Student Finance England - Funding for PGCE programmes

Funding for PGCE programmes at UWE Bristol

If you train to become a teacher on a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) at UWE Bristol, you can get money in three ways.

First, student loans: a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan for living costs, the same as undergraduates get.

Second, a training bursary, which you do not repay. For 2025/26 the amount depends on your subject and degree grade:

• Up to about EUR 33,000 (£29,000) for chemistry, computing, maths and physics
• About EUR 30,000 (£26,000) for French, German, Spanish, biology, geography and design & technology
• About EUR 11,500 (£10,000) for art & design, music and religious education
• About EUR 5,700 (£5,000) for English

The bursary is paid in 10 instalments from October.

Third, a training scholarship offered by subject associations instead of a bursary. You cannot take both. It is worth up to about EUR 35,000 (£31,000) for chemistry, computing, maths and physics, and about EUR 32,000 (£28,000) for French, German and Spanish.

Who can apply

• Course: You are on a full-time PGCE at UWE Bristol that qualifies for funding. iPGCE courses do not get this funding.
• Subject: Bursaries and scholarships go to certain subjects only, such as maths, physics, chemistry, computing, languages, biology, geography, English, art, music and religious education. The amount depends on which one.
• Residence: You live in the UK. EU students can apply if their residence status makes them eligible for Student Finance.
• Student Finance: For a bursary or scholarship you must be entitled to Student Finance, the UK government funding for students.
• Not already teaching: For a bursary you must not already work as a teacher.

How to apply

For a bursary there is no separate application. Once you have a place, you get the details through UWE's Welcome Portal joining instructions over the summer. For a scholarship you apply directly to the relevant subject association, which sets its own criteria.

How realistic are your chances?

Your prospects depend almost entirely on your subject. If you train in a priority subject like maths, physics, chemistry or a language, the bursary is close to automatic once you have a funded PGCE place and qualify for Student Finance. So the sums are large and reliable. Scholarships are more competitive, because the subject association picks recipients against its own standards.