Alternative Funding
Career Development Loans
Career Development Loans (CDLs) are available through a partnership between four retail banks - Barclays, The Royal Bank of
Anyone, whether employed or unemployed, who is 18 or over and lives or intends to train in the
CDLs enable postgraduate students to borrow up to 80% of their course fees and, for full-time students, the full cost of books, materials and other related expenses including travel, child care and disability costs, from one of the four participating banks.
The amount you can borrow ranges from £300 - £8,000. If you have been unemployed for three months or longer immediately before applying for a CDL, you can apply for up to 100% of course fees.
Repayment of the CDL does not begin until a month after graduation. The interest on the loan is paid for the Department for Education and Employment while you are studying and for the month up to the start of your repayments.
For further information, please contact any of the participating banks or by calling free on 0800 585505.
The Entente Cordial Scholarship
Entente Cordial scholarships are awarded to outstanding British and French postgraduates – all subjects- to study or carry out research for an academic year (nine months) on the other side of the channel. For more information, please visit the French Embassy’s web site at www.francealacarte.org.uk/entente
Pre-Application Bursaries
Pre-Application Bursaries are available to UK applicants who need to make visits to the University specifically related to support for a disability. The bursary provides up to £500 to support a visit to the University. In order to be considered for this Bursary the student must be a disabled applicant requiring a visit to the University to ensure their support needs can be fully met, prior to applying or accepting an offer.
If applicants feel they may be eligible for support they should contact:
- their Department
- the Disability Advisory Service (Annabel Avery annabel.avery@reading.ac.uk, tel no 0118 378 4247, or Kate French k.a.french@reading.ac.uk, tel no 0118 378 6129/4254)
- the Student Financial Support team (Jo Gibson j.gibson@reading.ac.uk, tel no 0118 378 7430)



