King's College London - Guidance on seeking funding

Fees & Funding

Guidance on seeking funding

Student receiving advice Funding your postgraduate studies will be quite different to funding your undergraduate studies. This is because there is no statutory entitlement to support for tuition fees and maintenance costs in the form of student loans and grants. Some postgraduate courses, such as PGCE ITT, attract certain elements of statutory funding but for most other courses of postgraduate study this will not be available.

Home/EU students

For Home/EU students the main source of funding available for postgraduate study is through Research Councils. However, competition for these grants is fierce so ensure you start researching your options as early as possible. If you are not successful in attaining a research council award, it is essential that you find other ways to cover your living costs/ tuition fees. For most students, this is a combination of bank loans, personal savings, family support and part time work.

International students

International students should check to see what your government is offering in the way of scholarships, as well as contacting the British Council Office in your own country, or viewing the British Council ‘Funding your studies’ web pages. These provide details of a wide range of funding opportunities for international students and country specific funding.

It is very important that you ensure you have confirmed your sources of funding, before you actually start your course. Finding adequate financial support once you have begun your course of study is very difficult and you could find yourself in very difficult financial circumstances if you begin your course without having organised sufficient financial cover for yourself.

Hints and tips when applying for funding

Start researching options early (most new schemes are launched during the autumn months for funding commencing the following academic session)
Check deadlines (both of the funding body and of the institution, if applicable)
Do your research (on programme, institution, location and academics)
Take advice (have you made the right choices?)
Think about and contact referees (before and during the process)
Think about your research proposal/personal statement (does it answer all the questions, and does it tell the funders everything they need to know)
Make sure everything is complete and all relevant people are briefed
Presentation (check for typos and formatting of the application)
Remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and meets the requirements set out by the funding body, this includes the submission of references and academic transcripts where required.

Advice

The Student Funding Office offers confidential advice to both prospective and current students covering issues such as bursaries, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans and other financial help available at King's to assist you, and we would encourage you to contact our staff if you have any queries, before or during your studies.

The Graduate School Support team offers advice, via email, telephone and through one-to-one appointments, to prospective and current postgraduate students on seeking studentship and scholarship funding.

For the 2012-13 round of schemes run by the Graduate School a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document has been produced to help applicants with their queries.

Find a programmeonline prospectus

Postgraduate funding database

Budgeting in London