Master’s Degree in Sound Art. Visual arts, architecture, music. 2012 2013 College Scholarships, PhD Scholarships, Postdoctoral, Graduate International Scholarships Fellowships. Postgraduates: we need student loans. Most postgraduate students are dependent upon work, savings and parental help.
Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian Arguments about access to university have dominated the headlines ever since the hike in tuition fees was announced two years ago. But despite many debates about university funding, the financial difficulties facing postgraduates are rarely mentioned. Unlike most undergraduates, postgraduate students do not, by and large, qualify for a student loan, apart from students on some eligible courses in Scotland, and some who are studying teaching. While master's students whose courses are vocational may be entitled to a career development loan of up to £10,000, this comes with 9.9% interest charges. Nor is there much public funding available now research bodies such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council have been hit with cutbacks. Of the students I spoke to, some saw course costs as an investment.
University staff agree. Windle Charitable Trust Grants - Postgraduate Studentships .co.uk. Encouragement and Support of the Creative Arts. Postgraduate student loans: an idea whose time has come. Postgraduate loans: is it possible to design a scheme in which the vast majority of money is repaid?
Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian After years on the sidelines of higher education policy, postgraduates are finally getting their moment in the spotlight. In July 2012, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee recommended that the government create a new loan scheme for STEM postgraduates. The review of Liberal Democrat science policy led by Julian Huppert came to the same conclusion. And just last week, the government's social mobility czar, Alan Milburn, called postgraduate study a potential time-bomb and urged the government to commission an independent report to develop proposals for a loan system. Next week, the Higher Education Commission, a cross-party group of senior leaders from industry, parliament and the education sector will add their voice to this call, publishing a major report on the future of postgraduate education. Postgraduate Studentships .co.uk - Where ideas and funding meet. Advanced - Turn2us.
Funding postgraduate study. A student's guide to bursaries and grants. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day I would take a deep breath and write a begging letter to Sir Tim Rice.
Less likely still, was the idea that I would ask Margaret Thatcher to give me money with a reasonable chance of success. But both had established charitable trusts in their own names aimed at funding people, like myself, in higher education. Many of the trusts are obscure, some are ancient, and use arcane phrases such as "ladies in distress". Others, like the Scarr-Hall Memorial Trust, or The Rotary Foundation scholarship (mostly for study abroad) are more down to earth. Wingate Scholarships are awarded to individuals of "great potential or proven excellence" needing funds for "pioneering or original work of intellectual, scientific, artistic, social or environmental value, and to outstandingly talented musicians for advanced training". But do students really need charity? And so, if all else fails, charities could help. Case study: the student who got £40,000. Postgraduate Funding for University Students through Grants from Charity.