Postgraduate finance information

Studying at postgraduate level represents a significant investment in both time and money.

The income the University receives from tuition fees covers all tuition, supervision and examination costs (excluding any resits required if a student fails a module). Additional expenses may be incurred by students for living expenses, accommodation and materials such as textbooks.

Birmingham Newman’s postgraduate fees are very competitive, particularly considering the relatively high level of contact with tutors provided. Fees for postgraduate courses vary, please refer to course contacts on each page for the latest information.

Postgraduate loans

Loans of up to £12,8585 for tuition fees and living costs are available for postgraduate study through the Student Loans Company for full taught or research master’s degrees. The loan is not means tested therefore your household income will not be taken into account when applying for the loan.

In order to be eligible for postgraduate loans you must meet the following criteria:

Studying a taught or research Master’s course, full-time, part-time or by distance learning,
you have to be under the age 60 years at the start of the first academic year of your course,
You must normally be resident in England.
If you’re an EU national, but don’t normally live in England you may be able to get a Postgraduate Loan for a Master’s course at a university or college in England.
You must not already have a Master’s level (or higher) qualification

Postgraduate loans are not available for PG cert or PG Dip qualifications, or if you are studying less than 180 credits, for example if you are studying for a Master’s but bring previously acquired credits.

Acceptance of Recognition of Prior Learning may affect the duration of your programme of study and therefore you may not be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Student Loan. Please seek advice prior to submitting an application.

For further information and guidance on postgraduate loans for Masters study, please visit the GOV.UK, FindAMasters or Prospects websites.

Postgraduate loan costs and repayments

Tuition fee loans accrue interest at the rate of Retail price index (RPI) – a measure of inflation- plus 3% from the moment you receive the loan. The loans are repaid at 6% of income over £21,000 per year and are repaid concurrently with undergraduate loans, therefore if you have a tuition fee loan for your undergraduate studies you will pay 15% of anything you earn over £21,000 per year.

Post Graduate students are responsible for setting up a payment plan for their tuition fees. Birmingham Newman University offers 2 interest free options, 3 termly or 6 monthly instalments. Students will be expected to set up a payment plan via Newman’s online secure payment portal at point of enrolment.

See the table below for repayment examples:

Salary	Undergraduate and postgraduate loan monthly repayment	Postgraduate loan only monthly repayment
Under £21,000 per year	£0	£0
£25,000 per year	£50	£20
£30,000 per year	£112.50	£45
£35,000 per year	£175	£70
£40,000 per year	£237.50	£95
£50,000 per year	£362.50	£145

Once postgraduate loans are repaid the rate will revert to the undergraduate only repayments. As with undergraduate loans any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years, however because the debt is lower than undergraduate loans it is expected that most graduates will repay their postgraduate loans in full.

Other sources of funding

For information on external sources of funding for postgraduate study, including scholarships and bursaries, click here.

Alternative guide to postgraduate funding

There are also a wide range of other organisations who can help you fund your postgraduate study. They offer funds which do not need to be repaid.

The University Careers Service give you free access to The Alternative Guide To Postgraduate Funding Online. the UK’s biggest and most popular postgraduate funding guide.

To access, click on The Postgraduate Funding Gateway and follow the instructions below:

If you are a current student you need to register your University email in the green box under number 1, to enable you to login to the blue box. You can also login automatically into the blue box if you are on campus.

If you are a graduate you need to register in the green box under number 2. You can contact the Careers Service for the pin number, or access the Masters Courses Pathway on My Career where you will find the pin number. You can contact: careers@newman.ac.uk. Please use your own personal email address. You can login to the blue box once you are set up.

Equivalent and Lower Qualifications

Following a change in government policy, students who already have a higher education qualification at the same level will not be eligible for the public funding which supplements fees unless the course they are taking has been exempted by the government. For the latest information see our ELQ Policy or contact Admissions on admissions@newman.ac.uk or 0121 387 4506.

Important Information

This information is believed to be accurate at time of publishing but applicants should confirm the level of fees and bursary support available before commencing the course.

Marketing to check latest repayment table insert link Repaying your student loan: How much you repay – GOV.UK

Finance links

Contact Student Finance

Email: finance@newman.ac.uk