Student loans are not available for postgraduate students, but preferential rates may be obtained through some professional organisations, eg the Law Society. Career Development loans are available for vocational programmes. Availability of such loans for EU students depends on an individual's circumstances. The six Research Councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board are the principal sources of funding for postgraduate training. Funding from these sources is only available to UK and other EU students.
Awards are available for both taught programmes and research.
The competition for this funding is fierce and only a limited number of awards are made. The awards are designed to provide students with experience of research outside a purely academic environment, and attract an additional stipend. There are also awards unique to individual Research Councils. Value of funding Funding amounts are set by each Research Council. However, all awards for UK students include tuition fees, a payment to the institution, a maintenance grant, a contribution towards travel, fieldwork, academic material and other expenses.