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North-East Postgraduate Discount

Home / Terms and Conditions / Scholarships and bursaries / North East Postgraduate Discount

Overview

The University of Sunderland actively supports students to manage the impact of the cost-of-living challenges. Our North-East Postgraduate Discount scheme is one of several bursaries and scholarships, many of which support our students from specific disciplines who may be facing financial hardship or need additional support.

The North-East Postgraduate Discount aims to support the north-east region in its response to the current cost-of-living challenges, through the provision of affordable opportunities for individuals to upskill and boost their career opportunities.

Considering the pressures some of our students may experience due to cost-of-living challenges, the University of Sunderland provides a fee waiver of 20% discount on the full cost of course fees for specified postgraduate courses. This will be available to anyone who is experiencing cost-of-living challenges. This will also include anyone who has graduated with an undergraduate degree from any university within the north-east region in academic years 2022/23, 2023/24 or 2024/25.

This discount will apply to full or part-time postgraduate courses on either of our Sunderland campuses, including Dance City and Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME). Students are required to meet the specific entry criteria for each course that can be found on the course page.

Who is eligible?

You must be a ‘Home’, or ‘Overseas Island’ student on an eligible course.

The Government classes all students as ‘Home’ or ‘International’. This status determines which tuition fees you pay and which scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible to receive. International students are not eligible.

You must have experienced financial hardship due to the cost-of-living challenges, and therefore, should meet one of the following criteria:

You must also have a local connection to the north-east region and meet one of the following:

For the purposes of eligibility criteria clause two, we have defined the north-east region as the local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton.

Eligible courses

Eligible courses must have a course start date between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026.

Excluded courses

How do I apply?

You can apply for the discount from March 2025. The deadline for applications is 14 days after your official date of enrolment. 

To apply for this discount, please follow our step-by-step guide which asks you to log into your e:Vision account and complete the short application form.

Additional information

The deadline for applications is 14 days after your official date of enrolment.

The North-East Postgraduate Discount is not available in conjunction with any other University of Sunderland fee waiver offer or discount. Alumni of the University of Sunderland who meet the eligibility criteria of the Postgraduate Alumni Loyalty Discount will also not be eligible for the North-East Postgraduate Discount.

For courses with a start date beyond 31 July 2026, the scheme will be reviewed in December 2025, when we will assess the needs of the region, including its response to any current cost-of-living challenges.

The discount is applicable for the standard period of the course. Where a student enters into an abeyance or intercalates (i.e. a period of absence or withdrawal), necessitating a delay to the course end date, their eligibility for the discount will be reviewed by the Director of Student Journey.

The University’s decision is final.

The eligibility criteria outlined in clause one is for the purposes of the North-East Postgraduate Discount only.
Eligible students will have the 20% discount applied automatically to their account. Fees due for payment will be adjusted to reflect this discount.

Disclaimer

If you indicate on your application form that you are experiencing financial hardship, evidence may be required if your application is successful. If you are not experiencing financial hardship but receive this discount based on your self-declaration above, please note that this discount may be withdrawn, and you will be eligible to pay full tuition fees.

All applications will be individually assessed, and any evidence submitted as part of your application to help us understand your circumstances will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Published: 3 June 2025

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