SAAS Postgraduate Tuition Fee and Living Cost Loan / Student Finance NI Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan

SAAS and Student Finance NI postgraduate loans

These are two government loan schemes for master's students in the UK. Which one you use depends on where you live.

If you normally live in Scotland, the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) can lend you up to about 16,650 EUR (13,900 GBP) per year. This splits in two. A tuition fee loan of up to about 8,400 EUR (7,000 GBP) goes straight to your university. A living-cost loan of up to about 8,300 EUR (6,900 GBP) goes to your own bank account in instalments. Neither part depends on your income. Full-time students get both parts; part-time students get only the tuition fee loan. On courses longer than one year, the total spreads evenly across the years.

If you normally live in Northern Ireland, Student Finance NI can lend you up to about 12,000 EUR (10,000 GBP) for the whole course. This covers tuition fees only, paid directly to your university. There is no living-cost loan, and the loan cannot exceed the fees you are actually charged. With both schemes you repay the loan once you earn above a set salary after you finish.

Who can apply

• Where you live: Scotland (for SAAS) or Northern Ireland (for Student Finance NI). You must also have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the last 3 years.
• Nationality: UK nationals and people with settled status. EU nationals with pre-settled or settled status who have lived in the UK for 3 years also qualify. Irish nationals qualify for the Northern Ireland loan.
• Course: A taught or research master's, or a postgraduate diploma. Northern Ireland also covers postgraduate certificates. PhDs and doctorates are not covered.
• Where you study: With SAAS, full-time students can study anywhere in the UK; part-time students must study in Scotland. Northern Ireland students can study anywhere in the UK, and from 2026/27 at relevant institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
• Age: No age limit for the tuition fee loan. For the SAAS living-cost loan you must be under 61 at the start of your first year.
• Income: None of the loans depend on your or your parents' income.
• Previous funding: If you already got public postgraduate funding, you cannot get the tuition fee loan (SAAS still allows the living-cost loan). Northern Ireland lets you take only one postgraduate loan ever.

How to apply

In Scotland, apply online through the SAAS portal. The recommended date for 2026/27 is 30 June 2026, with a final deadline of 31 March 2027. In Northern Ireland, apply online at Student Finance NI, at the latest 9 months after the first day of your academic year. You reapply for each year of study.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a loan you qualify for by meeting fixed rules, not a competitive scholarship. There is no selection panel and no applicant pool to beat. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, take an eligible master's course and have not already used up your entitlement, you will get the loan. Just remember it is money you repay from your salary after you graduate.