A postgraduate course, whether full or part time, is the ideal way to top up your education and make a head start in your career. There are a number of ways to fund your postgraduate study. This can be through bursaries, loans or help from grants, trusts and charities (see Alternative Funding), or a combination of all three.
Please find specific information regarding your course fees on the applicable course page, or here, if you are looking to undertake a research degree
If you have any queries regarding the cost of tuition fees then please contact the Revenue Unit by emailing revenue@southwales.ac.uk
Details regarding the University's available payment plans can be found on our Revenue Team's pages.
We're pleased to announce a new Fee Bursary for UK and EU students starting an eligible postgraduate taught course in the academic year 2018-19. The majority of our taught Masters courses will be eligible for the Bursary, whether studied full-time or part-time*.
Students undertaking an eligible full-time course will receive a Fee Bursary of £3,000, and part-time students will receive a Fee Bursary of £333 per 20 credits which will apply for the normal duration of the course. Find out more.
To check if a course is eligible, please refer to the fees and funding section on the relevant course page as the Fee Bursary will be displayed where applicable. The Fee Bursary will be automatically applied as a discount against the course fee on your offer letter and invoice.
*Non-Masters courses, including Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates, will not qualify for the USW Postgraduate Bursary. Courses delivered via a third party are not eligible for this Bursary. These courses largely have a different fee structure too so please check the fees and funding section on the relevant course page.
This Bursary is available to new Welsh and EU students starting an eligible taught masters at a USW campus during 2018/19 academic year.
It is worth £500 and is available in addition to the USW Postgraduate Fee Bursary. Find out more.
The Asylum Seeker Bursary will support up to two Postgraduate students each academic year. A University Panel will assess all bursary applications at the same time following the closing date and will award up to two bursaries from all these applications.
To be eligible you must:
• Be an Asylum Seeker
• Be assessed by the University’s Enquiries and Admissions department as an asylum seeker and therefore eligible to pay the Oversees rate of fees
• Be assessed by the University’s Immigration & International Student Advice Team as an asylum seeker with the right to study in the UK
• Have applied to study a full time eligible postgraduate course (excluding the MBA) at the University of South Wales starting in September 2019
• Apply for the Asylum Seeker Bursary by the relevant closing date: No later than 4:30 pm on Friday 9th August
How much is the bursary worth?
• The bursary will cover the full tuition fee costs of an eligible full time postgraduate course
• Up to an additional £1,000 will be available for course related costs
How will I receive the bursary?
• The bursary which covers the full tuition fee costs will be paid directly to the Revenue department at the University
• A member of Student Services will meet with you and discuss what additional course related support you require. Agreed reasonable resources will then be purchased by the University up to the value of £1,000, this may include books, travel costs for example
How do you apply?
You will be sent an email containing a link to an online application form once you have been offered a place on a course. The email will be sent to the email address listed on your course application to the University.
How will I know if I am successful?
The Student Money Advice Team will notify you of your eligibility by email, using the email address listed on the bursary application form. We aim to send you email confirmation that your application has been received within ten working days, the email will also include details regarding the decision making process. You will not receive any decision as to whether you are successful until up to 10 working days after the closing date of 9th August 2019.
Successful applicants will also need to meet with a member of the Immigration and International Student Advice Team before enrolling to agree to enrollment conditions and have their immigration status checked.
What happens if I leave my course?
Any items you have received, as part of the bursary course related support, will remain the property of the University of South Wales until you have successfully completed the course. If, for whatever reason, you leave your postgraduate course prior to completion, you may be required to return the items. Depending on the items purchased, you may be required to return them at the end of your course.
Can I appeal against any decisions regarding my eligibility?
All students have the right to appeal decisions made by the Student Money Advice Team regarding their eligibility for the Asylum Seeker Bursary, please see the Scholarship / Bursary Appeal process for further details.
Decisions made by the Immigration & International Student Advice Team regarding your immigration situation are final, unless you are able to provide new evidence for your current legal right to remain and study in the UK
Who do I contact for further information?
If your query is in regards to the course application process then please contact the Enquiries and Admissions Team:
Email: admissions@southwales.ac.uk
Phone: 01443 655450
If your query is in regards to your immigration situation or your eligibility to study as an asylum seeker please contact the Immigration & International Student Advice Team:
Email: international.advice@southwales.ac.uk
Phone: 01443 482083
If your query is in regards to the Asylum Seeker Bursary the please contact the Student Money Advice Team:
Email: scholarships@southwales.ac.uk
Phone: 01443 483778 (9-12 Mon-Fri)
*University of South Wales scholarships and bursaries are offered on the basis that they are potentially subject to change in the event of changes to the fee and student support regime applicable in Wales. The University also reserves the right to limit the number of scholarships and bursaries available
For students aiming to study either the PG Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People, the MA in Art Psychotherapy or the MA in Music Therapy, the Helen Kegie Bursary is awarded to individuals who can demonstrate a strong knowledge of their subject area and a high degree of ability to reflect and link theory to practice. The bursary is aimed at students who have a permanent postal address with a CF or NP postcode and come from a low-income background. Find out more.
Any funding opportunities supported by the University can be found on the following page.
Research students may be eligible to apply for the Postgraduate/Doctoral Loans detailed below.
For more information regarding any aspect of graduate research please visit the Graduate Research Office pages or contact gro@southwales.ac.uk.
For postgraduate research students who have already completed either a USW undergraduate or USW taught postgraduate course, Lydon Hodges Bursaries are awarded annually to individuals who can best demonstrate why they feel entry to a postgraduate research course will be beneficial to them – personally or professionally, and how they will be approaching their studies. The Bursary is to provide financial relief upon entry to studies for new students, and successful Bursary applicants will demonstrate how postgraduate research studies are a personal or professional enabler. Find out more
As part of the to the National Cyber Security Programme, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is providing bursary funding for adults looking to retrain and start a new career in cyber security. The bursaries are for GCHQ certified courses only. USW has been working with DCMS and anticipate bursaries being available for our GCHQ certified MSc Computer Forensics course. Full criteria will be published shortly but the bursaries will be for career transitioners rather than students coming straight from undergraduate courses. Bursaries will be for tuition fees only. More information can be found here and expressions of interest should be sent to andrew.bellamy@southwales.ac.uk, course leader for Computer Forensics. Find out more.
Our Sports Scholarship is available to students performing to a high standard in their chosen sport, and representing the University in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) league. Find out more.
You can apply for loans and grants as a contribution towards your course and living costs if you are starting a course in 2019/20 academic year.
Up to £17,000 as a mixture of loans and grants is available to Welsh-domiciled students.
A non-means tested loan is available to all eligible students. The amount of loan will be equal to the total support (£17,000) less the total grant a student is eligible for.
A non- means tested base grant of £1,000 is available to all eligible students.
An additional means-tested grant of £5,885 is also available.
The loan element is available to students under the age of 60 on the first day of the first academic year
You may also be eligible if you’re an EU national and all the following apply:
You will get the first payment after you have started your course, and your university confirms that you’ve registered.
*Full eligibility criteria and details of how to apply will be published shortly on the Student Finance Wales website.
Please also see the Welsh Government statement for details.
You can apply for a loan as a contribution towards your course and living costs if you are starting a course in 2019/20 academic year.
For new students starting their course in 2019/20, up to £10,906 is available to English-domiciled students (providing you meet the residency criteria).
Available to students under the age of 60 on the first day of the first academic year
You will get the first payment after you have started your course, and your university confirms that you’ve registered.
Payments will be made in three installments of 33%, 33% and 34% for each academic year.
Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan
The funding available is a loan to help you pay all or some of your tuition fees up to a maximum of £5,500 for full-time courses. If you choose to take out a loan to pay all or some of the fees, you will do so on the same terms as a student loan for living costs.
If you withdraw from your course, you may not be eligible for a loan to help with the cost of your fees. However, your university may still charge you fees for the time you have been on the course.
Postgraduate Living Cost loan
Eligible full-time postgraduate students can apply to us for a living-cost loan up to £4,500. To be eligible for the living-cost loan, in addition to meeting our eligibility conditions, you must:
Further information can be found on the Student Award Agency Scotland website.
*Source: SAAS
If you are due to start on a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, taught
Master’s or research Master’s during the 2018/19 Academic Year, you may be eligible to
apply for a Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan of up to £5,500 for the course, to help with
the cost of your course fees. The Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan can’t be more than the
actual fee charged by the university or college, it isn’t based on household income, and
you must repay it. It is paid directly to your university or college.
Please use Student Finance Northern Ireland's website for further updates.
*Source: Student Finance Northern Ireland
You can apply for a loan to help with your course fees and living costs while you study if you are starting a full time or part time doctoral course (PhD) from 1st August 2018.
You may also be eligible if you’re an EU national and all the following apply:
You will get the first payment after you have started your course, and your university confirms that you’ve registered.
Payments will be made in three instalments of 33%, 33% and 34% for each academic year.
Full details on eligibility and how to apply can be found on the relevant authority websites below
Student Finance Wales have created an introductory film for Welsh-domiciled students starting a postgraduate Doctoral course in 2018, including information on what's available and how it's repaid. This is available on their website above.
Student Finance England has created an introductory film for English-domiciled students starting a postgraduate Doctoral course in 2018, including information on what's available and how it's repaid.
Doctoral Loans are not currently available to students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland or Scotland.
The Postgraduate Loan will be available if you don’t already hold a Master’s degree or other higher qualification gained either in the UK or overseas. If you have a lower level qualification and want to ‘top-up’ to a Master’s degree, you won’t be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan as you can only get a Postgraduate Loan for a full postgraduate Master’s course.
Source: Student Finance Wales
Details regarding how you will need to repay your postgraduate student loan, including how this will work if you also have an existing undergraduate student loan, can be found of the Student Loan Company's website.
The University of South Wales is committed to providing support for students from care and those leaving care who want to go on to higher education.
We at the University of South Wales can help you at every stage of your university experience, with specialist help and advice before, during and after you are a student with us – leaving you to concentrate on your studies and enjoy university life.
How to contact the Care Leaver Team
To ask further questions and start the support available to you as a Care Leaver please contact the Care Leaver Coordinator
If you not quite sure if you qualify as a Care Leaver please contact us and we can advise you further. If you are a social worker or work on behalf of an organisation such as Barnardos please feel free to contact also.
Some students may be entitled to state benefits or tax credits while studying. Please see our Student and Benefits page for further information.
Private loan providers, such as Future Finance, can potentially provide loans to cover tuition fees and costs of living, with variable interest rates depending on your credit history. These are some of the key facts:
The University is keen to offer support to student carers, including a Bursary from its Hardship Fund, as it is recognised that caring often has financial implications (such as less availability for paid work and increased travel costs).
The Carers Bursary is worth £1,000 (full-time students) and £500 (part-time/first or final year March starter students) to eligible USW students who are currently unpaid Carers. The Carers Trust definition of a carer is “anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.” Please note that these duties would be in addition to the usual caring responsibilities that a parent would have for a dependent child.
Students who received the Bursary in previous academic years and students who have disclosed that they are an unpaid Carer on their current year's University enrolment form will be emailed the link to apply for the Carers Bursary following enrolment. They will be required to provide confirmation from a person, who is involved with the family on a professional basis (e.g., Social Worker, GP etc) that they are a carer and current bank statements. Students who were previously in receipt of Carer’s Allowance will need to provide proof from the Department of Work & Pensions that this has now ceased.
Carers who are paid a salary in exchange for their caring duties or are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance would not be eligible for the Bursary.
If you have any queries regarding the Carers Bursary or would like to apply, please contact the Student Money Advice Team or email hardship@southwales.ac.uk.
If you need advice regarding issues which are having an impact on your studies, please contact your Advice Zone.
