SAAS Postgraduate Loan Scheme

What the SAAS Postgraduate Loan gives you

You can borrow up to about EUR 16,300 (£13,900) for a postgraduate course. It comes in two parts. The tuition fee loan covers your course fees up to about EUR 8,200 (£7,000) and goes straight to your university. The living cost loan pays you up to about EUR 8,100 (£6,900) into your own bank account for everyday costs. Neither part depends on your or your family's income. The money comes from Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), Scotland's government student funding agency. If your course lasts more than one year, the total is split evenly across the years. You start repaying only after you graduate and earn over about EUR 39,700 (£33,795) a year. You then repay 9% of anything you earn above that.

Who can apply

• Where you live: Scotland is your normal home, not just where you study, on the course start date.
• Time in the UK: You have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 3 years before that date.
• Nationality: You are a UK national or have settled status. Irish nationals and some others, such as refugees, can also qualify. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals are generally no longer eligible unless they have EU Settlement Scheme status.
• Course: A taught or research Master's (MA, MSc, MBA, LLM, MRes, MPhil) or a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), in any subject. PGCerts and PhDs do not qualify.
• Where you study: Any Scottish university (full or part time), or a full-time course anywhere else in the UK.
• Age: No age limit for the tuition fee loan. For the living cost loan you must be 60 or under on the first day of your first year, and studying full time.
• Previous funding: You have not had government funding for a postgraduate course before. If you have, you cannot get the tuition fee loan, but you can still get the living cost loan.

How to apply

You apply online through the SAAS portal. For courses starting in 2026/27, apply by 30 June 2026 so your funding is ready before your course begins. The final legal deadline is 31 March 2027. You reapply for the tuition fee loan each year, but the living cost loan needs only one application.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a loan, not a competitive scholarship, so no panel weighs you against other applicants. If you meet the residence, nationality and course rules, you get the funding. The main things that could rule you out are not being a settled Scottish resident, or having had postgraduate government funding before. Check those points and apply in good time.