Hello folks. I'm only in my second year at the moment, but I'm looking into the postgrad business early. I'll be honest, I don't expect to get a 1st, but I do expect to get a 2:1 in International Politics from Aberystwyth.

I've been looking into doing a Middle Eastern Studies postgrad course, or something with significant international merit, but everywhere I look the Scholarships require 1st class honours degrees...

Aside from the Career Development Loan, is it actually possible for somebody with a 2:1 to get any decent form of funding within a well established university? I mean at the moment I was looking into St Andrews, Sheffield, Kings, Warwick, Edinburgh... and Oxford for a laugh, but I just cant seem to find any decent form of funding!

I got a 2i and Edinburgh uni accepted me! I also have many friends who got 2i's and also have fully funded positions. (as long as it is a good 2i, ie >65%)

Well thats quite pleasing to know. Do you remember what particular form of funding you applied for?

personally my funding came from a charitable funding organisation for animal welfare studies, but my friends have funding from BBSRC , NERC - we are doing PhD's in the biological sciences (mostly animal behaviour). It may be very different for Arts and Humanities etc...The uni's you mention are difficult to get into because competition is high...but I really doubt you would be ruled out because you have a 2i
Best of luck
x

Unfortunately International Politics is an extremely competitive field with absolutely minimal funding. There is the possibility of getting PhD funding with a 2i, if you get a very good Masters grade to compensate. I don't mean to disappoint at all, but there is only the tiniest of chances to get Masters funding without a first. Saying that, Aber has a very good reputation for International Politics, so you will already be competing with students from Sheffield etc. Its just that a student with a first from a middling university is perceived as better than a 2i from a red brick etc.

======= Date Modified 08 Nov 2008 21:07:58 =======
I'd agree with Sleepyhead - your chances are not great.

Not many people with a 2.1 get a funded place in a top university, and with only a 2.1 from a non-Russell Group university. However, it often depends on how competitive your subject area is and how well funded it is. You'll have a much better chance after completing a Master's programme.

You need to ask yourself what sets you apart from everyone else with a 2.1 who will be trying for a funded PhD? Do you have work exp. or a first in your dissertation etc.? You need to make yourself very competitive, particularly as there will be a lot less jobs next year and more students will go for postgrad courses.

======= Date Modified 08 Nov 2008 21:22:20 =======
Alright, cheers for the responses.

Heres my thinking... if I do a Masters at Manchester University I can live at home, this means I'll be able to cover the costs of the actual tuition fees with a career developement loan.

I could do a Masters in Contemporary Chinese studies, which was something I'd considered earlier, and then go for a PHD after that.

Just a thought.

-edit- Just a quick quiry, am I right in thinking that if I had a 2:i and a Masters, I'd still have a decent chance of getting funding for a PHD (depending on the cours etc)

Hi,

As long as you get a good Merit or Distinction in your Masters, then you'll have a very good chance of a funded PhD. If you get a Pass at Masters, this may put you in a worse position than if you only had a 2.1.

Are you looking to do your PhD in Manchester? Because doing your Masters at the same uni as your PhD is a very good way of getting a place and funding.

If you do see opportunities come up for PhDs, do apply (even without the Masters). I don't want to give the impression in my previous comments that you have no chance.

Ah, I think theres been a bit of a misunderstanding, its a Masters I was after in the first place! Though I am considering doing a Phd in the future.

With that in mind, do you think I'd have much chance of getting funding for a Masters programme in a top tier university? I'm not too concerned now, as the more I think about it the more Manchester is looking like a more suitable choice for my Masters - its close to home etc.

To be painfully blunt, you don't really have a chance. Masters funding is even rarer than PhD funding, and is generally linked to a future PhD project. Given that you seem very unclear about your future research ideas (you switch between Middle East and Chinese studies), which is understandable at this stage, you cannot get funding for a Masters, certainly not at a top ranking institution.
You would be better off paying for a Masters, deciding on a future research idea, then applying for funding for a PhD.

======= Date Modified 09 Nov 2008 11:52:50 =======
But as I understand it, a Masters course is going to set me back about £10,000. At the moment I have a non-registered disability called Hyperhidrosis, so a job isn't exactly something I can step right in to - how the hell I'm going to find £10,000 is beyond me.

Bugger.


Time to start working on a cunning plan.

Actually, bugger it. What am I complaining about. If my thinking is correct, all I need to do is get a £15000 graduate loan from Natwest, and then find a part-time job stacking shelves (thats hardly pressure)... I'd only have to earn £50 a week to cover the payments over seven years. Heck, I might even stand a chance of getting a place on a decent Masters course with a 2:1 degree at a top university, surely my odds of getting a place are better than my odds of getting funding...

Hell yeah.

*waits for the current economic climate to shit all over my cunning plan*

Anybody who says wine isn't good for thinking is a fool.

With a 2:1 you can easily get a place at a top uni on a Masters course. Most unis see Masters courses as cash cows, so if you're willing to pay, it shouldn't be a problem.

Instead of a graduate loan, it maybe easier/preferable to get a career development loan. If it is possible for you to say at home an go to Manchester Uni for your MA (that's what I did), you can get the CDL to cover fees and free up some cash to live on (maybe have a part-time job too). Although the rates are higher than a graduate loan, you don't pay the money back till you finish your Masters. By that time you will hopefully have a funded PhD or a job, so the payments won't hurt quite so much.

Both options are possible (CDL and graduate loan), although I think a graduate loan is based more on current earnings, and CDL you can get without a job as long as you have a decent enough credit rating. I got mine through the co-op who were lovely. Just remember to make sure you're on the electoral register before you apply for credit - it can make a big difference.

Good Luck

Right, thanks a lot! That sounds like a great plan.

I've noticed HSBC provide graduate loans specifically for postgraduate studies, so I'll look in to that also - but the CDL/Manchester idea sounds a lot better.

I take it if I finish my Masters with a CDL, and then take up a funded Phd - I'd have to pay off the CDL whilst I study? Is it possible to defer the payments until after I've finished a Phd?