There are many potential sources of funding for postgraduate study, including postgraduate student loans, employer sponsorship and scholarships and bursaries. We award a number of scholarships to postgraduate taught students each year, usually for academic success, or excellence in sport or music.
Tuition fees
All postgraduate taught courses have an annual fee. You’ll also need to take into account your living costs. Tuition fees cover all academic-related costs, such as teaching and supervision, use of the library and computing facilities, examinations and administration.
The amount you pay depends on the course you're applying for and whether you're a UK resident, live in Europe or outside the European Union.
For eligible EU students starting their course with us in September 2023 or January 2024, we will award a fee reduction equivalent to 30% of the difference between the UK (Home) and International fee for your course. This will apply for the duration of your course.
Illustrative postgraduate example: MA Crusader Studies
| International fee example* | £18,200 |
| Home fee example* | £8,600 |
| Difference | £9,600 |
| 30% fee reduction example** | £2,880 |
| EU fee payable example | £15,320 |
*International fee will vary depending on the programme studied
**30% of the difference between Home and International fees
The model above is for illustrative purposes only. The example is based on MA Crusader Studies. Other courses may attract a higher or lower International fee; please check our Course Finder on the Royal Holloway website for specific details of your chosen course.
To receive the EU Fee Reduction Scholarship, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Be classified as overseas for fees purposes
- Be an EU national on 1 September before the start of the course
The reduction will be automatically applied to students who meet the above eligibility criteria.
Find out more about postgraduate tuition fees.
Support from Student Finance England
For courses starting in September 2022, Student Finance England provided Master’s Loans up to £11,836 to help with course fees and living costs, and for Doctoral Loans, up to £27,265. These amounts may be subject to change for future years and details have not yet been confirmed in full by the UK government for courses starting in September 2023. Full details can be found on the gov.uk website.
Alumni bursaries - for graduates of Royal Holloway and other University of London institutions
If you're a Royal Holloway graduate, you can also take advantage of our alumni bursaries; this is an automatic 15% discount on your tuition fees for your first year of study. We are also pleased to offer a 10% discount on tuition fees for the first year of postgraduate taught courses to alumni from University of London institutions.
Instalment plans
If you’re paying tuition fees yourself and are not applying for support and loans for fees via Student Finance England or Student Finance Services, you can opt to pay your fees in two equal instalments.
You need to pay at least 50% of the fee by enrolment in the first term. The second payment is then required during the first week of the second term, in January.
If you have an approved postgraduate loan you are able to pay in instalments that match your loan payments.
Living costs
We estimate that you’ll need £11,000-£13,000 per year in living expenses. This figure can be roughly broken down into:
- Accommodation - £5,300-£8,500 for a contract of up to 50 weeks in our halls of residence. Costs for private off-campus accommodation will vary.
- Transport – This depends on where you choose to live. From a residence in Staines-upon-Thames, it’ll cost £20 a week to get to campus. You can buy a daily travelcard for classes in London. For discounted fares, buy a student railcard.
- London - Some MA students have regular classes in London, while virtually all postgraduate students will need to use London libraries and visit exhibitions and museums.
- Food – You can expect to spend around £30 to £35 a week on basics, to which can be added occasional treats, such as a shop-made sandwich or takeaway.
- Social life - Students’ Union tickets at Royal Holloway normally cost £5. Most students spend around £20 a week.
- Books – This depends on the field and type of study. Science books can be more expensive than books in the humanities. Therefore, it can be anything from £60 to £250 per year, with MA students usually towards the lower end of the scale.
- Tuition fees cover all academic-related costs such as teaching and supervision, use of library and computing facilities, examinations (excluding re-sit examinations) and administration.
