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Postgraduate Funding

Scholarships and bursaries at Aston 

The following schools/academic faculties offer funding opportunities to learners considering enrolling on a postgraduate course at the University.  Please click on the relevant school below:

Aston Business School

Life and Health Sciences

Engineering and Applied Science

Languages and Social Sciences

External links

Other sources of information regarding postgraduate funding can be found here:

Funding for postgraduates
http://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk

Graduate careers website
http://www.prospects.ac.uk

National Postgraduate Committee
http://www.npc.org.uk


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 between £300 and £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 Skills Funding Agency 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.

Because the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should only be considered as an option once all other student funding options have been investigated.

For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact the Next Step service on 0800 100 900.

Please quote the Aston University institution code in all communication: 1109

Access to Learning Fund
If you are a Postgraduate student (taught or research) you may be eligible to apply for financial assistance via the Access to Learning Fund.  This government fund is available to home (UK) Aston University students to help them access and remain in higher education. 

The Fund cannot be used for help towards the payment of Tuition Fees and you must be able to demonstrate that realistic provision to cover the cost of your tuition fees and core living costs has been made prior to starting the course that you are to enroll on.   

The table below illustrates the minimum weekly provision for living costs the government expects full-time postgraduate students to have made (this figure does not include provision made for tuition fees):

Weekly financial provision

Full time single students                                                              £165.00 per week

Full time student with dependants                                                £133.00 per week

(who are financially reliant on the student)

Full time students with a disability                                                 £133.00 per week

(who are unable to work due to the disability)

If you are unable to illustrate that this provision has been made in advance of enrolling on your course then you may not be eligible to apply for additional assistance from the Assess to Learning Fund. 

Assessments for funding are made by looking at your expected income (and that of your partner if applicable) and what we consider to be reasonable expenditure on living costs, rent, travel and course-related costs.  

There are national guidelines to assist us with this and we take into account local conditions for costs such as rent and travel, for example. If there appears to be a shortfall between your income and your expenditure, then you may qualify for a “standard” Access to Learning Fund award. 

We will also consider “non-standard” elements of your application, for example, priority debts or sudden and emergency situations.

The Fund is available to current, home students and you can apply to it at any stage during your period of study here at Aston.  If you qualify for a payment from the Fund, it will not usually have to be repaid.  Any award granted by the Committee will be credited into your nominated bank account.

Checked and updated PJC 18/09/2012