The Student Room Group

New master's government loan

Hi all,

I'm hoping to start a masters next autumn, the only problem is I'm not sure whether or not I'm eligible for the £10,000 postgraduate loan.

I graduate in July, my undergraduate degree is an MPhys.....So I'll hold a master of physics, but not a bachelors. I'm not really sure if that means I can or can't get it.

Also if the answer is a no, does anyone know if I'd be eligible for a 'professional and career development' loan?

I'm panicking a bit with this so any help is much appreciated!!

Thanks
1. If you look on the .gov site it says
Postgraduate Loan for master’s degrees
If you start a full-time or part-time master’s course after 1 August 2016 you can apply for a Postgraduate Loan. You’ll be able to borrow up to £10,000 to pay your fees and help with living costs.

You’ll be eligible if you:

are under 60

ordinarily live in England

don’t already have a master’s degree or higher qualification

But on the SFE leaflet it doesnt mention that or at least not when I looked last night and it is only an introductory leaflet. I dont know, but you need clarificaion on that point. I agree you should also press the point that it is still a first degree for you, so they may have discretion on that. I would think it unfair if you dont win that point.


http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=21647-Postgraduate-Loans

Can I get a Postgraduate Loan? To get a Postgraduate Loan:

you have to be studying a taught or research Master’s course,

you can be studying at a university or college or by distance learning,

your course can be one or two years long,

you have to be under 60 at the start of the first academic year of your course, and

you must normally live in England.

(edited 7 years ago)
2. Eligibility Who can apply
To apply you must:

be 18 or over

have been living in the UK for at least 3 years before your course starts

plan to work in the UK, European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) after the course

Which courses qualify?
Courses must:

only last up to 2 years, or 3 years if they include 1 year of work experience

be provided by an organisation on the Professional Career and Development Loan Register - check with your course provider

help with your career - they don’t have to lead to a qualification


https://www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/overview
http://www.barclays.co.uk/Yourloanoptions/Graduateandprofessional/ProfessionalandCareerDevelopmentLoan/P1242557963934
http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/loans/career-development-loan
Original post by Ciarafish
Hi all,

I'm hoping to start a masters next autumn, the only problem is I'm not sure whether or not I'm eligible for the £10,000 postgraduate loan.

I graduate in July, my undergraduate degree is an MPhys.....So I'll hold a master of physics, but not a bachelors. I'm not really sure if that means I can or can't get it.

Also if the answer is a no, does anyone know if I'd be eligible for a 'professional and career development' loan?

I'm panicking a bit with this so any help is much appreciated!!

Thanks

SFE have not yet released full details about whether undergraduate masters courses will make students ineligible for the PGL. Even the most detailed guidance released (http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/6965/sdnt-pgl-pres-16-2nd-v03.pptx ) doesn't cover this.

Under ELQ rules HEFCE consider a UG Masters (like an MPhys) to be Equivalent to a postgrad masters (MSc) - but whether this will be followed through for the new PGL depends on SFE. Keep an eye out for guidance when the applications open in June/July and if there's any ambiguity apply anyway.

Have you spoken to the university offering the Masters course you want to study to ask about other financial support? I'd suggest looking into local scholarships and bursaries, research council funding and charitable grants before looking for a career development loan.
Original post by PQ
SFE have not yet released full details about whether undergraduate masters courses will make students ineligible for the PGL. Even the most detailed guidance released (http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/6965/sdnt-pgl-pres-16-2nd-v03.pptx ) doesn't cover this.

Under ELQ rules HEFCE consider a UG Masters (like an MPhys) to be Equivalent to a postgrad masters (MSc) - but whether this will be followed through for the new PGL depends on SFE. Keep an eye out for guidance when the applications open in June/July and if there's any ambiguity apply anyway.

Have you spoken to the university offering the Masters course you want to study to ask about other financial support? I'd suggest looking into local scholarships and bursaries, research council funding and charitable grants before looking for a career development loan.


@PQ

Thanks that was interesting, but

1. Am I missing something? I might have gone word blind, but neither the link you gave or the leaflet on SFE contain the previous Masters discqaulification.

This is in conflict with the .gov site which does?

2. Ordinarily resident
Do you know how far temporary absences extend?
On your link it says
Temporary absences from living in the UK, such as for education or travelling, will not prevent you from being eligible!

Can you go traveling for two years? TEFL for 2 years? is there some guidance as to what temporary is?

Thanks.
Original post by 999tigger
@PQ

Thanks that was interesting, but

1. Am I missing something? I might have gone word blind, but neither the link you gave or the leaflet on SFE contain the previous Masters discqaulification.

This is in conflict with the .gov site which does?

2. Ordinarily resident
Do you know how far temporary absences extend?
On your link it says
Temporary absences from living in the UK, such as for education or travelling, will not prevent you from being eligible!

Can you go traveling for two years? TEFL for 2 years? is there some guidance as to what temporary is?

Thanks.

1. No you're not. All we have at the moment about ELQ disqualification is quotes from SFEs rep on TSR with no clarification. There's discussion on a number of JISCmail threads around PGL loan eligibility and ELQs but there's nothing official yet.

2. Under ordinary residence rules people have been out of the UK for decades and been classed as ordinarily resident here. There's no specific guidance about time periods for temporary or not - what matters is the evidence on an intent to return (so staying on the electoral roll at parents address, having a parental home in England as correspondence address for the SLC/SFE, driving licence address as parental address, having bank statements or other official bills sent to parental address for the purposes of the PGL). For fee status and student support UG rulings things like parents maintaining a home in the UK or paying UK tax to HMRC while being resident outside the UK is considered evidence, as is having temporary visas/employment contracts for working outside the country.
Original post by PQ
1. No you're not. All we have at the moment about ELQ disqualification is quotes from SFEs rep on TSR with no clarification. There's discussion on a number of JISCmail threads around PGL loan eligibility and ELQs but there's nothing official yet.

2. Under ordinary residence rules people have been out of the UK for decades and been classed as ordinarily resident here. There's no specific guidance about time periods for temporary or not - what matters is the evidence on an intent to return (so staying on the electoral roll at parents address, having a parental home in England as correspondence address for the SLC/SFE, driving licence address as parental address, having bank statements or other official bills sent to parental address for the purposes of the PGL). For fee status and student support UG rulings things like parents maintaining a home in the UK or paying UK tax to HMRC while being resident outside the UK is considered evidence, as is having temporary visas/employment contracts for working outside the country.


@PQ
I just dont wnat to be giving wrong information and i only discovered the conflict last night when I checked. They should make their minds up becayse its a big thing.

Thanks I used to know all this stuff about residence, just checking if there was an SFE slant. Thanks for the guidance..

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