Hello guys , i want to know if i would be eligible for the postgraduate loans for masters students .I due to take effect from next year.I was told the scheme would be introduced from next year 2016-2017 academic year.I would still be below 30 by then and would still be a British citizen but i came to the U.K 2014 July so i dont know if i would be eligible or not.Would appreciate if you can help me out.Thanks

Hi Bosdami

You may have already seen this, but we've put together a guide to the forthcoming loans scheme over at FindAMasters.com:

This is based on the information released with the 2014 Autumn Statement, but do bear in mind that the details of the loans scheme may change subject to further consultation.

If you're under 30 and have UK citizenship in 2016, you should be eligible according to the guidelines provided so far. Residency can sometimes be taken into consideration when determining eligibility, but, if you're paying (or are eligible to pay) the domestic rate as an undergraduate, you should be fine.

Again though - things could change. We'll be keeping things updated as we find out more.

Hope that helps!

Mark

thanks moderator , yes i saw this on the findamasters.com page but i had to b clarify , that was why i came to this forum to ask.Thanks for your replies.
Mark i dont get what u mean by domestic rate as an under graduate .I didn't do my first degree here.Thanks for ur response and please keep updating me.Thanks

Hi Bosdami

In the UK, tuition fees depend partly on student nationality. As a rule, citizens of the UK and the EU pay a 'domestic' rate, whilst those from other countries pay an 'international' rate. If you qualified for the domestic rate as an undergraduate you'd likely be eligible for a loan. Don't worry about this though - if you are, as you say, a UK citizen, you should be entitled to the same financial support as other UK citizens.

I'm afraid I can't provide any more information than that at present, but we'll be keeping the guide on FindAMasters.com updated as further details emerge.

Thanks

Mark

It's a bit of a joke that they are not funding research MScs though - they are often more useful than taught courses, and they fund MScis already.

There are a few unfortunate limitations to the proposed scheme - the age cap, for one. The NUS are lobbying for improvements to these areas.

It's possible that some MSc(Res) and MA(Res) programmes might become eligible; the HEFCE Postgraduate Support Scheme (which precedes the loans this year) does cover MRes programmes... provided they're classified as taught courses by the university in question.