The University of West London

Current students

Help with funding - Postgraduate course

Funding available for postgraduate courses is limited.

It is important that you know what kind of funding support is available and how to apply.  You should apply for funding before your course begins so that any funding for which you are eligible is available from the start of your course.

Find out whether you are a home, EU or overseas student, as this affects which schemes you are eligible to apply for.

Please note that these rules are different from those governing which category you belong to for paying fees.

Overseas students should see our financial support page in the international section of this website.

Below is a basic outline of some of the funding that is available for home and EU students.

Information on funding for postgraduate study can be found on the Student Finance England website.

As funding sources are limited, it is important to consider how you will finance your studies before you begin your course.

For more information, contact Student Services at the One Stop Shop at our Ealing site, West London campus, on 020 8231 2573.

See:

Loans for study
Disability support / Disabled Students' Allowance
Access to Learning Fund
Benefits / Tax credits
Other funding sources

Loans for study

You may be able to apply for a loan to help with your tuition fees, course costs or living costs.  You are advised to check the terms and conditions of loans carefully.  Commercial loans are subject to lending criteria, so there is no guarantee that your application will be approved.

For information on financial assistance to support your learning, see this website: www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning.

You may wish to look into taking out a Professional and Career Development Loan.  More information is available from the website above or by calling the helpline on 0800 585 505.  Also, some banks and building societies offer their own professional study loans to students studying certain vocational courses.  For further information, and to apply, please contact the organisation directly.

A loan taken out to cover living costs may affect any means-tested benefits that you and/or your partner receive.  For more information on state benefits, see below.

Disability support / Disabled Students' Allowance

The disability advisers offer a confidential service to all current and prospective students who are disabled or think they may have a specific learning difficulty, eg dyslexia. 

Disabled students who require assistance arranging disability-related support should aim to contact the disability advisers before the course starts, to ensure arrangements are in place for the start of term.  However, contact can be made at any time.  The team can be contacted on 020 8231 2739 or e-mail: disabilityteam@uwl.ac.uk. 

You can apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance. This is a non means-tested grant available to home students enrolled on eligible Higher Education courses.  Your course must be at least one year long.  There are additional criteria, particularly if you will study on a part-time course.

DSA is used to help with extra costs incurred by a student as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia. 

For more information and details of how to apply visit the Student Finance England website.

Access to Learning Fund

This is a discretionary fund, provided to University of West London by the Government to help home students access and remain in higher education.

Applications for the academic year 2011/12 will be available shortly in hardcopy from the One Stop Shop (ground floor, library building, St Mary’s Road).

Benefits / Tax credits

Studying may affect your eligibility for and entitlement to state benefits, particularly if you study on a full-time course.  Several types of benefit may be affected.

Even if you remain eligible to claim, entitlement to certain elements of student funding may still reduce your (or your partner’s) benefits.

It is recommended that you seek advice about this as early as possible.

You have a duty to inform the relevant authority about becoming a full-time student and being entitled to student funding.

Studying should not affect your eligibility for child tax credit, and most student funding is ignored when calculating your (or your partner's) entitlement to this. 

However, a change to the number of hours that you are working may affect your eligibility for working tax credit.

We recommend that you should inform the relevant authority if you become a student and if you are entitled to student funding. 

More information about this is available from the student advisers in Student Services.

Also see the Student Finance England website.

Other funding sources

You may be eligible for a bursary from organisations such as the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Board, and the British Academy.

For more information about scholarships, bursaries and trusts, see the Prospects website.