FUNDING FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS What this Guide will cover: Funding Postgraduate Study Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDL) Funding for MSc Social Work Working Part Time Support for Postgraduate Care Leavers
Funding Postgraduate Study
Applying for Funding
When financing a postgraduate course, Welsh and EU students studying in Wales are expected to consider the costs of tuition fees, accommodation, course costs and living expenses and to make sufficient provision prior to the commencement of their course to cover these costs.
Postgraduate Loan
English students, or students who are ‘ordinarily resident’ in England and EU students studying in England are eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Loan from Student Finance England. A Postgraduate Loan for Master’s study will be: -
Up to £10,000 A contribution to the cost of study Non-means tested Paid directly to the student
For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDL)
Postgraduate students can consider a Professional and Career Development Loan (PCDL), which is a deferred bank loan. It provides financial help for vocational education or training. You can borrow from £300 up to a maximum of £10,000. You are eligible to apply for this loan up to 3 months before the start of your course. To order an application pack or receive further information please call the National Career Service helpline on 0800 100 900 or visit: www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/overview.
Representative example Borrowing a loan amount of £4,500 with a representative APR of 9.9% and a fixed interest rate of 9.58% per annum for a course that lasts 12 months, your monthly payments would be £206.67 for a term of 2 years 0 months and you would have to repay a total of £4,960.08
Is there funding available from Swansea University?
For more information, visit Swansea University’s fees and funding webpage available at www.swansea.ac.uk/ postgraduate/feesand-funding
Students are advised to contact the department in which they intend to study for more details regarding subject specific bursaries, scholarships or grants that may be available. Swansea University offer a number of different bursaries and scholarships for postgraduate students. To check what is available visit the university website www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/
Consider the search to secure adequate funding as your first research project. Ensuring that you can afford to meet all of your essential costs will be an important element in successfully completing your programme.
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What about the Swansea University Opportunity Award?
The Swansea University Opportunity Award is money provided by the University to help students who are in financial difficulty. Postgraduate students are expected to have made adequate provision for tuition fees and essential living and course costs prior to enrolment in order to be considered for assistance. This means that it cannot be viewed as a source of funding as it is intended to help students who have unforeseen expenses with a non-repayable grant. Please be aware that eligibility to apply does not guarantee an award.
Is there extra support for Care Leavers?
If you are classed as a Care Leaver, Swansea University will provide a one off £1,000 bursary to postgraduate students to assist with course costs. This will be paid in two £500 instalments. For more information contact the Money@CampusLife Team or visit www.swansea.ac.uk/student-services/care-leavers
Where can I search for funding available from charities and trusts?
Visit our alternative sources of funding webpage for a list of recommended websites and details on how to access the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding at www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-andfunding/alternativesourcesoffunding/ Alternatively, the Library should have a copy of The Grants Register (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) which is a comprehensive guide on postgraduate grants and professional funding globally.
Who are Future Finance?
Future Finance provide loans, exclusively to students, to help pay for tuition fees and living costs while studying. We urge all students to read their Frequently Asked Questions before applying for finance, and must stress that they do expect immediate repayment (i.e. monthly repayments of the loan whilst you study, as opposed to re-paying the loan at the end of the course like you would do if you were funded by Student Finance England). Their FAQ’s can be found here: https://www.futurefinance.com/uk/faq. The interest rate with these loans is also higher than a PCDL, at 11.1% during studies and 9.1% after graduation.
What is EdAid?
EdAid specialise in assisting students to crowdfund for their studies. We encourage all students to have a look at their webpage to see if this would be applicable: https://www.edaid.com/ and read their FAQ’s before making any decisions https://www.edaid.com/faq.
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MSc in Social Work Masters Level Social Work students are eligible for Social Work funding from the Care Council for Wales as detailed in the table below; however, numbers are limited so you are advised to apply as early as possible. The Bursary & PLOA are non-income assessed and do not need to be repaid. The PLA, CCG and ADG are means tested and available to students who are awarded the Bursary. Each Social Work programme will be allocated a set number of bursaries and each programme will ‘nominate’ a selection of students who will be able to apply. Nominated students will receive an application form and guidance booklet via email. Completed applications should be returned to studentfunding@ccwales.org.uk by the deadline specified within the application pack. For more information about the application process please visit www.ccwales.org.uk/postgraduate-allowances/ Tuition Fee costs Social Work Bursary Practise Learning Opportunity Allowance (PLOA) Parental Learning Allowance (PLA) Childcare Grant (CCG)
Adult Dependents Grant (ADG)
£6200 £6640 (£3390 towards fees) £7.50 per PLO day Up to £1,505 Up to a maximum of £8,330 per annum for one dependent child and £14,285 for two or more dependent children. Up to £2,645
The above information is for Welsh domiciled students, for information relating to English domiciled students please visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students.
Working Part Time If you are looking for work outside of the University, it is advised that you contact the Careers Office in order to sign up for the “Jobshop”. There are recommendations regarding how much you work outside of the University and it is advised that you discuss any potential part time work with your course supervisor to ensure it will not have a negative impact on your studies.
Becoming a Notetaker or Support Worker The Disability@CampusLife Team recruit postgraduate students as paid note takers and support workers to work with disabled students. Students should be reliable and willing to make a regular commitment. If you are interested, collect an expression of interest form from CampusLife Reception, Keir Hardie or contact notetaking@swansea.ac.uk. Please note, the Disability@CampusLife Team cannot guarantee work or hours.
Becoming a Welfare Warden Welfare wardens are students living in residence who provide pastoral support to residents. A warden is someone students can talk to who’s been through similar experiences and faced the same concerns and sense of apprehension as they are students themselves. Wardens relate to what students are going through, can offer support and direct them to University support services. Welfare warden positions include accommodation and are available in University residences both on and off campus. Vacancies are advertised on the University’s Jobs section when a position becomes available. For further information please contact accommodation@swansea.ac.uk. 3
For more information, please contact Money@CampusLife: Money.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk 01792 606699 http://www.swansea.ac.uk/money-campuslife/
CampusLifeSU
Swansea Money.CampusLife
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This leaflet is also available in Welsh and alternate formats such as Braille, large print etc. For further information please contact: CampusLife Reception on 01792 602000.
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