Postgraduate taught applications

Select a postgraduate taught course via our course finder pages to find the course that is right for you.

If you are still making up your mind about coming to study at the University of Southampton, join us on one of our postgraduate days and visits.

Check entry requirements on the course page for your chosen course as some courses have subject requirements as well. International students can check our country specific information on entry requirements.  

There is a lot of competition for places on some of our courses. Even if you meet the criteria for the course, we may not be able to make you an offer.

Supporting documents

You will need to submit documents to support your application. Please check the how to apply section for the course you are applying to and have your supporting documents ready to upload to the online application portal. 

The required documents will vary depending on your course, but typically include:

• your degree transcript (and translated version if necessary)
  
  If you haven't finished your degree yet, you can still make an application now. You can submit an interim (partial) transcript for your degree progress and achievement to date, and upload your full degree transcript and certificate when you have them. We accept scanned copies of the official transcript issued by your current or former university. If the transcript is not in English, you must provide both the official original language version and an official certification that is signed and stamped by your institution or an official translator.

• a personal statement 
  
  A personal statement offers you the chance to explain why you want to study your chosen course, your academic and relevant work experience, and how a master's will help you with your future career aspirations.

  Additional required documents

  
  Depending on the course you apply for, you may be asked to provide additional information, such as:

  • references
    
    We may ask you to provide an academic or professional reference - on some courses we may require 2 references. You will be able to upload your reference letters to the Reference section in the application portal, or enter your referee's email address and we will email them to submit the reference online.
     
  • a CV/resumé
  • a sample of written work
  • an art portfolio

  The application system will know which course you are applying for and the required documents for that specific course will show in that section of the application form.

  If you don’t have all the required documents when you start your application, you can save your application as a draft and come back later. You will not be able to submit your application until all the required documents have been attached. 

  English language requirements

  
  All our courses are taught in English (other than in Modern Languages) all applicants must demonstrate that they possess a minimum standard of English language proficiency to be admitted to a course at Southampton. 
  
  The University recognises a wide range of English language tests and other qualifications. Please visit our English Language entry requirements page for further details. 
  
  The University's Language Centre offers a range of English language courses to help you improve your English language skills and to reach the University's English language entry requirements.
   

Before you apply, check the application deadline on the page for your course. We advise you to apply early as we may close earlier in the year to applications from some countries. We do this because we want to ensure that we:

• have a balanced student community
• take into account that students from different countries apply at different times of the year

Make sure you leave enough time for any additional requirements such as applying for visas and funding.

Click on the 'Apply for this course' button on the individual course page which takes you to our postgraduate admissions system or click here to go to our online application portal.

You will need to create an account which gives you access to your own application portal. Once you’ve done this, search for the course you want to apply for.

Complete the application form and upload any supporting documents. You'll be able to save and review your application before submitting it.

Before you can submit your application to us, you will be required to pay a non-refundable application assessment fee of £50. Some applicants are exempt from paying the application assessment fee - check our terms and conditions for exemptions.

View application assessment fee terms and conditions

Calculating your fee status

We recommend that you visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website for guidance on 'home' fee eligibility for applicants to Higher Education in England.

To assist us in determining the level of tuition fees that you will be charged for your course, we ask you to select a statement. The statement you select will be considered along with other relevant details provided in your application when calculating your fee status, in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We will ask you to select the statement which best represents your circumstances from the following options:

• I am an International Student - I should be classified at the International (overseas) rate for tuition fee purposes.
• I am a UK national, or an Irish national, or I am the relevant family member of either a UK national or a person who is 'settled' in the UK.
• I have Pre-Settled or Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or I am awaiting the outcome of my application to the EU Settlement Scheme.
• I have indefinite leave to Enter/Remain in the UK (not granted under the EU Settlement Scheme), the Right of Abode in the UK, or I am a non-UK national serving in the British armed forces.
• I am the child of a Turkish worker. My Turkish national parent was lawfully employed in the UK at some point before 10:59pm on 31 December 2020, and we were both living in the UK immediately before this time and date. We will both be living in the UK at the start of the course.
• I am a refugee or the relevant family member of a Refugee recognised by the UK Government, or I have been granted leave under the Afghan or Ukraine schemes. I will be living in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course and have been living in the UK since being granted one of the following types of leave:^[1]
  • Refugee recognised by the UK Government (or leave as a spouse/civil partner/child of a refugee recognised by the UK government)
  • Leave under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Scheme
  • Leave under a Ukraine Scheme​​​
    
    [1] If you have made an application for asylum in the UK and are awaiting the outcome of that application, please do not select this option. Please select the first statement: 'I am an International Student', if no other statements apply to you.
• None of the statements above apply to me, but I meet the full criteria of at least one of the categories for home fee eligibility, as detailed in the relevant UKCISA fee regulations.

Check each section in your application carefully to make sure you have answered all the questions and uploaded all the supporting documents required, then submit your application.

We will send you an email to confirm your application has been successfully submitted. If we need any further information, we will contact you via your applicant portal.

Once you have submitted your application, you will be able to view your application but you will not be able to make any changes.

We offer a wide range of merit and competitive scholarships for international students at postgraduate level. Further details can be found on our Scholarships web page.

•    Merit scholarships are awarded automatically and are based on your final classification.
•    If you are eligible for a merit scholarship, further details will be included in your offer letter.
•    You must apply separately for a competitive scholarship.  
•    Further details about the process, including eligibility, deadlines, how we award the scholarships, and the application form can be found on our Scholarships web page. 
•    As it’s a competitive process, not all applications will be successful. 

Use your account login details to track the progress of your application in the application portal.

In your Applicant Home you can:

• check the status of your application
• upload any additional documents, such as English language test results
• if we have made you an offer, you can view your offer details, including deadlines
• contact us about your application

Because of the volume of applications, we might not be able to give you specific feedback on your application if it's not successful.

If you receive an offer from us, it is stated as either conditional or unconditional. 

Conditional offer

Your offer could be conditional for a number of reasons, such as:

• you are still awaiting results, either academic or English language
• we need to verify your qualifications
• you have to meet other non-academic entry requirements such as an Occupational Health check
• you need to pay a tuition fee deposit, if applicable to your programme

The offer letter will clearly state any academic or non-academic conditions that you need to meet along with the given deadlines. We will ask you to send us evidence confirming that you have satisfied the conditions specified in your offer letter. You should upload the evidence in your applicant portal. You will also be able to see your deadlines on your applicant portal. 

Unconditional offer

Your offer could be unconditional if you have already met all the academic and non-academic requirements for entry and you don't need to pay a deposit for your course.

If your offer was initially conditional and you have met all the academic and non-academic conditions of your offer, we will send you an unconditional offer via the applicant portal.

You will not be required to meet any further conditions, but you will still need to accept your offer via the applicant portal if you have not already done so.

If you are an international student, you can apply for your visa when you receive an unconditional offer. You will be sent a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number and CAS statement no earlier than 6 months before the start of your course.

Accepting your offer

You must accept your offer by the date stated in your offer letter. This deadline refers to your acceptance of the offer, not the fulfilment of any conditions.

You should respond to your offer in your applicant portal. Unfortunately, if you fail to respond by this deadline, your offer will be withdrawn automatically. If you do want to accept the offer, please leave enough time to do this as we might not be able to re-instate an offer once it is withdrawn due to capacity on some courses. If you need more time to accept your offer, please send us a portal comment via your applicant portal. 

If you're an international student we'll ask you to pay £2,000 of your tuition fees in advance, as a deposit. You will be exempt from this payment if you are:

• currently studying on another course at the University
• in receipt of a full scholarship or sponsorship
• seeking asylum in the UK
• transferring to the University from a Southampton OnCampus pathway

The deposit scheme applies to most of our full-time postgraduate courses. Check the 'Fees, Costs and Funding' tab on your course to see if it applies.

Your deposit needs to be paid after you accept your offer and your offer letter will tell you when the deposit needs to be paid, and provides full terms and conditions.

If you need more time to pay your deposit, please contact us via your application portal and we may be able to extend your deposit deadline.

Unfortunately, if you fail to pay the deposit by the deadline, and don’t ask us for a deposit deadline extension your offer may be withdrawn.  

If you are being fully funded, please send us confirmation of the funding, via your application portal and we will be able to waive the deposit condition.

Find out how to pay your deposit. 

We do give deposit refunds in certain circumstances. Our refund policy provides more details. 

While you're waiting for us to assess your application, follow us on social media and watch out for our emails to make sure you get all the relevant information before you study here.

Visit our website and find out more about our vibrant and supportive student life, as well as our campuses, accommodation options, sports and gyms.

We look forward to welcoming you to our postgraduate community!