Here at FindAUniversity, we're firm believers in what we like to call the 'deceptive familiarity' of PG. A world where courses might focus on the same subject and even take place at the same university... but with obscure application processes, funding options that seem to have been designed by someone with a broken abacus and more acronyms than you can shake a sachet of alphabet soup at. Oh, and some of them might not actually be "courses", either.
Helping prospective students understand the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study is a big part of what FindAMasters and FindAPhD have been doing for over two decades now. And it still is (where else will generative AI get all its half-answers?).
But postgraduate study can be pretty confusing for marketing and recruitment staff too. Especially if you're a newer practitioner in this weird and wonderful part of the sector.
So here, for the first time, is our 'PG Glossary': a relatively concise dictionary of key concepts and terms written by humans* working in postgrad marketing and recruitment for other humans working in postgrad marketing and recruitment.
It's a living resource and certainly isn't complete yet. But we hope it's useful and we welcome feedback. Apologies in advance for a couple of bad jokes.
*Like me.
Usually refers to further study and/or research taking place at a higher level after a first degree, and to qualifications (e.g. Masters and PhD) awarded for this.
99% of the time this means any student studying again after their undergraduate degree and any qualification they get for doing so, whether it’s a an MA, MSc, LLM, PhD or etc.
There are some exceptions though (another definition for ‘postgraduate’ would be ‘complicated’):
Someone completing an integrated Masters degree would end up with a postgraduate qualification, but they’d be studying it as an undergraduate (they haven’t yet graduated). So, strictly speaking, they aren’t a postgraduate student.
Equally, someone returning to do a second undergraduate degree after their first would be studying after (post) graduation, but they wouldn’t be a postgraduate because their study is still undergraduate level.
Finally, not all postgraduates actually need to have an undergraduate degree in order to study (Masters and PhD programmes will often admit mature or returner students with relevant experience). So, yes, you can technically be a postgraduate who’s never graduated before.
But, like we say, 99% of the time postgraduate = Masters or PhD student who has already completed a Bachelors.
Note that North American universities tend to use the term ‘graduate study’ instead of ‘postgraduate study’. The two mean functionally the same thing (‘study that graduates do’ vs ‘study after graduating’) but international students may not always realise this.
A scaled measurement of how advanced a qualification is and how much prior study is required by students seeking to commence it.
There are two systems of qualification levels used in the UK:
England, Wales and Northern Ireland use the FHEQ (Framework of Higher Education Qualifications) system which runs from 1-8 (a Masters is level 7 and a PhD is level 8)
Scotland uses the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) which runs from 1-12 (a Masters is level 11 and a PhD is level 12)
It’s a bit like Dungeons and Dragons, but Scottish students are over-levelled.
To make things more interesting (we said PG was complex) both scales are also equivalent to the ‘cycle’ system set up by the Bologna Process and used across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), of which the UK is still a member.
In practice, most people talking about PG study in the UK refer to the FHEQ system (even if they almost never refer to it as the FHEQ system).
Used to describe different levels of postgraduate study within the UK, with Masters / PGT at level 7 and PhD / PGR at level 8.
Strictly speaking, these levels refer to the UK Framework of Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) system used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (with Scotland using slightly different qualification levels), but they’re fairly commonly understood.
If you hear someone talking about ‘level 7 study’ they mean Masters-level and if it’s ‘level 8 study’ they mean PhD-level (and, therefore, probably research).
Stands for ‘postgraduate taught’, as distinct from PGR (postgraduate research).
In the UK, PGT includes Masters degrees like the MA (Master of Arts) and MSc (Master of Science) as well as shorter PGCert (Postgraduate Certificate) and PGDip (Postgraduate Diploma) programmes.
All of these are level 7 qualifications, unlike PhDs and other doctorates which are level 8 (and PGR).
As a rule, when people say ‘PGT’, ‘level 7’ or ‘Masters level’ they usually mean the same thing – but not always. Some Masters degrees like the MPhil are PGR qualifications whereas the MRes (Master of Research) can be classed as PGT or PGR (yes, even though it has ‘research’ in the title). This helps keep things interesting, at least.
A postgraduate-level degree usually studied at a level beyond undergraduate (Bachelors) study.
Most UK Masters require one year of full-time registration, with the student earning up to 180 credits. Like undergraduate degrees, the qualification title broadly reflects the subject being studied – e.g. MA (Master of Arts) in AHSS subjects and MSc (Master of Science) in STEM subjects.
Bonus fact: the term ‘Master’ actually comes from the academic rank a student would attain with this degree, giving them the right to teach as a University Master.
And yes, grammatically speaking, the term should be lower-case with a possessive apostrophe, but you’ll have to forgive our house style (derived from FindAMasters not FindAmaster’s).
A specialist taught Masters degree (PGT) specialising in Law topics, usually awarded following one to two years of postgraduate study.
Despite specialising in a professional field, the LLM is still an academic degree and not a professional qualification. This means that, on its own, it doesn’t entitle someone to practice as a solicitor, barrister or other accredited legal professional.
Instead, the LLM usually serves as a way for Law graduates to develop knowledge of particular fields (e.g. contract law or marital law) or for other graduates to develop their knowledge of Law as a whole.
Some LLM programmes do also incorporate a professional qualification such as a GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) meaning that they can function as a sort of postgraduate conversion course.
Oh, and LLM stands for Legum Magister, which probably falls somewhere between MA and MSc on the Hogwarts Index.
A taught Masters degree (PGT) in Arts and Humanities subjects, usually awarded following one year of postgraduate study, including two semesters of modules and assessment, plus a final dissertation.
The MA is one of the most common Masters degrees alongside the MSc (Master of Science). The two are awarded in different ‘Arts’ and ‘Science’ fields – a distinction that works fairly well for ‘classic’ Arts subjects like, well, Classics and for obviously STEM subjects like Engineering, but less so for others (including lots of Social Sciences). Be prepared for the choice of qualification to seem a bit arbitrary sometimes, but just remember that MA and MSc are equivalent in terms of credits and level.
The MA is almost always a postgraduate degree, but some universities also confer an automatic MA on their undergraduates after a certain period of time. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Oxbridge MA’ (guess which universities award it…) and is an honorary degree, not an additional qualification.
Fun fact: the full Latin title for ‘Master of Arts’ is ‘Magister Artium’, which does sound a bit like something you’d receive (or perhaps shout) at Hogwarts.
A Masters degree offered in a range of subjects, usually awarded following one year of postgraduate study combining a combination of taught modules and independent research.
Despite having ‘research’ in the title, MRes degrees are often classed as taught (PGT) programmes. This is because what they teach is mastery of research methods and techniques, usually as preparation for a PhD. That necessarily involves more research practice than an MA or MSc degree, (often with longer or multiple project and dissertation tasks) but it doesn’t necessarily tip the MRes into full PGR (postgraduate research) territory.
The distinction matters a) because these programmes can be great pathways into your university’s PhD programmes and b) because recent changes to the Student Route visa mean that bans on bringing dependents don’t apply to international students on programmes that are fully classified as PGR (which may include some MRes). We hope you agree that it’s best to focus the marketing and recruitment messaging on a).
A taught Masters degree (PGT) in STEM subjects, usually awarded following one year of postgraduate study, including two semesters of modules and assessment, plus a final dissertation.
The MSc is one of the two most common Masters degrees awarded in the UK (and elsewhere), along with the MA (Master of Arts).
The qualifications are actually completely equivalent, with the naming just used to distinguish between Arts and Humanities and STEM fields. This works better for some fields than others, so don’t be surprised if you see both MA and MSc degrees in certain subjects.
Some countries (like the USA) use the simpler abbreviation ‘MS’ instead of MSc, so you may find international students using that terminology.
If you’re wondering, MSc stands for 'Magister Scientum', which makes sense.
Shorter postgraduate qualifications below a Masters degree but covering content at the same level.
At their simplest, PGCert and PGDip programmes offer a shorter pathway through a related MA or MSc programme. They usually only include one (PGCert) or two (PGDip) semesters of teaching and assessment and omit the dissertation that concludes a full Masters.
This can be attractive to students who only want to complete a small selection of modules (e.g. for professional training) and/or don’t want to tackle a full research project.
Professional conversion courses are often (but not always) Certificate or Diploma qualifications.
One thing to bear in mind is that PGCert and PGDip students can fall into a funding gap as the current Postgraduate Loans offered in England and Wales don’t cover these shorter courses (the Scottish and Northern Irish systems do).
A postgraduate programme designed to equip a graduate of one discipline to study or practice in another.
Most conversion courses have a professional or vocational focus, preparing graduates for careers such as education or legal practice. Common examples include the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law). More recent examples include conversion courses in AI and Data Science and, in fact, conversion courses are popular in a wide range of subjects.
Conversion courses are often shorter Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma programmes, ideal for people who want to train or retrain relatively quickly. Some full Masters degrees also serve as conversion courses though, particularly in subjects like Architecture, Social Work or even, perhaps, Marketing…
There’s no hard or fast rule so, if a qualification helps ‘convert’ a student to access a new academic or professional pathway, it’s fine (and often helpful) to present it as such.
Stands for ‘postgraduate research’, as distinct from PGT (postgraduate taught).
In the UK, PGR usually refers to PhDs and other doctorates which are based on the production of independent research (and/or other practical work) rather than the completion of a series of timetabled classes and modules. As a rule, if someone says “PGR”, they usually mean “PhD level”.
Most PGR programmes are level 8 qualifications, but a few Masters (level 7) programmes can also be classed as PGR. The most common is the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) which is entirely research-based (and often leads into a PhD). The MRes (Master of Research) is more of a grey area as some universities classify these as taught programmes.
A doctoral research degree in any subject, awarded following three to four years of independent research and the production and defence of a significant original thesis.
The PhD, which stands for ‘doctor of philosophy’ (but is awarded in all subjects) is the most common type of doctorate. As such, it’s the highest level of academic degree a student can be examined for and confers the title ‘Doctor’ upon successful graduates.
All PhD students complete extensive original research under the guidance of one or more supervisors before producing a thesis that answers a question deemed significant to their academic field.
PhD opportunities in STEM are often set up as pre-defined research projects, set up by a supervisor and presented to prospective students via a platform such as FindAPhD.
PhD opportunities in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are more likely to be put forward by prospective students themselves, who write a research proposal making a case for the practicality, value and suitability of their ideas.
The extended scope and demanding nature of a PhD means that specific funding is often required. In the UK this is provided by organisations such as UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) as well as the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan.
A research Masters degree (PGR) usually awarded following one to two years of independent research producing an original thesis.
Unlike most other Masters degrees (including the MRes) the MPhil is always a fully research-based (PGR) qualification. The programme may include some research training and orientation, but the degree is assessed based on a student’s thesis, not any taught content.
As such, you can usually think of the MPhil as a shorter PhD, with less ambitious research aims and outcomes; whereas a PhD must produce a ‘significant original contribution’ to an academic field, an MPhil can focus on smaller scale questions or even on summarising and reflecting on existing knowledge.
It’s actually quite common for PhD students in the UK to initially register for an MPhil before upgrading to full PhD status (usually at the end of their first year). Some people do set out specifically to complete an MPhil though, either because they can’t commit to a full PhD or because the topic they wish to investigate is more suitable for MPhil-level work.
The public body responsible for administering government funding for research in the UK, including providing PhD studentships.
UKRI brings together the seven UK Research Councils, collectively the largest funders for PhD (and some other PGR) programmes in the UK:
AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council)
BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council)
ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
MRC (Medical Research Council)
STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council)
Individual councils have their own budgets from which to fund research and training in their subject area(s). In most case, universities form regional partnerships called DTPs (Doctoral Training Partnerships) or CDTs (Centres for Doctoral Training) to collectively bid for a certain number of studentships which they in turn award to students.
The process for this can quickly start to sound like alphabet soup, but boils down to the following (not that you should boil alphabet soup):
Universities form regional networks to collectively bid for UKRI funding in specific fields
These networks receive a set number of studentships to award
Prospective PhD students apply to universities, either as part of an advertised PhD opportunity, or as a studentship to attach to the project they themselves are proposing
A UKRI studentship covers full fees for domestic students and offering a tax-free stipend (uprated each year) for living costs, plus additional support for research expenses.
Things are a bit more complex for international students who are only entitled to receive up to 30% of awards at each university and, ostensibly, only guaranteed to have their fees covered at the UK rate (in practice, a lot of universities waive the difference).
It’s debatable whether this funding is truly sufficient given the rising costs students face and the difficulty of working during a PhD, but UKRI support is relatively generous when compared to other funding and, unlike the doctoral loan, it doesn’t need to be repaid.
Being funded by UKRI also shapes a PhD in lots of other ways as students receive additional training and support from their DTP orCDT (which draws on the resources of multiple universities).
The pronunciation of the UKRI acronym is debatable. Most go for ‘you cree’ but, occasionally, ‘you cry’.
Sometimes used as an abbreviation for ‘research organisation’ when talking about PhD and other PGR students.
You might come across this term in references to the support (including professional development, pastoral care and funding) PhD students receive from their host ‘research organisation’ which is usually (but not always) a university.
Basically, if you’re a university with PhD students, then their RO is you.
Stands for ‘higher education provider’ and includes universities as well as other organisations providing higher education and / or award degrees.
In the UK this term is used to recognise the fact that ‘higher’ or ‘tertiary’ education happens at lots of other organisations besides universities, including colleges and smaller or specialist providers.
So, all universities are HEPs, but not all HEPs are universities.
Stands for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, as a broad grouping of subject areas distinct from technical STEM fields.
AHSS is a looser grouping than STEM as these subjects have little in common with each other beyond the fact that they’re deemed to be ‘non-STEM’ (a term which is sometimes used instead).
The actual distinction between AHSS and STEM is also disputed – some AHSS subjects are highly technical and increasingly involve the use of equipment and quantitative approaches associated with STEM fields.
That said, AHSS Masters degrees are more likely to award the MA (Master of Arts) as well as other subject-specific Masters. AHSS PhDs are also more likely to be developed from a student’s own independent research proposal.
One difference between STEM and AHSS most people can agree on is that the latter is best read (and pronounced) as an abbreviation than as an acronym.
Stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as a broad grouping of similarly technical subject areas.
These days STEM often also includes Medicine and is sometimes written as STEMM, but the shorter acronym is more common.
STEM(M) is supposedly distinct from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) although several subject areas (and some postgraduate projects and programmes) bridge this fairly arbitrary gap.
STEM Masters degrees tend to award an MSc (Master of Science) or specific specialist degrees such as the MEng (Master of Engineering).
STEM PhDs award the same qualification, but are more likely to be set up and advertised as distinct research projects (whereas AHSS students commonly propose their own topic).
Students who are eligible to pay postgraduate fees at the home rate and apply for government funding or student finance).
The home student category includes almost all British nationals* as well as a range of other groups:
Irish students (who qualify for domestic fees under the Common Travel Area agreement)
EU students who have successfully applied to the EU Settlement Scheme
People who have the right of long residence (having lived in the UK for 20 years or half their life)
People who have been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection (this includes, for example, Ukrainian students who have been granted UK residence)
*British nationals who’ve been permanently resident outside the UK during the three years prior to their course starting may lose home student status.
UKCISA provide excellent resources covering the many different situations in which someone may be eligible for home fee status.
The key benefits of home student status for postgraduates are as follows:
Eligibility to pay Masters and PhD fees at the lower home student rate
Eligibility for UK postgraduate student loans
Eligibility for full UKRI PhD studentships (international students are also eligible for UKRI funding, but only 30% of the total number of studentships may be awarded to them and these only cover fees at the home rate)
In addition, Home Students are usually exempt from the requirement to apply for a Student Route visa and pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge in order to study in the UK.
You may sometimes see the terms PGT-H or PGR-H used as an abbreviation for home / domestic postgraduates.
Students who must pay postgraduate fees at the (usually higher) international rate and are ineligible for most government funding or student finance.
The international category effectively includes all postgraduates who aren’t eligible for home student status. From 2021, this also includes EU students who aren’t Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and haven’t applied to the EU settlement scheme.
Some non-British nationals may still be counted as home students for fee and funding eligibility if they hold refugee status or other protected designations. UKCISA provide excellent resources outlining these.
Masters and PhD fees for international students are usually higher (sometimes as much as 150-200% of the home fee) and they cannot apply for UK postgraduate student loans.
International students can still apply for UKRI funding, but a university can only award up to 30% of its funding in this way and awards will only cover fees at the home rate (in practice many universities waive the leftover fee).
From August 2028, English universities will need to pay a levy of £925 for each international student recruited over an allowance of 220.
You may sometimes see the terms PGT-I, PGT-O, PGR-I and PGR-O used as abbreviations for international / overseas postgraduates.
The immigration healthcare surcharge (IHS) is a mandatory additional cost for international students (and their dependents) in the UK, allowing them to use NHS services. It applies for each year someone is in the UK and is paid for upfront as part of the visa process.
The fees are currently (as of August 2026):
£776 per year for students and dependents (this is a discounted rate for students)
£1,035 per year on the Graduate Route visa (this is the non-discounted rate as the applicant is no longer a student)
The IHS is similar to the requirement for students to have valid health insurance when studying abroad in some other countries, but international students in the UK cannot choose to use a private insurance product: they must pay the IHS for each year they are in the UK.
Note that Masters graduates applying to the updated Graduate Route after 1 January 2027 will pay a total of £1,552.50 for IHS during their 18-month visa.
The UK's visa for international students, with sponsorship from their higher education institution.
Most international students coming to study at postgraduate level in the UK will need to apply to the Student Route (sometimes simply referred to as a 'Student Visa'). Exceptions apply for Irish citizens and EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Applicants require you to sponsor them as a registered university (or other higher education institution) by issuing a document called Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). This certifies that your university believes the student to be a genuine applicant, capable of completing their course. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) then decide whether to accept or reject this application. Rejections above a certain threshold (known as the Basic Compliance Assessment) can trigger penalties with UKVI.
The main difference between postgraduate and undergraduate applications to the Student Route is that postgraduates on research qualifications (including PhD, MPhil and some MRes programmes) can bring dependents with them, whereas Bachelors and taught Masters students can't. Dependents need to pay additional application fees along with their own Immigration Healthcare Surcharge.
Applications to the Student Route cost £558 and should be made within 6 months of the course start date if applying from outside the UK or 3 months if applying from within the UK (e.g. by switching from another visa). Students on courses lasting 6 months or longer can arrive in the UK up to one month before their course start date (in practice this includes all postgraduate Masters and PhD programmes).
The UK’s post-study visa entitling international graduates to stay and work in the UK without further sponsorship.
International students can apply to the Graduate Route once they’ve completed their degree on a Student Route visa in the UK. They don’t need further sponsorship from you (their university) or from an employer to be eligible for this visa, but they do need to pay an additional one-time application fee (currently £937) and pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) for each year of their stay.
The maximum duration of the Graduate Route is 3 years for PhD graduates, but the duration for Masters (and Bachelors) graduates is dropping from 2 years to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Note that this cutoff is for applications to the Graduate Route, not to the Masters degree. Masters students who graduate in time to apply before the 1 January 2027 can still access the 2 year entitlement; students who graduate and/or apply after 1 January 2027 will be limited to 18 months.
Current students are likely to seek and appreciate guidance on their eligibility and may find the resources on FindAMasters useful.
Note that some official guides refer to the Graduate Visa instead of the Graduate Route. They’re the same thing.
An annual check carried out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to confirm universities and other higher education institutions are meeting requirements to sponsor international students.
There are three metrics that matter for a university's Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA), all of which have recently been revised following policy changes in 2026:
Refusal Rate - at least 95% of applications the university has sponsored (by issuing CAS) must be accepted by UKVI
Enrolment Rate - at least 95% of applications accepted by UKVI must enrol on their intended programme
Course Completion Rate - at least 80% of students who enrol must complete their course (this threshold is rising to 90% from June 2027 and therefore affects one-year Masters students enrolling now)
Changes in 2026 have also implemented a Red-Green-Amber (RAG) scale. A university's rating will be based on its weakest metric not an average (so, if your university is rated Green for Refusal rate and Enrolment rate but Amber for Course Completion rate you will receive an Amber RAG).
The bands will result in the following, subject to some discretion from UKVI:
Green – no change to sponsorship license and CAS allocation
Amber – CAS allocation frozen (preventing the university from increasing international recruitment)
Red – CAS allocation cut or license revoked (forcing the university to reduce or halt international recruitment)
The new BCA and RAG metrics are a particular challenge for universities who have expanded postgraduate recruitment in markets with typically higher refusal rates as each CAS allocation here carries additional risk.
An upcoming levy of £925 per international student, per year, to be charged to English universities and higher education providers from 1 August 2028.
First announced in May 2026, the new levy has been confirmed at a flat rate not the 6% rate that was originally proposed. This means the fee will need to be paid for every eligible international student an English university (or higher education provider) recruits. In practice this is likely to pose a greater challenge for universities who charge lower international fees and / or recruit from markets with lower 'price elasticity' (lower ability or willingness to pay higher fees) as £925 represents a greater proportion of a total fee which may be harder to raise.
There is an exemption allowance of up to 220 international students per university, per year. This provides a window for providers with smaller international recruitment profiles as well as a safety net for those looking to expand into international recruitment.
The levy isn't due to be implemented until 2028, meaning there's a chance the plans will be revised.
Note that universities do not have to pass on the levy to their students in the form of a fee increase; your institution could choose to absorb some or all of the cost, but doing so will obviously impact the viability of international recruitment.
And remember that universities and HEPs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will not have to pay this levy.
Student finance for postgraduate study, paid to students on behalf of the government and subsequently repaid through income.
All four UK countries now offer postgraduate student loans, but they’re very different from each other – and from undergraduate loans.
The Masters schemes are as follows for academic year 2026/27:
England offers a loan of up to £13,206 paid to the student towards the cost of Masters degrees
Wales offers a loan of up to £19,635 paid to the student towards the cost of Masters degrees, plus a separate bursary of £1,000–£2,000 for eligible courses (and £4,000 for students aged 60 or over)
Northern Ireland offers a loan of up to £10,000 for tuition fees (paid directly to the university) on Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas as well as Masters degrees
Scotland offers a loan of up to £13,900 for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees, £7,000 of which is ring-fenced for tuition fees (paid directly to the university) and £6,900 paid to the student for living costs
England and Wales also offer loans for PhDs (and other doctorates). These are broadly similar in terms of eligibility and payment, but the amounts differ slightly, with England offering up to £31,122 and Wales offering up to £29,705.
There’s more to each of these schemes. The links above will take you to our student guides, which explain them fully with extensive FAQs.
The loans are probably the best example of a key feature of postgraduate study being ‘deceptively similar’ to its undergraduate equivalent. The key differences are far from obvious and it's worth being prepared for them when supporting prospective students:
None of these values are linked to the actual fee for a Masters in any part of the UK (which isn’t capped) and they may not necessarily cover it
The English and Welsh loans don’t offer any distinct support for maintenance, which may confuse students used to a split system at undergraduate
Most students will need to manage fee payments for the first time
PhD students may also be balancing applications for student loans and UKRI studentships (it isn’t possible to hold both simultaneously or to receive a loan once having received UKRI funding)
All of the loans are portable – this means that students could be attending your university with a loan from elsewhere in the UK (and, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, it means that English and Welsh students can study with a PhD loan whereas local students can’t)
Repayment for each of these postgraduate loan systems is income-contingent: students are automatically deducted a certain % of their earnings over a given threshold (the earnings and threshold vary). Balances are written off after 30 years (25 years for Northern Ireland).