| Comment | Yep, this is a big one. For instance, if you do an integrated masters, then it's covered under the exact same arrangements as any other undergraduate degree - your fees are paid by the Scottish government, you get up to between £4,750 and £7,750 in living cost loans and/or bursaries, depending on household income, and you can still repeat a year and receive funding. You can do it all at the same institution, so generally speaking there's more continuity between 4th and 5th year, and it's logistically a lot easier.
If you go for a postgraduate master's, you'll receive a loan for £4,500 of living costs (regardless of your household income), and a loan for £5,500 for tuition fees (tuition fees for UK students are a little over £9,000, so you'll need to make that other £3,500 some other way). They also generally assume less for background, so you can end up wasting time (indeed, a number of universities won't let you go bachelor's -> master's in the same subject, since they have overlapping required courses), and then there's a hassle of moving somewhere new for a year. |
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