Student Finance NI Postgraduate Loans for Masters Study

• Unlike PGL from England, Wales or Scotland, there are no age limited to the Northern Irish PGL. 

• PGL will be available to persons settled in the UK; who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland and who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for three years on the first day of the first academic year of their course. Temporary absences from the home address, such as for travelling, will not prevent an applicant being eligible for PGL.

• Individuals may be eligible if they are an EU national or refugee; have leave to enter or remain; are an EEA or Swiss migrant worker; are a family member of any of the previous categories, or a child of a Swiss national or child of a Turkish worker.

• Distance learning applicants must reside in Northern Ireland.

• Students can avail of the loan even if they hold an equivalent or higher qualification (which includes undergraduate integrated Masters qualifications, such as MSci or MEng etc) – however, students will be entitled to one postgraduate tuition fee loan only.

• Northern Irish postgraduate loans can be combined other funding and finance, including the following:

  • Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDLs)
  • Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)
  • University scholarships
  • Charitable grants
  • NHS bursaries

However, you cannot have more than one student loan at the same time. This means you cannot receive a postgraduate loan whilst still receiving an undergraduate loan.

For more information, or to seek clarification as to eligible programmes, check the Student Finance NI website.

• The student must start the course in the academic year 2021/22.
• The course may be provided by a publicly funded HE Provider in the UK.
• Courses must be completed in three academic years or less.
• Master’s courses that are currently funded by the undergraduate support system, such as integrated Master’s (MSci, MEng), will not be eligible for PGL.

• The deadline for applications is 9 months after the first day of your academic year. Applications can be made on the Student Finance NI website. 

• It is recommended that you apply for a place on your course at the University of Birmingham prior to applying to a Postgraduate Loan.

• Loans will be paid directly to Higher Education Providers on behalf of students.

• Your loan is paid in three lump sums during your academic year, normally around the start of each term. The first two payments are each 25% of the total amount borrowed, the final payment is the remaining 50% of the total amount borrowed.

• For a 2 year course, you can apply for a loan up to a maximum of £2,750 each year.

• For a 3 year course, you can apply for a loan up to a maximum of £1,833 for the first 2 years and £1,834 in the final year.

• Interest will accrue at a rate in line with retail price index (RPI).*

• Repayments will start to become due on April following the academic year in which the course is completed.

• Repayment threshold will be on any income above £18,935 per year, £1,578 per month, or £344 per week before tax and National Insurance. 

• The repayment amount will be 9% of income above the relevant threshold.

• Unlike in England and Wales, repayments will not be made concurrently with any other student loan repayments due. If you are repaying both an undergraduate and the new postgraduate loan you will only pay 9% of your income above the threshold towards both loans.

*Exact rates have not been confirmed, but will either be set at RPI (the Retail Prices Index) or at 1% above the base rate of a selected group of banks (whichever is lower).

• There are currently no confirmed guidelines for changes of circumstances.

For updated information, check the Student Finance NI website.