Funding Your Studies

Embark on a transformative educational journey with the financial support that suits your circumstances. From CAT bursaries, scholarships for widening participation to funding opportunities like the postgraduate loan there are a range of options available. Start exploring these today and take the first step toward making a difference. 

CAT Bursaries

Take advantage of specific postgraduate bursaries tailored to help ease financial barriers for eligible students.

Thanks to CAT supporters, members and charitable trusts we have a range of bursaries available for those wishing to begin their Masters studies in sustainability with us.

Applications for new student bursaries starting courses in 2026 are now open.

Student Finance England and Wales

Eligible students will be able to apply for a student loan to cover tuition fees through Student Finance England and Student Finance Wales. Students living in Wales may also be eligible for a combination of a loan and grant depending on your household income.

(Updated 18/02/2026) 

We have received confirmation of the designation of our postgraduate courses from Medr, who are responsible for funding and regulating the tertiary education and research sector in Wales, for the academic year 2026– 2027.  

This means that if you are eligible to apply for funding through Student Finance and are wishing to study on one our courses, you will be able begin the process of applying for funding via Student Finance England and Wales when they open to applications, typically in the Spring / early Summer. 

You can find helpful information and tip sheets which will help you when applying for Student Finance below.  

Postgraduate Loan

MSc & MArch students may be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan to cover both tuition fees and living costs via Student Finance England or Student Finance Wales (Available to students taking a full MSc or MRes only, as the Postgraduate Loan is not available for our Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma courses).

If you decide to study part time, to receive the Postgraduate Loan you must complete the course within double the time of the full-time option – three years.

These loans are currently only available for people who are normally resident in England or in Wales. Unfortunately, Scotland and Northern Ireland have confirmed that they are not currently offering postgraduate loans for courses from alternative providers like CAT.

For more details, please see our Postgraduate Loan Tipsheet.

Professional Undergraduate Loan

MArch Sustainable Architecture students may be eligible to continue their professional undergraduate loan. Students should note that if the tutition fees are above the maximum tuition loan available per year, they will need to fund the difference.

Please see our MArch student loans tipsheet for more information.

Disabled Students’ Allowance

Disabled Students’ Allowance is extra funding to help higher education students with learning difficulties, health problems or disabilities. The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs – not your household income, and can support costs for specialist equipment, non-medical helpers including notetakers or BSL interpreters, travel, or other related study support including printing additional copies of documents for proof-reading.

We encourage applicants to declare additional learning needs and/or disabilities when you apply so that we can send appropriate information about funding, and support can be offered to you at the earliest opportunity. 

Other Funding for Scholarships and Grants

CAT students may also be eligible to apply for external sources of funding. Explore the links below for further funding opportunities open to postgraduate students:

• Find A Masters Postgraduate Funding Guide 
• Snowdon Trust Master’s Scholarships to support Disabled students 
• The Scholarship Hub 
• The Vegetarian Charity Grants 
• Wellcome Grant Scheme Finder 
• The Royal Society Grants 
• European Research Council Grants 
• NERC Funding 
• The Linnean Society Grants 
• WEST (Women in Engineering Science and Technology) bursaries for women living and studying in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 
• Gilchrist Educational Trust 
• The James Pantyfedwen Foundations Awards 
• Bursary Beyond Price for Architecture Students 
• The Black Heart Foundation Scholarship Programme