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If you are from Wales and planning on studying a master’s or doctoral postgraduate course in the UK, you might be eligible for funding from the Welsh government. Alongside tuition fees, living costs can be a worry for many students. From paying the rent and associated bills, to the weekly food shop right down to printing costs at the university library, before you know it, the expenses column of your budget can grow significantly. Students from Wales can receive support from the Welsh government to help with the costs of education in the form of postgraduate funding, which we have outlined below.
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Postgraduate students can receive different loans from the Welsh government depending on the course they are studying. There are loans available for students studying master’s degrees as well as doctoral degrees, with different amounts of money available for both.
To help with tuition fees and living costs, master’s students in Wales can receive up to £18,430 from August 2022, split into a loan (which must be paid back) and a grant (which does not have to be paid back). The split between the size of the loan and the grant depends on your household income. If you have a higher income, the grant portion will be smaller than if you have a lower income. The table below has some illustrative examples of how this could work...
| Household Income | Loan | Grant |
| £18,370 or less | £11,545 | £6,885 |
| £25,000 | £12,500 | £5,930 |
| £35,000 | £13,942 | £4,488 |
| £45,000 | £15,383 | £3,047 |
| £59,200 or more | £17,430 | £1,000 |
The funding will be paid directly to you in three installments over the academic year. If your course lasts longer than one year, the funding will be divided equally across each year of the course, with three installments paid each year.
Welsh students doing doctoral courses can receive a student loan of up to £27,880 from August 2022 to help pay for tuition fees and living costs. While master’s funding is divided into a loan and a grant, doctoral funding is completely a loan, meaning it all must be repaid. However, the loan is not means-tested, so the amount you receive does not depend on your household income.
The funding is paid directly to you, divided equally across each year of your course, and each year you’ll be paid in three installments. The maximum funding you can receive for a single academic year from this loan is £9,293.
To be eligible for this funding, you must normally live in Wales. You can’t live in a different part of the UK, go to Wales to study and receive the Welsh postgraduate funding arrangement – you will receive the funding provided by the nation you normally live in. You must also be under 60 years old on the first day of the academic year of your course.
To qualify for the master’s funding, you must not already have a master’s degree (or a qualification of equal or higher level), and you must be studying an eligible master’s course. Eligible courses are full standalone master’s degrees worth 180 credits, and cannot be top-up courses.
To qualify for doctoral funding, you must not already have a doctoral degree (or a qualification of equal or higher level), and you must be studying an eligible doctoral course. Eligible courses are full standalone doctoral degrees, and cannot be top-up courses.
You can apply for Welsh postgraduate funding on the Student Finance Wales website. Once you’ve registered, simply log into your account and submit your application, along with any evidence they request. If your application is successful, you will receive a Notification of Entitlement letter, which will inform you how much you will be paid and when.
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Students looking to find out more about the availability of these bursaries should look at their prospective university’s fees and funding information on their website or get in touch with the university.
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