Postgraduate study can be vastly different to undergraduate experience both socially and academically, it can also present unique difficulties, such as:
- Mental health: 30% of Master’s Students and 40-50% of PhD students experience mental health problems. Rates of depression and anxiety are up to six times higher among postgraduate students than the general population.
- Financing and financial support: Postgraduate taught courses saw a 10% increase in Masters fees when postgraduate loans were introduced, meaning the maximum loan available to domiciled students leaves little to nothing to live on after fees. For example, there is a complete lack of government funding equivalent to the fee/maintenance undergraduate bundle for postgraduate research students. https://russellgroup.ac.uk/media/5059/20rg-submission-to-he-commission-final-2-april.pdf
- Gender imbalance: female to male ratios of postgraduate students currently stand at 60:40 overall, according to a recent HEPI report. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Postgraduate-Education-in-the-UK.pdf
- Mode of study: just over half of UK-domiciled postgraduate starters were studying full time (53%) in 2020, meaning 47% were studying part-time, likely to balance other responsibilities such as work to fund studies or caring responsibilities for dependents (HEPI).
- International students and diversity: only 60% of postgraduate students are from the UK, with international students making up the majority of Masters studies (53%). (HEPI) There is also a decreased diversity within the UK’s international postgraduate cohort following the 2008 financial crash, Brexit and the abolition of post-study work visas. (HEPI)
