Please Note: Students who are awarded APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning), APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) or APCL (Accreditation of Prior Certified Learning) towards their Master's will not be eligible for PGML*
Postgraduate Master's loans (PGML) are:
- Available to UK Nationals (and individuals with settled status in the UK) who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years on the first day of the first academic year of their course
- Available to EU Nationals (if comencing the course prior to the 21/22 academic year)
- Available to applicants aged below 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course
- Available to full-time and part-time postgraduate master's programmes (part-time courses are subject to a minimum 50% intensity requirement. For example a 1 year full-time Master's must take no longer than 2 years to complete part-time)
- A contribution towards the cost of postgraduate study
- Paid directly to the student and will be non-means tested, leaving the student to decide how to spend the loan; whether this will be to cover part or all of fees, or towards living costs
How Much can I apply for?
- £12,471 for new students beginning a Master's in 2024/25
Can I apply for the higher loan of £12,471 if I began my postgraduate master's study prior to the 2024/25 academic year?
- No. The £12,471 rate has been set for new students starting their Master's in 2024/25. There are different loan amounts for students who began their course in previous years.
I have a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip). Can I apply for a PGML to 'top-up' to a Masters?
- No, you cannot receive a PGML for part of a Masters degree, only for a full Master's course (180 credits)
I am planning to study a distance learning Masters course. Can I apply for PGML?
- Yes, but you must be living and studying in England and yourself and the course must meet all of the eligibility criteria
My course contains a Study Abroad element. Can I apply?
- Please note that whilst your Master’s degree can have an overseas element and be eligible for PGML, the period of time spent registered at an overseas institution cannot exceed 50% of the total course (e.g. if your 1 year full-time Master’s degree has 3 trimesters, you can only be registered at the overseas institution, and submit work to the overseas institution for 1 semester)
Can I apply for PGML if I am in receipt of a bursary?
Students are not eligible for PGML where they are eligible to apply for a healthcare bursary or are in receipt of a Social Work Bursary from any of the following:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)
- Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
The Department for Education are aware that there are only a limited number of Social Work Bursaries available and if the student has not been awarded a Social Work Bursary after applying for one, they may apply for PGML.
Will the EU referendum result and 'Brexit' affect EU students' eligibility for loans?
- EU students beginning a Master's after the 20/21 academic year will not be able to access PGML
When will I receive my PGML payments?
- SFE will write to you to confirm when your instalments are due
- Payments of the Postgraduate Loan will be made in instalments across the total duration of the course ( for example, students studying a part-time course with a full-time 2 year equivalent will receive payments over 4 years)
*Please Note* Your first PGML payment cannot be paid until you have fully registered onto your course
What are my responsibilities to the SLC?
- You must provide complete and correct information when you take out a Postgraduate Master's Loan and you must tell SLC about any changes to these details during the application process, while you’re at university and until you’ve repaid your loan in full
- If you don’t give SLC accurate and up-to-date information, you may have to pay a penalty charge, or repay the loan along with any interest and penalties in one lump sum
When you take out a Postgraduate Master's Loan, you’ll sign a declaration form confirming you’ve read and understood the terms and conditions.
When will PGML applications open?
- Applications for the 2024/25 academic year are set to open, apply through the Government website
Is there an application deadline?
We urge you to apply for the loan in time for the start of your course. The official SLC deadline is 9 months after the start of the final year of the course
Are PGML's only available from Student Finance England?
- Similar products are now available for students applying to Student Finance Wales/Student Finance Northern Ireland. Please contact funding@herts.ac.uk for further information
Remember: The information you provide during the PGML application process will be used to assess your funding entitlement. It is your responsibility to ensure the information is true and correct. Any false/inaccurate information provided will result in the funding being withdrawn.
Please note: Students who already hold a Master’s qualification (including integrated Master's, or an equivalent, or higher level qualification) will not be eligible for a Postgraduate Masters Loan (PGML)