Masters scholarships and funding
Loans
You could be eligible to receive a postgraduate loan
towards course fees and living costs.
Alumni loyalty discount
If you're an Essex graduate, you could be eligible for our alumni loyalty discount.
Scholarships and bursaries
We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries to make funding your studies
easier. Our main awards are listed below and you can
search our Scholarship Finder
to see what else you might be eligible for.
Scholarship or bursary name |
Valid year of entry |
Who it's for |
Academic Excellence
International Masters Scholarship |
2021-22 |
International students meeting high academic standards starting in January 2021 or October 2021 |
Africa Scholarship Programme |
2021-22 |
Students from African nations |
Americas Regional Scholarship |
2021-22 |
Students from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador or Peru |
Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting Scholarships |
2020-21 |
Master students in our Department of Language and Linguistics |
<
The Eleonore Koch Fund |
2021-22 |
Students from Latin America to study MA in Art History and Theory in our School of Philosophy and Art History. |
Essex Global Partner Scholarships |
2021-22 |
Self-funded international Masters students studying at one of our global channel partners |
The Essex MBA Dean's Award |
2021-22 |
Self-funded students applying to the full-time and part-time MBA programme |
The Essex MBA Early Bird Discount |
2021-22 |
Self-funded students who, following successful application and interview, accept their offer to study by 31 May 2021 for October 2021 start |
Essex Society for Family History Award |
2020-21 |
Masters students in our Department of History |
European (non-European Union) Regional Scholarship |
2021-22 |
Self-funded European Masters students from non-EU countries |
Friends of Historic Essex Fellowship |
2020-21 |
Masters students in our Department of History |
Fuller Masters Scholarship |
2020-21 |
Home/EU Masters students studying in our Department of Sociology |
GREAT Scholarship |
2021-22 |
For Masters students from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand |
GREAT - Scholarship for a Sustainable Future |
2021-22 |
For Masters students from Egypt and Turkey studying in climate change related subjects |
ITESM “Doble Grado” Tuition Fee Discount |
2020-21 |
Self-funded international Masters students who have graduated from ITESM |
ITESM Tuition Fee Discount |
2020-21 |
Self-funded international Masters students who have graduated from ITESM |
Latin American Scholarship (including the Caribbean) |
2020-21 |
Students from Latin America or the Caribbean and studying for MA Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling or MA Translation and Professional Practice |
Masters (PGT) EU Scholarship |
2021-22 |
Students from the EU who are classified as international fee paying students in academic year 2021-22 |
Masters Excellence
Scholarship |
2021-22 |
Home/EU students with a first class degree from a UK university Home students with a first class degree from a UK university |
Schools Membership Plus Staff Discount |
2021-22 |
For staff members of eligible SMP schools undertaking a full or part time postgraduate taught course. |
Sports scholarships and bursaries |
2020-21 |
Students with outstanding sporting ability |
Scholarships from other organisations
Other sources of funding
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Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
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.
You can access the resource using the following PIN: 2529.
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International student funding sources
There are country-specific funding opportunities, please see our country
pages for more information.
If you're a US student you could be eligible to take out a US direct loan.
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Professional and Career Development Loans
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.
Please be advised that new loans are not being offered beginning 25/01/2019.
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Graduate loans
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.
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Charitable trusts and grants
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)
-
East 15 Acting School - charitable trusts and grants
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:
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!)
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Sponsorship
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.
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Hardship loans
We and the Students' Union both offer hardship loans if you are experiencing financial difficulty.
What our students say
In this video our postgraduate students from around the world speak about the scholarships they have secured and how this support has helped them continue their studies.