Postgraduate Students (MA/MSc & PhD)

Postgraduate Tuition Fees

Alumni Discount

All former University of Worcester graduates who have successfully completed a BA or BSc award and then take a full-time Masters course (excluding graduate entry medicine) at Worcester receive a 20% discount on their tuition fees in academic year 2023/24. Students are entitled to one discount only, and cannot combine this discount with any other.

International postgraduate students cannot receive this discount in addition to the discount for early payment of fees.

Family Discount

Students with immediate family members who are University of Worcester employees may be eligible for a fee discount of 15%. Contact the Finance Office by emailing creditcontrol@worc.ac.uk for further details.

Masters Study

For MA/MSc courses, with exceptions, fees for 2023/24 will be £8,180 for full-time students and £909 per 20 credit module for part-time study. However, there are set fees for particular Masters courses that differ from this.

Research Degrees

For MPhil/PhD study, fees for 2023/24 will be £4,950 for full-time students and £2,475 per annum for part-time study.

Click link to left of this page for full list of tuition fees.

Postgraduate Masters Loans

Loans are available from Student Finance England to support Postgraduate Masters study for those students starting their course on or after the 1st of August 2016.

Students must be studying a taught or research Postgraduate course, worth 180 credits, leading to a Masters qualification. Full time courses must last no longer than two years and part time ones no longer than four years. Applicants must be under age 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course, normally live in England and not have studied a Master's degree or PhD before.

Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish students must have lived in England for at least three years for reasons other than study. EU students are eligible if pre-2021 entry or settled status. International students are not eligible for the Postgraduate Loan unless they have the right to reside permanently in the UK, for example if they have been granted refugee status.

What is available?

Postgraduate Loans do not depend upon household income and new applicants in 2023/24 can apply for up to £12,167 for the duration of the course as a contribution towards course and living costs. If you are studying for 2, 3 or 4 academic years, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course. Each year’s amount will be paid in three instalments.

Where appropriate the Department for Work and Pensions will count 30% of the Postgraduate Loan as income in the calculation of means tested benefits.

Find further information at: www.gov.uk/masters-loan

Postgraduate Doctoral Loans

Eligible students starting a full or part time, taught or research based Doctoral degree, such as a PhD, on or after the 1st of August 2018 lasting between three and eight academic years can apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan of up to £28,673 for academic year 2023/24 to help with course fees and living costs.

The loan is not based on income and is paid directly to the student, divided equally across each year of the course in three instalments a year. The payments may be taken into account by the DWP when calculating any benefits received.

Applicants must not have studied a Doctoral course before and must be under age 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course. They must be Home or pre-2021 entry or settled status EU students that have lived in England for at least three years before the start of the course for reasons other than study.

Find further information at: www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan

Studentships and Research Grants

Studentships and research grants are available to Postgraduate students from Research Councils, such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and from various educational charities.

Click on links to left of this page for further information.

Repayments

Loans for both Postgraduate loans will be repaid concurrently with the undergraduate loan, at a rate of 6% on earnings over £21,000. 

Interest will begin accruing as soon as the first payment is made to the student by the Student Loans Company.

Postgraduate Masters loans begin to be repaid from the April after students graduate and Doctoral Loans either the first April after they leave the course or four years after it started when annual income is over £21,000.

Postgraduate funding for Social Work Students

Postgraduate funding for Social Work students is explained on the Social Work Students page of this website.

Additional Support

• Eligible Postgraduate students may apply for financial help from the University’s Access to Learning Fund.
• There are several Educational Trust Funds & Charities that provide funds to postgraduate students.
• The Disabled Students’ Allowance is also available for postgraduate students.

See links to left of this page.

Further information on sources of Postgraduate funding can be found on the Prospects website.