Working class UCL undergraduate, can't afford master's

TBH, I've realised that in this country postgrads are not really valued unless you have worked for a long while, and usually employers prefer experience than Masters straight away after BA.

Hi there!

I am 23 and in my final year at UCL, and I am trying really hard to find graduate jobs but super stressed due to the pandemic job market.

A lot of my friends are going straight into master's. I didn't know how expensive uni would be, my family didn't have a clue either.

I find it hard not to feel really down when I see those around me with worse grades going off to postgraduate education while I am still slaving away in retail.

I know I could do some cool things like maybe go into academia or do a law conversion course but even with student loan I would have to find tens of thousands just for the fees (never mind the living costs).

Anyone else from a working class/low income family been able to get into postgraduate work? How did you do it?

My grades are good but not good enough for scholarships, anyone else worked for years to save up and then done a master's in their 30s/40s?

It almost feels like there is no way to get into postgraduate education unless your family can pay for you through it

What was your undergrad subject and what careers are you looking at? What would you study at masters level?

What was your undergrad subject and what careers are you looking at? What would you study at masters level?

I know this might not be what you're after but the government introduced Student Finance for Masters around 3-4 years ago. You could borrow up to £10,000 to cover the fees or maintenance (whatever you need t for as it goes into our account). It's not means rested and repaid in the same way as your undergraduate loan.
TBH, I've realised that in this country postgrads are not really valued unless you have worked for a long while, and usually employers prefer experience than Masters straight away after BA. While an MA will open doors abroad, it doesn't mean much here. Many immigrant families focus on getting masters thinking that it will open many doors just to find themselves overqualified for entry roles with little experience. I'm not sure if the same happens among the working class (assuming you're born and bred British working class).

As UCL is a great uni, getting good results seems more important long term, than a Masters. However, if you still wish to get Masters maybe consider a flexible uni which will allow you to work (even in retail) and study at the same time? OU is highly respected by employers, you will cover your fees with the Postgraduate loan and you will be able to prove to your future employers that you can manage your time effectively? Just a thought?

My advice is to work for at least 2-3 years before going back to do a masters. I took out a SFE postgraduate loan, and a Future Finance loan. The latter is a private loan, similar to a personal loan offered by banks. You don't need a guarantor for the first £7.5k or so to be borrowed. The downside is that the interest is horrible, and you would be paying back the loan for a decade.

yeah that is definitely sensible! Sometimes I think I get caught up in how many of my fellow students have gone straight into really expensive postgraduate education - but that isn't the case for everyone. I think at UCL there are a lot of fortunate people who are able to do this, and maybe it just seems like everyone does it but in reality most everyday people like me can't afford a 20K a year master's!

I am a NI student so the max I can borrow is 5K unfortunately. Maybe I can apply to SFE once I graduate? Would I be eligible for this since I've lived and worked in England for 5 years now? I had a look on the website but it isn't clear - I will have to contact them for sure!

The specific course I wanted to do is 15K for two years for NI students but 18K for English students so I wasn't sure if I'd have to pay the larger fee rate if I am a northern irish student who applies through SFE. It is a 2 year law conversion.

I totally get what you are saying about the master's. I also believe that work experience is the best experience! I have been enjoying uni so much this year though and my grades/essays have got such good feedback that I thought 'maybe I could go into academia?..maybe I am cut out for this??'
Thanks again for your help!

Hey! I'm not sure about the specifics of the law conversion - but I did my masters in London as an NI student (also from a low-income background) straight out of my undergrad...I had been living, working and studying in England for 3 years at the time but wasn't eligible for the English loan because I had been registered as a full time student the whole time. However, if you've been living in England for 5 years and have been working full time you're more likely to receive the SFE loan, because you're classed as a resident rather than a student.

Based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend going straight into a masters with the 5k loan it unless you're TOTALLY committed to what you want to do. I knew I wanted to do a PhD in the long term, so I went for it. I'm glad that I did, because I had a great time and I loved my subject, but it was also a really tough time because I was constantly stressed about money - used all of my savings to cover fees, and worked in a pub 5-6 nights a weeks to cover expenses. I would stick with the advice of working for a bit and trying to save a bit of money if you can. You could also consider doing a masters part time, which splits out the expenses over a couple of years - if I could go back I would probably rather do this, as it would have worked a lot better with my own financial situation.