loan is paid into your bank account in three instalments during the academic year.
Wales
You can apply for a loan of up to £19,255 which you can use towards your course and living costs. This figure has been confirmed for students starting in 2025/26.
If you’re studying for two, three or four academic years, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course.
This loan is paid into your bank account in three instalments during the academic year.
Scotland
You will only be eligible for support if you are studying on a full-time basis.
You can apply for a tuition fee loan of up to £7,000. This is paid directly to the University.
Students can also apply for a loan of up to £6,900 towards living costs. This is paid into your bank account in regular instalments during the academic year.
If your course is one year in duration, you can receive the maximum loan in that year. If you are studying for two academic years then your loan is divided equally across each year of your course.
Northern Ireland
You can apply for a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500. This is paid directly to the University.
If your course is one year in duration, you can receive the maximum £6,500 in that year. If you are studying for two or three academic years, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course.
More information
You can find details about eligibility, application and repayment in the sections listed across the top of this page. An overview of Postgraduate Master's Loans and details of how to apply is available from your regional funding agency's website:
Who is eligible?
Full eligibility details can be found on your regional funding agency’s website:
- Student Finance England
- Student Finance Wales
- Student Awards Agency for Scotland
- Student Finance Northern Ireland
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2021, the UK government has confirmed that EU, other EEA, and Swiss Nationals will be eligible for student finance from the UK government if they have UK citizens’ rights (i.e. if they have pre-settled or settled status, or if they are an Irish citizen covered by the Common Travel Area arrangement). The support you can access from the government will depend on your residency status. Further details on eligibility can be found on the UK government website. Those students resident in England and the Republic of Ireland who are eligible to apply to Student Finance England for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan should refer to the England information across these Master’s Loans pages.
Course eligibility
The information in this section is presented as a guide only. You should refer to your regional funding agency's website for further details.
England
Taught, research or professional stand alone master’s courses in any subject (eg MSt, MSc, MSc(Res), MPP, MBA, MPhil). Funding is not available for those students undertaking a partial master’s course requiring a lesser number of credits as a result of previous study.
Eligible postgraduate master’s courses must be either 1 or 2 years full-time in duration or 2 to 4 years part-time at a minimum 50% intensity of full-time. 2 and 3 year part-time courses with no full-time equivalent are also eligible, with no minimum intensity requirement. Funding is not available to students undertaking a part-time modular course with an advertised duration of 2 to 4 years.
Please note that if you were to transfer from a Masters course to a Doctoral course you would not be eligible to continue to receive any remaining Postgraduate Masters Loan instalments and would also not be eligible to receive a Postgraduate Doctoral loan.
Wales
Taught, research or professional stand alone master’s courses in any subject (eg MSt, MSc, MSc(Res), MPP, MBA, MPhil). Funding is not available for those students undertaking a partial master’s course requiring a lesser number of credits as a result of previous study.
Eligible postgraduate master’s courses must be either 1 or 2 years full-time in duration or 2 to 4 years part-time. Students wishing to apply for a postgraduate loan for a part-time modular course with an advertised duration of 2 to 4 years should contact student.funding@admin.ox.ac.uk and we can then make arrangements for the appropriate course to be set up with Student Finance Wales.
Please note that if you were to transfer from a Masters course to a Doctoral course you would not be eligible to continue to receive any remaining Postgraduate Masters Loan instalments and would also not be eligible to receive a Postgraduate Doctoral loan.
Scotland
The course must be a taught or research master's programme or a postgraduate diploma, studied on a full-time basis.
Eligible postgraduate master’s courses must be either 1 or 2 years in duration. Diplomas should be no longer than 1 year in duration.
Please note that there is no provision for part-time study undertaken outside Scotland.
Northern Ireland
Taught, research or professional master’s courses in any subject (eg MSt, MSc, MSc(Res), MPP, MBA, MPhil), postgraduate diplomas and postgraduate certificates.
The course must last no more than three years whether studied full time or part time.
How to apply
Applications for students starting in the 2025/26 academic year are currently expected to open in May 2025, except students from Scotland who can apply from early April 2025. You are encouraged to apply as early as possible via your regional funding agency's website to ensure that funding is in place for the start of your course.
The information below is the University's best understanding of the current position. Any changes the government make to repayment arrangements are outside the control of the University.
Will I be charged interest on my loan?
England and Wales
Interest is charged at the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 3% from the day your first payment is made until your loan is repaid in full.
Northern Ireland and Scotland
Interest will be charged at the flat rate of RPI or at the bank base rate plus 1% (whichever is the lower) whether in study or in repayment, and regardless of income.
How do I repay my loan?
You have to repay any loan you borrow, but not until your income is over £21,000 a year. Repayments will be based on your income, not what you borrow.
Students from Scotland and Northern Ireland have different income thresholds. This is currently £24,990 a year for Northern Ireland and £31,395 a year for Scotland (2024-25 tax year). Both are expected to increase with inflation each year.
If you are studying full time you will start making repayments the April after you finish or leave your course. If you are studying part time you will start making repayments the April two years after the start of your course or the April after you finish or leave your course, whichever comes first.
A student from England will only start making repayments once your income is over the current threshold of £403 a week, £1,750 a month or £21,000 a year. You will repay 6% of what you earn over the threshold. So if you are paid monthly and earn £2,500 before tax you’ll repay 6% of the difference between what you earn and the threshold (£1,750):
£2,500 - £1,750 = £750
6% of £750 = £45
So your Postgraduate Loan repayment would be £45 that month.
What if I already have a student loan?
If you have had any other loan from the Student Loans Company then you will continue to make separate repayments alongside those for your postgraduate loan.
More information
You can find further information on repayments at the GOV.UK Repayments website.
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