Durham Masters Bursaries are intended to support UK students from low-and middle-income households who wish to enhance their skills and knowledge by undertaking a postgraduate programme of study.
The majority of taught masters and MRes programmes are eligible.
These programmes are not eligible:
Full-time postgraduate taught students - £3,000 paid into your bank account in termly instalments (subject to you remaining a fully registered student throughout your studies)
Full-time MRes students - £2,000 paid into your bank account in termly instalments (subject to you remaining a fully registered student throughout your studies)
If you are studying a full-time two-year Masters programme, including an MSW, payments will be limited to your first year of study.
Part time students will be paid pro-rata at 50% per year for each of their two years of study.
Taught Masters and MRes programmes are eligible.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of application.
The table below shows the relevant household income / Maintenance Loan amounts for students assessed by Student Finance England.
If you were income-assessed by Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI), Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance Wales (SFW) and you are not sure of your eligibility, please contact us on grants.bursaries@durham.ac.uk.
If your final year of undergraduate study was before 2020/21 and you are not sure of your eligibility, please contact us on grants.bursaries@durham.ac.uk.
Applicants' eligibility for Durham Masters Bursaries may only be demonstrated by their household income in their final year of undergraduate study (for which the amount of Maintenance Loan awarded stands as proxy for non-Durham Graduates). We will not accept any other evidence of household income.
Any other queries about eligibility? Contact us for advice.
Submit an academic application to Durham University for an eligible programme of study by the scholarship deadline.
Complete the online application form.
Durham Graduates
You do not need to send any evidence after completing your online application form. We will check your household income as assessed by Student Finance England (or equivalent) in your final year of undergraduate study via the interface between Student Loans Company and Durham University ("the HE Portal").
Non-Durham Graduates
Please e-mail the following evidence to grants.bursaries@durham.ac.uk.
A copy of your student finance notification from Student Finance England (or equivalent) confirming the total amount of Maintenance Loan awarded to you for the final year of your undergraduate degree programme.
This stands as proxy for your household income as assessed by Student Finance England (or equivalent).
On rare occasions, the amount of Maintenance Loan awarded is lower than the amount to which a student's household income entitles them (usually due to an overpayment in a previous academic year). If this applies to you, please send us the relevant correspondence from Student Finance England (or equivalent).
Please note that applicants' eligibility for Durham Masters Bursaries may only be demonstrated by their household income in their final year of undergraduate study (for which the amount of Maintenance Loan received stands as proxy for non-Durham Graduates). We will not accept any other evidence of household income.
Please note that, as Postgraduate Masters Loans are not income-assessed, they cannot be used as evidence of eligibility for the Durham Masters Bursary Scheme.
Bursaries will be awarded on a "first-come, first-served" basis to eligible applicants.
Applications will close once the final bursary has been awarded and a suitable amount of reserve applications have been received.
We will update this page and disable the online application form as soon as applications close.
Applicants on the reserve list will be notified that they are on the list, and also if a bursary becomes available for them (i.e. due to a bursary awardee not taking up their offer of a place at the University, being awarded another University-administered scholarship or withdrawing their application for any other reason).
The reserve list will be ordered on a "first-come, first-served" basis.
Successful applicants who have an undergraduate degree from Durham University will also be eligible for the Alumni Fee Scholarship, i.e. the Durham Masters Bursary and the Alumni Fee Scholarship can both be held at the same time.
The Durham Masters Bursary cannot be held at the same time as any other University-administered scholarship.
Durham Masters Bursaries are awarded at the absolute discretion of the University, and the University is not responsible for applicants being unable to submit timely applications, except where the delay is demonstrably due to IT failure on the part of the University.
In the event of any dispute, applicants' eligibility for Durham Masters Bursaries will be determined by the Head of the Student Immigration and Funding Service (or their deputy), whose decision will be final.
Successful applicants who have an undergraduate degree from Durham University are also be eligible for the Alumni Fee Scholarship, i.e. the Durham Masters Bursary and the Alumni Fee Scholarship can both be held at the same time.
Please note the Durham Masters Bursary cannot be held with any other University-administered scholarship.
Durham University makes every effort to ensure that the information published or contained on its website is accurate. However, the University cannot guarantee the information may not subsequently be altered owing to circumstances beyond the University's reasonable control. Such circumstances include (but are not limited to) changes in Government policy or change of law. Whilst any changes will be incorporated into the University's website any person wishing to clarify the details of a particular scholarship/s should contact scholarships.advice@durham.ac.uk.
If you have any questions about whether you are eligible for a scholarship or the application process, get in touch with the Scholarships and Student Funding Office:
Durham University
Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
DH1 3LE, UK
Telephone: 0191 3348997
Durham University makes every effort to ensure that the information published or contained on its website is accurate. However, the University cannot guarantee the information may not subsequently be altered owing to circumstances beyond the University's reasonable control. Such circumstances include (but are not limited to) changes in Government policy or change of law. Whilst any changes will be incorporated into the University's website any person wishing to clarify the details of a particular scholarship/s should contact the University at scholarships.advice@durham.ac.uk.
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