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Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loans (PTFL)
Changes to Postgraduate Funding for 2013
From session 2013-2014 the current Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme (PSAS) will be replaced with a repayable student support model. Eligible postgraduate students can apply to SAAS for a "Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan" (PTFL) to help with the cost of their fees (up to £3,400 for full-time students and up to £1,700 for part-time students).
Eligibility
The new arrangements will mean that all eligible Scotland domiciled students and EU students undertaking full and part-time postgraduate study will be eligible for repayable student support towards the cost of their tuition fees.
Applicants should not have received support from UK public funds for a previous vocational postgraduate course. If you are an EU national, you should not have received support from another EU country.
Applicants will require to hold an unconditional offer of admission before applying for a tuition fee loan. Please note that you will be required to send a copy of your unconditional offer together with your loan application to SAAS before your loan can be assessed.
There are no changes to the types of postgraduate qualifications which will be supported. Only one year postgraduate diplomas and the 9 month taught element of some masters course will be eligible. Part-time study should be completed within two academic years.
Eligible programmes for 2013
The following programmes will be eligible at the University of Edinburgh for 2013-2014:
- Accounting and Finance
- Advanced Sustainable Design
- Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare
- Architectural Conservation
- Art Space and Nature
- Bioelectronics and Biosensors
- Bioinformatics
- Biomechanics
- Biotechnology
- Business Administration
- Carbon Capture & Storage
- Carbon Management
- Community Education
- Contemporary Art Practice (Painting, Photography, Sculpture)
- Contemporary Art Theory
- Design & Applied Arts (Fashion, Glass, Interior Design, Jewellery, Performance Costume, Product Design, Textiles)
- Design and Digital Media
- Drug Discovery & Translation Biology
- Ecological Economics
- Environmental Protection & Management
- Financial Mathematics
- Financial Modelling & Optimization
- Forensic Anthropology
- Geographical Information Science
- High Performance Computing
- Human Osteoarchaeology
- Informatics (Al, Cognitive Science, Computer Science)
- Operational Research
- Osteoarchaelogy
- Professional Legal Practice
- Public Health
- Statistics and Operational Research
- Sustainable Energy Systems
- Visual Communication (Animation, Film, Graphic Design, Illustration)
Repayment
Repayment commences after students graduate and are in employment, earning above the student loan repayment threshold which from April 2012 will be £15,795.
Eligible EU students who apply for a tuition fee loan will be subject to the same loan repayment terms as any Scotland domiciled student. Under the terms of the student loan legislation, this means that EU students will need to apply for a UK National Insurance number (NINO) to be eligible for a "Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan".
EU students who do not have a NINO, and who are intending to work in the UK, should contact the National Insurance Office on 0845 600 0643 to arrange this.
SAAS are still considering various options as to how EU students who wish to apply for a "Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan" but who do not intend working in the UK can access a NINO. Once this has been confirmed we will update this information.
Please note that EU students can still apply to SAAS for a loan even if they do not hold a NINO at the time of application. SAAS will inform students what further information they require and how they can obtain a NINO. It will be the student's responsibility to let SAAS know their NINO once this is allocated before SAAS can make the tuition fee payment on their behalf.
Applying for a Tuition Fee Loan
SAAS will make available the "Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan" application from April 2013.
You should download an application form from the SAAS website, complete it and return to SAAS along with a copy of your unconditional offer of admission letter from the University of Edinburgh.
University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Bursaries 2013
The University has set up a new bursary scheme for 2013 specifically for students in receipt of a "Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan". Up to 50 awards of £1,000 each will be available for 2013-2014.
Closing date for applications for the 2013-2014 academic session is 28 June 2013.
Further Information
This article was published on May 9, 2013