A British taught master's is one year, which is its main attraction and its main pressure: the course is short, the fee is paid up front, and admissions run on a rolling basis so places disappear while the advertised deadline is still months away.
Funding is the opposite of rolling. Chevening, Commonwealth and most university scholarships close in November to February for a September start, long before the course deadline, and they usually require a separate application.
At a glance
| Language | English throughout |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Master's roughly £16,000–£38,000 for the year, higher for business and medicine |
| Living costs for the visa | Around £1,334 a month in London and £1,023 outside, for up to nine months, held 28 consecutive days |
| Main intake | September; a January intake exists at many universities |
| Where you apply | Directly on each university's portal; UCAS is for undergraduates |
| After graduation | Graduate Route: 2 years, 3 for PhD |
What they require
- A good bachelor's: usually a UK 2:1 equivalent, which for many countries means roughly 60–70% depending on the institution
- IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each band for most postgraduate courses; some ask 7.0
- A personal statement, usually 500–1,000 words
- Two references, academic for research degrees
- ATAS clearance for some science and engineering subjects, which adds weeks
How admission actually works
Admissions teams assess against published entry criteria and many universities publish a list of recognised institutions and required grades per country, which makes eligibility unusually predictable. Decisions on a complete application often come in two to six weeks.
Places fill. For competitive courses at research-intensive universities, applying in October or November is a different proposition from applying in April.
How much does a supervisor matter?
Not needed for taught master's. Essential for PhD.
A UK PhD application is built around a supervisor and a proposal. You contact a potential supervisor with a two-page outline, they tell you whether the project is fundable, and only then do you apply formally. Studentships attached to an existing funded project are the realistic route for most international candidates, because fully self-funded UK doctorates are very expensive.
When applications open and close
The pattern below is what these systems normally do. Every programme sets its own dates, so treat this as the planning shape and confirm on the official portal linked at the end.
Funding that genuinely exists here
Fully funded master's for candidates with about two years of work experience. Applications open in August and close in early November.
For candidates from Commonwealth countries, usually closing in December, nominated through a national agency.
Country-specific awards of around £10,000, announced each autumn.
Partial awards of £2,000–£10,000, often automatic on admission, with separate competitive awards closing in January–March.
UKRI-funded or project-funded positions covering fees and a stipend, advertised with their own deadlines.
Documents this country asks for
- Personal statement written for that specific course
- Degree transcripts and certificate, with certified translations if not in English
- Two references on letterhead
- IELTS or accepted equivalent
- Research proposal for PhD applications
- CAS from the university, then financial evidence held for 28 consecutive days for the visa
Visa and permit
You can apply up to six months before the course starts, and the money must have sat in the account for 28 consecutive days ending no more than 31 days before you apply. Some nationalities are exempt from submitting the evidence but must still hold the funds.
After you graduate
Graduate Route: 2 years, 3 for PhD
The Graduate Route allows any job with no employer sponsorship. A reduction to 18 months has been announced for applications made from January 2027, with PhD holders keeping three years, so confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
What they favour
- A statement that shows you understand the specific modules
- Work experience, particularly for business and policy courses
- Early applications, honestly more than anything else
- For PhDs, a proposal that fits an existing research group
Where applications fail
- Treating the advertised deadline as the real one on a popular course
- Missing the funding deadlines, which run months ahead of the course deadline
- Forgetting ATAS, which can add four to eight weeks before a CAS can be issued
- Moving money into the account too late for the 28-day rule
Official sources
Rules and dates change, sometimes mid-cycle. These are the pages that carry the authoritative version; if anything here disagrees with them, they are right. Reviewed September 2026.