I have no money yet want to study for a postgraduate degree, am I kidding myself?

Former Member

Graduated from an undergrad degree in 2008 and think I may have been accepted for a postgrad course this year. Obviously I'd have to have the costly £3,800 tuition fees waived, but if I was successful in doing so how would I support myself living-wise with no money? What funding options are available for this Scottish student who would be studying at a Scottish uni? Thanks.

Former Member

Not sure which uni or which subject you're studying, but there's the ESRC postgraduate fund, the AHRC postgraduate fund, The Carnegie Fund (for 1st class degrees usually though, and the deadline might be over), British Academy, and most universities will have post-graduate support awards as well.

It also depends on whether you're applying for a research or a taught degree. A research degree application will usually be graded according to its proposal as well, while a taught degree less so.

Former Member

The two main options would be either to do the course part time and work the rest of it, or apply for a career development loan from the bank. That'll have a higher rate of interest than a normal student loan (and you actually have to pay it back ), so it's up to you to do the maths. It depends on the course, but I think most courses will pay for themselves if you have a definite plan of how you're going to use your extra qualifications in the workplace.

Former Member

Why not look at the Open University. OU study is generally very well received by employers (many of whom will sponsor some or all of the costs), you can pay in installments via an OUSBA account, study part-time and work. If you have the self-discipline, it can be very rewarding.

Former Member

The AHRC deadline has passed, I think, it certainly has at the uni I've been accepted to.

Former Member

Thanks for the responses so far. TheKingofGlasgow and I'm With Stupid, your answers were particularly helpful and now I've officially been accepted onto the course I'm looking at things more seriously.

Just a few more questions - Can you do a postgraduate course and be on the dole / housing benefit? Also, if you choose to do a course part-time does that mean you're excluded from possible funding options from SAAS or the likes? I was considering the option of working part-time but if that means paying heavy tuition fees every year it may not be worth it.

Former Member

As I remember from my student welfare days, only parents can still claim benefit in term-time, although you may be entitled to something if you're part-time and can't get a job around it for whatever reason. As for funding, it's usually pro-rata. Some bursaries have specific requirements that might exclude p/t study but otherwise you should be ok.

Former Member

and disability benefits you can still claim, they usually get affected when you hit 21 hours of contact time with your studies.