Funding Guide
There are several ways you can fund your Master's degree or Diploma course and give yourself a head start when it comes to progressing your career...
If you have the talent and the commitment, we want to give you the opportunity to fulfil your potential.
We will do all we can to help you make the finances work to come to the NFTS, so please explore our guide below to find out more about what is available to you.
Please note: details of course fees and additional costs are listed on our course pages.
In the last year, around 9 in 10 UK students received support, with approximately £1,500,000 given out in total.
Don't let financial circumstances stop you from applying! If your application is successful, we'll get in touch to tell you what help is available.
Content Tabs
The NFTS awards more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.
MA Courses
For UK applicants - on receiving an offer of a place on one of our MA courses, you will be invited to apply for an NFTS scholarship.
Diploma Courses
More than £100,000 is available to support Diploma course students from the UK, with the final allocations being decided on the basis of need.
Visit our Scholarships page for more information.
If you are a student from UK/Ireland, or EU citizen with pre-settled/settled status, you can apply for a loan to help with your studies on our MA programmes via student loans companies.
Loans are available for up to £12,471 to contribute to course and/or living costs. This is split across the two years of study, so £6,235.50 per year.
You will not have to pay back your loan until you are working and (subject to your loan plan number) being paid an income over the threshold of £27,295 (for Plan 2).
Full eligibility requirements for the loan can be found on the Master's Loan Eligibility page of the government's website.
Loans for Student Finance Wales and SAAS may vary and we recommend looking on their respective websites.
If the cost of advancing your talent has been worrying you and you think this might just make the difference, visit The Student Room website's Student Finance page, or apply online at the GOV.UK website's Postgraduate Loan page.
You should investigate all potential sources of independent funding available on the internet. Search for “scholarships”, “grants”, “funding”, “bursaries”, “educational trust”, “art trust” and any educational organisation or institution who have resources that may be available for postgraduate study. We ask that you do not contact NFTS patrons or donors directly.
There are dedicated websites to help you begin your search such as but not limited to:
- Postgrad.com
- Film and TV Charity/John Brabourne
- Yorkshire Ladies Council of Education
- Wemakescholars.com
- Funds for Women Graduates
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding website is all about alternative sources of funding - especially charities - which can make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any student regardless of subject, or nationality.
The Alternative Guide Online contains a huge database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance, and numerous tools to help you prepare a winning grant application.
The NFTS has purchased a licence to the Guide and this is free for all enrolled students and staff to use. You can log-in on-site using the “Login automatically from campus right now!” Login Now!
If you are a prospective student who has applied to the NFTS, please email to get an access PIN. You can then register and log-in via option 2 of the Gateway (postgraduate-funding.com)
Many countries have scholarship programmes for students wanting to study abroad and it’s worth investigating these in your home country. Additionally there are British Government-funded scholarship schemes available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Overseas Development Administration or United Nations. You can find out more from the British Council, Embassy or High Commission in your own country or from britishcouncil.org and educationuk.org.
The application deadline for these scholarships may fall before our selection process is over, so you should ask if you can make an application in principle even though you may not yet have been offered a place at the School.
European and International students
Funding opportunities and other financial advice are available on the UCKISA website.
Students from the US
Students studying on NFTS courses qualify for US Federal Loan support. Read our page dedicated to advice for American Students.
The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances. As an institution that develops the next generation of creative talent, we feel a special responsibility to ensure our creative industries reflect the full diversity of our country.