Overview
The University of Sunderland is committed to supporting and retaining talented individuals within the North East region. As a university proud of its place and role within the region, we recognise the value of developing advanced skills locally to strengthen our communities, support economic growth, and contribute positively to regional industries.
The North East Postgraduate Discount supports new postgraduate students with a strong connection to the North East by offering a reduction in tuition fees for a wide range of eligible postgraduate courses. By encouraging students with regional links to continue their studies here, the University aims to help retain and upskill local talent, ensuring the North East workforce continues to thrive.
The North East Postgraduate Discount offers a tuition fee reduction of 10% or 20% to students who meet the eligibility criteria.
Who is eligible?
You must be a ‘Home’ student on an eligible course.
International students are not eligible.
You must also have a local connection to the north-east region and meet one of the following:
- The main residential address where you spend most of your time is within the North East region; or
- Your current or most recent place of work is within the North East region; or
- You graduated from an undergraduate course in academic year 2023/24, 2024/25 or 2025/26 from any university within the North East region.
For the purposes of this discount, the North East region is defined as the local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton.
How to qualify and key dates
To receive the full 20% discount, you must:
1. Apply for an eligible course, and
2. Accept your course offer by Sunday 1 March 2026
3. Apply for the discount via your e:Vision account by Sunday 17 May, and
If you apply and accept your course offer after Sunday 1 March, you may still receive a 10% discount if you:
1. Apply for an eligible course, and
2. Apply for the discount via your e:Vision account by 17 May 2026, and
3. Accept your course offer by Sunday 31 May 2026
All eligible discounts will be automatically applied to a student’s account once confirmed. Fees due for payment will be adjusted to reflect this discount.
Eligible courses
The discount applies to full-time postgraduate courses delivered on either of our Sunderland campuses, including the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME). Students must meet the specific entry criteria for each course, as listed on the respective course pages.
The following postgraduate programmes are eligible:
- Any full postgraduate taught master’s programme (180 credits), resulting in:
MA, MSc, LLM, MBA, MEd, MMedEd - MA Social Work students not in receipt of the Social Work Bursary at any point during their programme
Eligible courses must have a start date between 3 August 2026 and 30 July 2027.
Excluded courses
- Postgraduate courses bearing less than 180 credits
- Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
- Postgraduate research programmes:
MPhil, PhD, DBA, EdD, PhD by Existing Published or Creative Works - Apprenticeship courses
- Sunderland Online courses
- Corporate and Professional Education Team (CaPE) courses
- Postgraduate programmes supported by the NHS Learning Support Fund
How do I apply?
You can apply for the discount from January 2026. Applications must be submitted through your e:Vision account and complete the short application form.
Additional information
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 not also be eligible for the North-East Postgraduate Discount.
For courses with a start date beyond 30 July 2027, the scheme will be reviewed in December 2026, when we will assess the needs of the region.
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.
Disclaimer
All applications will be individually assessed. Any information provided as part of the application process will be treated with strict confidentiality.
Published: 3 June 2025