Financial Support for Master's Degrees

Graduate Support Scheme

Financial and educational support is available to help people from underrepresented groups study at Master’s degree level.

UCL has been selected to take part in HEFCE’s Postgraduate Support Scheme – a £25 million publicly funded programme launched to find the best ways of attracting people from underrepresented groups onto taught Master’s programmes.

The scheme, which runs from January 2014 – August 2015, offers support to students from lower income backgrounds and, for some programmes, those from particular ethnic or gender groups.

download list of participating UCL Master's programmes and their departments

There are five types of support available:

1. Bursaries
A total of 93 selected students who gain a place on participating Master’s programmes will receive a full fee waiver and £10,000 living allowance.

In all cases, awards will be made on the basis of financial need, which will be determined via a bursary application form and documentary proof. Only full-time Home/EU students due to commence study in September 2014 are eligible to apply.

For further details and to download an application form, click here.

Applications for the bursary scheme close on Monday 30 June. You must have applied to your selected programme of study by this date, and inform them that you are applying for the bursary scheme.

Successful applicants will be informed in August 2014.

2. Childcare assistance
Funding is available to assist a parent to take up a place on a participating Master’s programme, where the cost of childcare would otherwise prohibit this.

You can apply for this assistance by submitting the bursary application form by the deadline of Monday 30 June 2014. You must also have applied to your selected programme of study by this date.

These awards will be allocated on the basis of financial need. You do not need to be a bursary holder. The childcare assistance is only available to Home/EU students due to commence study on one of the selected Master’s programmes in September 2014.

For further details and to download a bursary application form, click here.

Successful applicants will be informed in August 2014.

3. Summer schools
Most programmes will be running short summer schools with the aim of attracting participants from groups who are currently underrepresented. This will be an opportunity for prospective graduate students to get a feel for what studying a Master’s at UCL will be like.

There will be no charge for the summer school, although departments may use selection criteria to determine who to accept. Funding for reasonable travel and other expenses will be available to those students awarded a summer school place.

Visit the list of programmes running summer schools to see what disciplines are available to study.

For more information about the dates of individual summer schools, and how to apply, contact the relevant department. A list of UCL departments is available at www.ucl.ac.uk/departments/faculties

Students will have the opportunity to apply to study their selected full time Master’s programme straight from the summer school.

4. Mentors
Each participating Master’s programme will be recruiting mentors from among the PhD or clinical students within the faculty.

Mentors will be available to assist potential students through the application process and then provide support, guidance and encouragement once they are enrolled.

They will have a good knowledge of UCL and all the key support services.

5. Placements
UCL will develop its relationships with key partners in vocational and semi-vocational disciplines by offering work placements as part of selected programmes. This will help us to understand how business can work with universities towards a shared goal of greater diversity.

The participating departments are Publishing and Computer Science. For more information, contact the department directly.

A list of UCL departments is available at www.ucl.ac.uk/departments/faculties

Contacts
Bursaries
For further information about the bursary element of the scheme, visit the Graduate Support Scheme Bursary Page or contact the Student Funding Office via [email protected]

Summer Schools
For further information about summer schools this year, please contact the relevant department.

Departmental listings can be found at www.ucl.ac.uk/departments/faculties

Scheme
This scheme is administered by the Vice-Provost (Education)’s Office.

Contact Christopher Cullen for further information via [email protected]