Master student loan

I have just graduated from Uni of Southampton studying Neuroscience (3 years) - I have been accepted by Imperial to study a Masters in reproductive and developmental biology starting in Sept 2025 - I am from Northern Ireland however the max loan from Student Finance NI is £6500, the masters will cost approx £15,000 and I see Student Finance England will issue much higher loans however there seems to be a qualification issue around 'ordinary/normal residency' - I am unable to do this Masters in Northern Ireland and also very unlikely to gain employment in NI so going forward England/London will be my normal place to live - what is required for me to qualify for a loan from Student Finance England please? Many thanks.

Original post by BMagill

I have just graduated from Uni of Southampton studying Neuroscience (3 years) - I have been accepted by Imperial to study a Masters in reproductive and developmental biology starting in Sept 2025 - I am from Northern Ireland however the max loan from Student Finance NI is £6500, the masters will cost approx £15,000 and I see Student Finance England will issue much higher loans however there seems to be a qualification issue around 'ordinary/normal residency' - I am unable to do this Masters in Northern Ireland and also very unlikely to gain employment in NI so going forward England/London will be my normal place to live - what is required for me to qualify for a loan from Student Finance England please? Many thanks.

Hi there,

If you will be ordinary resident in England then you can apply for Student Finance England. If you're only moving there to study then you would remain on Student Finance NI.

When would you be moving to England?

Thanks,
Ross

Reply 2

BMagill

OP

2

Original post by Ross SLC

Hi there,
If you will be ordinary resident in England then you can apply for Student Finance England. If you're only moving there to study then you would remain on Student Finance NI.
When would you be moving to England?
Thanks,
Ross

I am going to go travelling for about 6 months and will then return to England to confirm my accommodation etc before starting the Masters

Original post by BMagill

I am going to go travelling for about 6 months and will then return to England to confirm my accommodation etc before starting the Masters

Thanks.

Can you confirm if you'd only be in England to study?

Thanks,
Ross

Reply 4

BMagill

OP

2

With the nature of my masters and my degree its highly likely that I will remain in England to work full time after I've finished, however in the meantime I will also be working part time while completing my master to fund my other expenses.

You would only be able to apply to Student Finance England if you are not deemed as moving for the purpose of study. The applicaiton asks for your last 3 years of address history, and if you have the majority of this in Northern Ireland, and the deem you only moved to England a month before your course starts, then this can be seen as moving for the purpose of study.

In these situations, you would have to write a letter explaining why you aren't moving for the purpose of study and have other ties to England, it would be assessed on a case by case basis and isn't guaranteed. Thanks, Leah.

Master student loan

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