Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) - Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loans (PTFL)

What the SAAS postgraduate loan gives you

If you are studying for a Master’s degree with a focus on lectures or research, or a postgraduate diploma in Scotland, you will receive a repayable tuition fee loan of up to £7,000 (about 8,100 EUR). The loan is paid directly to your university, so you will never have to deal with the tuition fees yourself. For a two- or three-year course, the amount of £7,000 is the total for all years, not per year. If you meet the residence and age requirements, you can add a living costs loan of up to £6,900 (approximately 8,000 EUR) for full-time study. This gives a maximum total of £13,900 (approximately 16,100 EUR). Neither of these loans is means-tested against your income or that of your parents. The scheme is administered by the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) on behalf of the Scottish Government.

This is a loan, not a grant. You will repay it as soon as your annual income exceeds £33,795, at a rate of 9% of the income above this threshold. Any outstanding balance after 30 years will be written off.

Who can apply

• Course: You are starting a full-time or part-time Master’s degree (teaching or research-based) or a postgraduate diploma programme. Postgraduate certificates and part-time programmes that take place on an occasional basis are excluded from this.
• Field of study: All participants are eligible to take part.
• Nationality and residence: You are a British national (or hold ‘Settled Status’) and have lived in Scotland for 3 years prior to the start of your studies. EU citizens with ‘Settled Status’ or ‘Pre-Settled Status’ under the EU Settlement Scheme who meet the SAAS residence requirements are also eligible.
• Tuition loan without full residence: If you are an EU citizen and do not fully meet the residence requirements, you may still be eligible for the loan to cover tuition fees, but not for the loan to cover living costs.
• Age (living-cost loan only): On the first day of your first year of study, you will be classified as 61 (applicants from the UK) or 60 (applicants from the EU). There is no age limit for the loan intended solely to cover tuition fees.
• Living-cost loan limits: Not available to part-time students or to EU citizens coming to Scotland solely to study.
• Previous funding: If you have already received a SAAS Master’s grant, you cannot apply for the tuition fee loan again, but the living costs loan may still be available to you.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the SAAS website. The application deadline for starting your studies in 2026/27 is 31 March 2027; However, you should apply by 30 June to ensure that your funding is already secured by the time you start your studies. If your degree programme lasts longer than one academic year, you must submit a new application each year.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a loan for which you qualify by meeting specified criteria – it is not a selection process in which grades or a personal statement are decisive. There is no selection panel and no fixed number of places. If you meet the criteria regarding nationality, place of residence, age and degree programme, you will usually be awarded the loan. The place of residence requirement is the most important grounds for exclusion; you should therefore check this carefully and apply for the loan well in advance to ensure you receive the funding in time for the start of the semester.