Financial assistance
The University of St Andrews offers many postgraduate scholarships each year. There are also resources available to postgraduates seeking funding, including options outside the University. However, please be aware that the offer of a University place does not carry with it a guarantee of financial support.
The University also aims to provide financial advice and assistance to postgraduate students who are struggling with money worries.
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The University of St Andrews offers postgraduate scholarships and other financial awards. These may be held in addition to external funding or awards from a government body. These may also cover (fully or partially) tuition fees, maintenance (living costs including accommodation) or both.
Scholarships are available based on academic merit and financial need. There are scholarships available for both home and overseas fee status. The scholarships team recommends reading the terms of each award carefully and applying to a range of funding sources.
Applicants with refugee status, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave and asylum seeker status can apply for scholarships. The correct tuition fee status will determine which scholarships are available to you. If you have any queries about your fee status, please contact the fees team (fees@st-andrews.ac.uk) for more advice.
Companies, foundations and other external bodies also provide financial help to students studying at home or overseas. Applicants who are resident overseas can usually get information on scholarships from their local government, Ministry of Education, an appropriate inter-university organisation, or from the British Council.
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The Research Councils are public bodies charged with investing UK taxpayers’ money in science and research. Each is responsible for its own range of subjects and has different procedures and regulations.
Most Research Council awards are for research rather than taught (Masters) courses, although postgraduate taught funding may be available in some cases. Please visit the UK Research Councils web pages for further details.
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There may be postgraduate loans available to you depending on your nationality and country of residence. Full details about this type of funding can be found on the postgraduate loans page.
Examples of other countries with government bodies offering postgraduate funding include:
- USA: US federal loans
- Canada: NSERC postgraduate scholarships
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Various foundations and other bodies offer financial assistance to postgraduate students, and these may be located through various means:
- Student Services hold limited information on outside trusts available to current and prospective students, which you may find useful.
- If you are a current St Andrews student, you may wish to browse the following University web pages:
- The Careers Centre funding web page offers details about postgraduate funding as well as links to searchable online databases.
- Postgraduate Money Matters.
- A guide for students seeking postgraduate funding is also available on the Prospects website.
- Scholarships and funding advice and information can be found on the FindAMasters and FindAPhD websites.
- Postgraduate funding guides and a discussion forum are available on the Student Room website.
- If you are an overseas (non-UK) applicant, you can usually get information on scholarships from the Ministry of Education in your home country, from the appropriate inter-university organisation, if there is one, or from the British Council. Funding advice and a scholarship search is also available on the Education UK website.
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If you are experiencing or anticipate financial difficulties, you may wish to contact Student Services (money.advice@st-andrews.ac.uk) who provide financial advice and support to students, including limited financial assistance.
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There are some research-related travel funding options that may be available depending on your subject area.
Always first check with the postgraduate secretary for your academic School to find out whether the department offers any such funding of its own, or can recommend any external trusts or funds that could be available to you. You could also consider the following options:
The Fieldwork Bursary Fund assists with costs directly connected with research carried out in the field by registered, full-time postgraduate research students. Fieldwork must be approved using the University’s Travel registration and fieldwork risk assessment tool before starting the bursary application. Students will be provided with a link to apply to the fieldwork bursary within 5 days of having their fieldwork approved.
If you are a research student, you may be eligible for the Russell Trust Awards, which provide funding for current PhD students.
Some outside trusts also offer funding for this purpose.
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If you are eligible to work in the UK, you may be seeking job opportunities to support your study.
There are normally various opportunities available within the University, ranging from clerical and hospitality jobs to tutoring and research projects. You can use the online vacancies system to find out about both permanent and casual work.
Some academic Schools offer paid tutoring positions to research students, usually in their second year. Please contact your academic School for further information.
The Careers Centre also provides information for students looking for other jobs in the St Andrews area.
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Postgraduate scholarships made on the basis of financial need are designed to assist those who may not otherwise have the financial resources to attend university.
Eligible applicants are evaluated using a points-based system up to a maximum of 10 using the following criteria:
Gross household income from employment or pension (salary, wages, investments, bonuses, etc), working tax credits, social security benefits, plus any other income.
Threshold Points Up to £19,999 5 £20,000 to £29,999 4 £30,000 to £39,999 3 £40,000 to £49,999 2 £50,000 to £54,999 1 £55,000 + 0 Contextual information, for example, long-term illness of main earner, disabilities, being in local authority care, coming from a single-parent family, redundancy or other such unforeseen extenuating circumstances.
Threshold Points Significant need 5 Clear need 3 Some need 1 -
The following terms and conditions apply to all University of St Andrews scholarships, prizes, bursaries and awards (collectively "Awards"). Individual Awards may have additional terms and conditions; if so, these specific terms and conditions will be clearly stated within Award information and highlighted to the Award applicant as part of the application process.
Collection and use of personal data
The University will collect and process your personal data to manage Award applications and to manage funds where an Award is made. This could include the passing of personal data to Award sponsors or their equivalent, only for the purposes of managing and monitoring an Award. The University will also monitor Award applications to comply with financial regulation. Award applications may be assessed by the University for equality purposes.
To be awarded, a student must:
- Meet all conditions attached to their academic offer, plus any other conditions attached to the Award.
- Matriculate and register on their academic programme by the official start date. Awards may not be deferred to a later date without prior written agreement.
- Provide any necessary documentary evidence in the format required upon application.
- Accept the terms and conditions of the individual Award.
To receive or continue to receive payments, a student must:
- Be fully matriculated at the University of St Andrews.
- Meet and continue to meet the required eligibility criteria of the Award.
- Provide and maintain up to date bank details for maintenance payments, if the Award includes maintenance.
- Set a good academic example, e.g. strive for best results, attend classes, finish the course on time and continue to demonstrate the exemplary student attributes or grades by which he or she originally received the Award. If the student fails to do this, the Award may be withdrawn.
It is the Award recipient's responsibility to:
- Inform the scholarships team (scholarshipsandfunding@st-andrews.ac.uk) immediately of any academic changes in circumstances including leave of absence, withdrawal or change in conditions stipulated in the Award letter. Failure to do so or delay in doing so may lead to the requirement to repay part or all of any Award already received. Such changes may result in the termination of the Award.
- Inform the scholarships team (scholarshipsandfunding@st-andrews.ac.uk) immediately of any change in their personal circumstances such as changes in financial status, which may result in them no longer being eligible for this Award.
- Inform the scholarships team (scholarshipsandfunding@st-andrews.ac.uk) immediately if they are awarded any other external Awards or external funding.
- Be aware of the University of St Andrews as well as any relevant external body terms and conditions. The University can provide guidance where any conflict may occur.
An Award may be withdrawn for any of the following reasons:
- Where a student has breached the terms of his or her tuition fee payment agreement or Award. Where the student has an outstanding debt to the University.
- Where a student becomes subject to disciplinary process. If the University becomes aware of any additional information not provided at the time of application affecting eligibility, the Award may be withdrawn and there may be a requirement to repay part or all of any Award already received.
- If a student in receipt of an Award ceases to be fully matriculated and registered.
- When scholarship eligibility has been affected by a change of programme (for example, if a student decides to switch from one academic subject to another during the course of their degree programme and the Award does not apply to the new programme). Similarly, other changes of circumstances (e.g. placements, fieldwork and leaves of absence) may affect eligibility. Advice should be sought prior to a change in circumstance.
- If a student does not meet the University conditions on satisfactory attendance, engagement or academic progress. In this case Awards may be terminated. Read the full terms and conditions of study. There may be a requirement to repay part or all of any Award already received.
- If after all reasonable steps have been taken and bank details have not been received from the student or are inaccurate, the student's eligibility is rescinded for that bursary or scholarship Award for that academic year.
Limitation of liability
Nothing in these terms and conditions shall limit or exclude the University's or the Award applicant's liability for:
- death or personal injury caused by its negligence, or the negligence of its personnel, agents or subcontractors
- fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
- any other liability which cannot be limited or excluded by applicable law.
Subject to the above bullet point wording, neither the University nor the Award applicant shall have any liability to the other party, whether in contract, delict (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, for any indirect or consequential loss arising under or in connection with these terms and conditions, including (but not limited to) any loss arising from the withdrawal of an Award.
There is an annual cut-off date for unpaid or unclaimed Awards for the preceding academic year — this is currently set at 30 October. After this date, save for the case of exceptional circumstances, student eligibility for an Award for the preceding academic year will be rescinded. Exceptional circumstance claims must be made in writing by the student to the academic registrar, explaining the circumstances which have led to the student failing to carry out the required action that has prevented the University from calculating or paying the Award. The final deadline each year for the submission of claims for such exceptional circumstances is 31 January.
Information on tuition fees can be found in the fees and funding web pages.
Guidance from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on scholarship income may be found on the HMRC website.