Well, the example there is for an EU national who doesn't qualify as English-resident. They therefore can't study outside of England.

In terms of living outside Greece, but attending classes, I suspect you'd have to give an English residence when applying for the loan and / or the course. I don't know how rigorously this would be checked, but wouldn't advise giving any false information.

More information about the loans is gradually being confirmed - I'll send you a message if / when I hear of any changes to distance learning criteria for EU students.

Yes - distance learning courses are eligible as described in the 2015 consultation response. However, the criteria for UK and EU students differ. Distance learning outside England is only an option for students who ordinarily qualify as English resident.

The most recent information on this was published by the Student Loans Company in a Residency FAQ, available here:

As per the third page:

"Do EU students need to study in England
to be eligible for PG funding?

For those EU students who have been
ordinarily resident anywhere in the EEA /
Switzerland for the past three years but
do not meet the requirements to be
assessed as English domiciled students,
must attend the course (or undertake the
course where they are distance learning)
in England."

Hope that helps clear things up.

Hi Physiogr

Content in our guide is all based on official information. UK students can take out a loan to study anywhere in the UK and can study abroad for up to 50% of the course. EU students can take out a loan to study in England, but must be resident there - the funding is primarily intended to support postgraduates in the UK.

Hope that helps a bit - not sure which council you've spoken to - do you mean *the* British Council? Or a branch of local government?

Hi physiogr

I'm afraid the loans are only available for study in the UK. You're eligible as an EU student, but you'd have to live and study in England.

Hope that helps clear things up - lots more info in our guide:

Some very good points made here.

I think Ian's suggestion that this could be indicative of a shift in RC funding is interesting (in a slightly troubling way). The government has already moved undergraduate maintenance grants to loans, after all. I'd probably be more concerned about a move to RC fees + personal loan than I would about RC funding being scrapped wholesale.

We'll have to hope not Hugh.

There's some reason to be positive. The original announcement of the loans in the 2015 budget only made reference to STEM. That did suggest a move to replace or supplant existing funding (few STEM students self-fund). They've since been repositioned as a solution for those without RC funding, with more references made to Arts, Humanities, etc (where self-funding is much more commonplace).

Time will tell..

Some good points.

It'll be interesting to see what the specific eligibility criteria end up being for part-time students. You'd expect them to be eligible - particularly if the loans end up supplementing a 'portfolio' funding approach.

The £25,000 figure is interesting. It's not even clearly proportional to the £10,000 available for a Masters. It also bears no clear relation to the Research Council stipend it presumably works to offset the lack of (or replace..).

Personally, I think there's something to be said for the option being there. But the concern has to be the effect on existing funding and the academic job market.

Hi Folks

Just a heads up: Yesterday's Budget confirmed PhD loans of £25,000 for English students without Research Council funding, beginning 2018-19.

As usual, we've got the details (such as they are) over at FindAPhD:

Bit of a mixed reaction around the internet - what do you guys think? Will these make much difference to your study decisions? Would they have if they were available when you started?

Interesting to hear what current / prospective PhDs actually think of these funding changes.

Mark

Hi Khan

There will be student loans for UK PhD students in future, but details and dates haven't been confirmed. Possible that they'll be available by 2017-18, but by no means guaranteed.

There's a guide to what we know so far over at FindAPhD:

Hi Seminarian

Personally, I'd suggest that *within academia* the reputation of your research group and your supervisor are more important than the ranking of the institution itself.

A high-ranking university will probably have strong individual departments and attract strong researchers. But the reverse isn't always true for a 'lower' ranking university that specialises in your niche.

Outside of academia the overall reputation of a university probably has more weight, but employers won't necessarily consider (or be aware of) specific rankings. If you think a given university sounds impressive, it probably does. Provided you can 'sell' the PhD itself, of course.

We put together a guide on rankings from a Postgrad perspective for FindAMasters not too long ago. It's PGT focussed rather than PGR, but many of the points are broadly relevant:


Hope that helps a bit,

Mark

Hi Gatto'

I'd definitely recommend keeping an eye out for loan plans in other parts of the UK.

Northern Ireland had announced plans before the English loans were confirmed and Scotland followed suit with its own proposals shortly after.

There's nothing on the table for Wales *yet* (so far as I know), but I'd be surprised if something isn't proposed / considered now we're into the New Year.

In the meantime, double check you definitely aren't eligible. If you're resident in England prior to beginning your Masters (and in the UK for three years) you could be. It's not yet clear what criteria is going to be used to judge this.

Mark

Aye - it's interesting that they didn't show a body. But then he'd have to have also survived an exploding planet (?).

Emo Kylo Ren was a bit naff (though he's spawned a pretty funny twitter account - https://twitter.com/KyloR3n). Ridiculously angry, evil Kylo Ren was hilarious - yet still quite ominous.

I quite liked the film - but I'm not much of a Star Wars nut, so went in with different expectations. Thought Kylo Ren was scenery-chewingly good, pre-revelation, but wasn't as interested in his reveal.

BTW - added a spoiler alert to the thread title - just in case anyone clicks without having seen the film yet.

That's an interesting one.

It's not covered in any of the documentation released so far, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. I'd wait until next year when the SLC gets its application process in order and see.

Hello all

Just a very quick post for anyone following the UK Masters loans scheme. Big news in the documents behind yesterday's Autumn Statement announcement:

- Age cap raised from 30 to 60

- Loans at all UK unis (not just England)

- Research Masters now eligible

- Repayment rate lowered to 6% over 21k

More details in our update guide, over at FindAMasters.com.

Cheers to any of you folks who took part in the consultation and played a role in winning these improvements to the scheme.