Postgraduate Study Shouldn’t Be a Privilege. So Why Does It Feel Like One?

By Tahmid Khan, President and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Queen Mary Students’ Union 

Postgraduate study is often seen as the natural next step after an undergraduate degree. For some, it is a route into research. For others, it is a requirement for a particular career. But for too many students, the biggest question is not what to study or where to apply. It is whether they can afford to do it at all. 

As sabbatical officers representing students across the Russell Group, myself and my peers from across the country have heard this concern again and again. Our latest work on widening access and participation confirms what many students already know. The financial barriers to postgraduate study are real, and they are getting harder to ignore. 

Living costs vary widely, but support does not. 

It is well known that London has high living costs. But students in cities such as Manchester, York, and Bath are also facing rent and bills that stretch their budgets to the limit. Despite this, students outside London receive the same level of maintenance support, regardless of how expensive their city is. 

For example, a student in the South West of England may spend almost £300 more per month than a student in the East Midlands. That is over £3,000 extra each year. In some parts of the UK, students are living with London-style prices but without London-style financial support. As a sabbatical officer at a London-based students' union, I have seen the pressures my own students face even with the higher rate of support, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be for students in high-cost areas outside the capital who receive less. 

Postgraduate fees are increasing, but loans are not keeping up.

A taught master’s degree can now cost anywhere from £5,000 to over £30,000, depending on the course and institution. Research degrees such as PhDs are usually spread over more years and add up to a similar total. Meanwhile, the maximum postgraduate Master’s loan in England for 2024/25 is £12,471. This amount is meant to cover both tuition and living costs. 

In many cases, the loan does not even cover tuition. Students are left to cover the rest themselves, often through work, savings, credit, or help from family. This puts postgraduate study out of reach for many students who do not have that financial safety net. 

There is no separate maintenance support for postgraduates.

Unlike undergraduate students, who receive a maintenance loan alongside tuition support, postgraduates only receive one loan for everything. If tuition takes up most of that loan, there is very little left for rent, transport, food, and other essentials. 

In some cases, the total cost of a one-year master’s course is over £20,000. That leaves a funding gap of several thousand pounds. This is a serious issue for students who are already managing debt or supporting themselves without family contributions. 

Progression to postgraduate study is still unequal.

Students from working-class backgrounds, low-income households, and communities with low participation in higher education remain underrepresented in postgraduate study. The same is true for students who were the first in their family to go to university and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly Black students in research programmes. 

Even when these students complete an undergraduate degree, they are less likely to continue to postgraduate study compared to their peers. For example, only 14.4% of working-class graduates start a postgraduate course within 15 months of finishing their degree, compared to 18.4% of graduates from professional backgrounds. 

Lack of data makes it harder to track progress.

 At undergraduate level, universities are required to publish data on the backgrounds of their students, including school type and area-based disadvantage. This information helps identify gaps in access and drives accountability. 

At postgraduate level, that transparency does not exist. There is no consistent public reporting on who is getting into postgraduate programmes. Without this data, it is difficult to understand which students are being excluded or how effective current interventions are. 

What needs to change?

 If we want postgraduate study to be a genuine option for all students, regardless of background, a few things need to happen: 

• The postgraduate loan must increase so that it can actually cover the combined cost of tuition and living. 

• Maintenance support should be separated from tuition funding for postgraduates, as it is for undergraduates. 

• Maintenance levels should reflect the cost of living in different regions. Students in high-cost cities should not be expected to make do with the same support as those in more affordable areas. 

• The Government should provide funding for universities so that they can include postgraduate home students in their Access and Participation Plans. These plans currently focus almost entirely on undergraduate access. 

• Data on postgraduate student demographics should be published regularly. This would make it possible to track progress and address inequality more effectively. 

• More broadly, maintenance loans for all students need to be increased to keep up with real living costs. At the same time, we support calls to reintroduce maintenance grants for those from low-income backgrounds. Relying solely on debt is not a sustainable or equitable approach to student finance. 

Education, education, education? 

 The Labour Government elected last year has made clear commitments to fairness, opportunity, and tackling inequality. This is a real chance to show that those principles extend to higher education beyond the undergraduate level. 

We urge the government to take a serious look at postgraduate funding and access. Students cannot be expected to take on increasing financial risk simply to continue their education. Reforming the loan system, addressing regional cost disparities, and reintroducing grants would send a clear message that postgraduate study is a public good, not a private luxury. 

 Postgraduate education should be a continuation of opportunity, not a privilege reserved for the few who can afford it. We have made real progress on widening access at undergraduate level, but that effort should not stop at graduation. 

 Now is the time to think seriously about what a fair and accessible postgraduate system looks like. The solutions are clear. What we need is the will to act.