Fees and finance

Postgraduate study at Durham University is an investment in your future, offering you the exhilaration of academic study at the highest level plus improved career prospects.

Postgraduate students are responsible for funding their own studies and these pages give you the information you need to start putting together a funding package for your time at Durham.

Funding opportunities

There are a number of different funding opportunities available to you - please follow the links on the left for further information.

When to start and where to get help

We advise that you start investigating funding opportunities at least eleven months before the postgraduate course you are interested in starts, and that you make a careful note of the deadlines of the different funding opportunities for which you are applying.

Applying for postgraduate funding can seem daunting, but the Student Financial Support Office is here to help you. If you have any queries after reading the information in these pages please don't hesitate to contact us on financialsupport.postgraduate@durham.ac.uk.

Professional and Career Development Loans

Many Masters students fund their studies by taking out a Professional and Career Development Loan.  If you are from the UK you may borrow between £300 and £10,000 from selected high street banks.  Interest on the loan is paid by the Learning and Skills Council whilst you study, but when you have finished your studies you start repaying your loan including interest. 

Applying for your Professional and Career Development Loan

For detailed information on the Professional and Career Development Loan, including how to apply, please see www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm

You should apply for your Professional and Career Development Loan well before the start of your course as it can take up to three months for your bank to process your application. 

Signing forms

If your application for a Professional and Career Development Loan is successful you will be provided with a form which must be signed by a specific named member of staff at Durham University to confirm that you are a registered student of the University.  The only person authorised to sign Professional and Career Development Loan forms at Durham University is Mrs Elizabeth Lovett, Head of Student Financial Support. 

Please call into the Student Financial Support Office to drop off your forms for signing or, if this is not possible, please post them to Mrs Margret Bidnell, Senior Student Financial Support Secretary, Durham University, University Office, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HP.  Please bring or post the stamped addressed envelope provided with the form and we will send it to the Learning and Skills Council for you. 

Durham University is listed on the Professional and Career Development Loan Register of learning providers.  Our Learner Provider Number is 6043.

For further funding options please follow this link http://www.dur.ac.uk/postgraduate/finance/other/