Our University currently subscribes to the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding. This independent guide to financing postgraduate study can be an invaluable tool to anyone considering study beyond undergraduate level. The Guide is free to use for our current and prospective students.

If you’re a prospective student, you’ll need our PIN to be able to access the resource. Please email pgadmit@essex.ac.uk to receive this.

If you're a US student you could be eligible to take out a US direct loan.

Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans that can be used to help pay for work-related learning. You can borrow £300 to £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year's relevant unpaid practical work).

The government will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries.

This loan is a commercial product and should only be considered as an option once all other student funding options have been investigated.

The government provides further information on Professional and Career Development Loans. For other advice regarding financial assistance or support you can also contact Careers Advice on 0800 100 900. Our learning provider registration number is: 2877.

If you obtain a Career Development Loan to pay for your tuition fees but it isn't enough to cover them in full, you'll need to pay any shortfall yourself in three termly instalments.

You might be able to apply for a graduate loan, either from your own or another high street bank. Make sure you compare the various packages on offer to find out which is best for you. A first step is to look online for sites which do this for you and then make an appointment to talk to the local branch of the banks which interest you. Don't be put off if you already have an existing overdraft. Many banks will now take on the responsibility of this is you are taking out a graduate loan.

Information about charities and trusts that offer awards and sponsorship to students and their application procedures can be found in the Educational Grants Directory and The Grants Register. Copies of these are available in our Albert Sloman Library, as well as in most public libraries.

You can also try a grants search at Turn2us. Use the keyword "higher education" and then narrow your search by filling in other information about yourself.

Many charities and trusts are only able to award a small number of grants each year, so competition can be fierce. To be in with the best chance of receiving an award it is a good idea to:

• research charities and trusts carefully as they may have eligibility requirements (eg based on your area of residence, family background and subject area)
• apply as soon as possible (many give deadlines for applications)

Funding for Acting and Drama courses can be limited and competition for grants is fierce, but it’s worth looking at the sources of funding above as well as these, which are aimed specifically at students in your field:

• The Society for Theatre Research
• The South Square Trust
• The Costume Society
• Minnie Morgan’s Scholarship – Open to those under 25 who attended secondary school in Llanelli.
  To apply write to:
  Director of Resources
  Carmarthenshire County Council
  County Hall
  Carmarthen
  Dyfed
  SA31 1JP
  

For ideas of how to secure additional funding take a look at Damian Gaskin’s booklet ‘How to Raise £40,000 and train at Drama School’ (.pdf). (The author has asked you to bear in mind that this was written in 1996, well before all the fundraising advances that the internet and social media have given you and so needs to be read in that context. Please do not contact the author himself for sponsorship!)

You can also take a look at Degrees For Free which has some useful and interesting ideas for fundraising and money-saving. (There is a book of the same name, but don’t feel compelled to buy it, the website is useful in its own right!)

Some companies offer to sponsor students and this is becoming an increasingly common source of funding in certain subject areas, primarily the sciences. Some firms will also consider finance-related disciplines such as accountancy and business studies.

Financial assistance offered by a company will usually be accompanied by work experience which you might be asked to undertake during your holidays or after graduation.

More information about sponsorship can be found in Sponsorship for Students published by Hobsons.

We and the Students' Union both offer hardship loans if you are experiencing financial difficulty.

• University hardship loans
• Students' Union hardship loans