Students often fund their postgraduate studies through a mixture of savings, family support, part-time work earnings, statutory student loans and scholarship support. The following information may help in your search for funding. All sources of funding will have eligibility criteria and you should check these carefully before making an application.
Tuition Fee Status
The tuition fee you will be charged by GSA will be determined by your residency status.
GSA Tuition Fee information
Home Fee Status
Students from the UK - students who are ordinarily resident in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland and have been resident in the UK, for reasons other than study, for 3 years.
Students from the Republic of Ireland (ordinarily resident for 3 years) also qualify for Home Fee Status.
Within the umbrella of Home Fee Status, dependant on your place of ordinary residence, students will be either a Scottish (Home) Student or a Rest of UK Student (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Please visit the link above on GSA tuition fee information for more detail on this.
International Fee Status
Students from outside the UK (including EU nationals and associated groups without Settled/Pre-Settled Status – see info below).
Students from the EU (excluding Republic of Ireland)
If you live in the EU (excluding the Republic of Ireland) and do not have Settled/Pre-Settled Status under the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme, you will be charged the international tuition fee rate.
Some new students from the EU, with the right to live in the UK, may be entitled to a 'home' fee status:
- If you have Settled/Pre-Settled status under the UK's EU Settlement Scheme
- If you are from the Republic of Ireland
- If you are British but live in the EU
- If you have dual UK/EU nationality
GSA information for students from the EU
For guidance on fee assessment UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has helpful information here and here
To enquire about your fee status please contact the GSA Registry admissions@gsa.ac.uk
For guidance and support with your fee status and access to student funding please contact the GSA Student Welfare Service welfare@gsa.ac.u
Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
The Scottish Government provides student loans via SAAS for postgraduate study.
Scottish Students are able to access SAAS loans up to £11,500 (comprising £7000 for fees and £4,500 for living costs) for any taught one year postgraduate course or a two year Masters level courses.
Students who are studying over more than one academic session and are splitting their fee loan will also be able to apply for an increased loan amount for the 2023-24 year of £3500 (half of £7000).
To be eligible for both the tuition fee and the living cost loans students must be “ordinarily resident” in Scotland before the course starts and must have been “ordinarily resident” in the UK for at least three years for reasons other than study.
A person is “ordinarily resident” if they have made their home in Scotland intending to stay and live here. If you are just in Scotland to study, but otherwise you would be living elsewhere, you are not ordinarily resident in Scotland.
EU nationals with Settled/Pre-Settled Status (EU Settlement Scheme) in the UK (but have not been “ordinarily resident” in the UK for 3 years) are eligible to apply for the SAAS Tuition Fee Loan only.
Students from the Republic of Ireland
Irish nationals are eligible for the SAAS Tuition Fee Loan (those with Settled Status who meet the residency requirements can apply for full the SAAS support package). The UK and Republic of Ireland have a historic agreement in place between the two countries regarding Higher Education tuition fees.
New EU students (without Settled/Pre-Settled Status) and other international studentsare not eligible for support from SAAS.
Further information from SAAS
Rest of UK Postgraduate Loans
Student Finance England provide student loans for English residents attending Master’s programmes anywhere in the UK. A loan of up to £11,836 is available to help with tuition fees and living costs. More information here on postgraduate and masters.
Student Finance Wales offer up to £18,430 (for 22-23), as a combination of grant and loan, for Masters Level study.
Student Finance Northern Ireland currently offers tuition fee loans of up to £5,500.
Postgraduate Doctoral Loans
Both Student Finance England (SFE) and Student Finance Wales (SFW) offer similar amounts of loans for PhD study. SFE offer loans of up to £27,892 and SFW offer loans of up to £27,880
SAAS does not currently offer Doctoral Loans.
Please note the exact amounts detailed above from all funding bodies are a guide for the academic year 2022-23, these could be subject to change for students studying in 2023-24.
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
The GSA is part of a consortium of eight Higher Education institutions which has been awarded funding from the AHRC to support postgraduate studentships and training in the Arts and Humanities in Scotland. Under the Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) scheme, the consortium - comprised of the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde and GSA - will consider applications for doctoral studentship awards in the majority of Arts and Humanities subjects.
Full information on the Scottish AHRC DTP and the application process is available here
US Federal Financial Aid (US citizens only)
The GSA participates in the William D Ford Direct Loan Program, helping US citizens pay for study.
GSA Scholarships
The GSA has a range of scholarships – mostly offering partial assistance with the costs of graduate study. Further information on these will be published on our website early in 2023.
Private Scholarships
A considerable number of private foundations have limited amounts of money available to support students undertaking a variety of programmes. The following websites are good places to begin your search:
Postgraduate Studentships
Prospects
Turn2Us
Scholarship Search
Foreign & Commonwealth Office Scholarships (British Council)
Commonwealth Scholarships
Carnegie Trust
Glasgow Education & Marshall Trust
GSA’s Student Welfare Office can also provide guidance on these and other trusts and charities to apply to - contact welfare@gsa.ac.uk.
Disabled Students’ Allowance
If you are a UK postgraduate student you can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) to cover some of the extra costs you may have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability. Information is available at SAAS and SFC
The Discretionary Fund
If you are a UK postgraduate student and you experience financial hardship whilst studying at GSA, you can apply for support from the Discretionary Fund via Student Welfare
GSA Alumni Discount
All GSA graduates are eligible for a 10% tuition discount when progressing on to PG study at GSA.
