Let me in some more!

Where courses have a few bursaries on offer, how does this affect the applications process? What would one need to do to get one's hands on the money?

Those courses which offer bursaries will certainly attract a greater level of interest than those which do not, so students need to be prepared for some competition. The application process for that funding will vary from place to place, and may be made in conjunction with the postgraduate application, or separately. My advice to any student would be to try and find out as much as possible about the awarding criteria, and to reflect those in their supporting statement or covering letter – don’t focus on your academic brilliance if the awarding criteria are financial need. At Swansea we offer 160 taught Masters bursaries and each year we find that some applicants inexplicably leave the supporting statement section of the application form blank! Of course, in those circumstances it is very difficult for us to judge how well the students meet the awarding criteria, so they are unlikely to be successful.

Who should one be talking to about applications: grad school (where there is one) or department; an academic or administrator?

Again, this is something that will vary from place to place, but where there is one, enquiries should be made in the first instance to the Postgraduate Admissions Office, which will be based in the university’s administration. From there, enquirers can be transferred to academic departments to speak to administrative or academic staff about their specific enquiry if necessary. Students should not be afraid that they are contacting the 'wrong' person or department as university staff will always be happy to point them in the right direction.

Are any questions asked about the financial status of the candidate – i.e. can they pay?

All universities will ask applicants about how they plan to fund their studies, but this will not be used to make the decision about whether or not to offer them a place. In many cases, students cannot apply for funding until they have an offer of a place, so we do not necessarily expect applicants to have their funding arrangements in place at this stage. At Swansea, for example, we ask students to name the 'individual or organisation providing funds for study' and whether this is 'definite or proposed', but this is for information rather than decision making purposes.

What is the process for people applying for a PgDip, which may then become a Masters?

The application process will be the same as for a Masters course. Students who enrol on a PgDip in the first instance, and then decide to upgrade to a Masters, should be able to do this without difficulty as long as their academic department is happy with their progress. Further filling in of forms is not normally required and the university should easily be able to make the necessary changes on their internal systems.

By Dr Caroline Coleman-Davies, Student Recruitment Officer at Swansea University

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