The information on this page applies to students who start their programme in the 2025/26 academic year.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the alumni discount, you must:

• be starting one of the following eligible postgraduate programmes at the University of Bristol:
  • postgraduate taught: LLM, MA, MRes, MSc
  • postgraduate research: DDS, D Ed Psy, MD, MLitt, MMus, MPhil, MSc by Research, PhD
• have previously graduated from the University of Bristol with an eligible qualifying degree at a lower level of study. For the purposes of this discount, we consider:
  • an undergraduate degree or integrated master’s degree (BA, BSc, BEng, BDS, BVSc, MBChB, LLB, MArts, MSci, MEng, MLibArts) as an eligible qualifying degree at a lower level than any postgraduate taught or research degree
  • a postgraduate taught degree (LLM, MA, MRes, MSc) as an eligible qualifying degree at a lower level than a postgraduate research degree
• have not previously graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree at the same or higher level of study to the programme you are starting
• pay fees directly to the University and be at least partly self-funded
• be applying for a programme where fees are not charged on a modular basis.

Example

If you have received a BA in English from the University of Bristol and return to study for an MA in Film and Television, you are eligible for the discount. This applies as long as you pay fees direct to the university and have not already achieved another postgraduate degree.

Programmes that are not eligible

These programmes are not eligible for the discount. Completion of these programmes does not qualify you for the discount on your next degree:

• postgraduate Certificate / Diploma
• postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
• doctoral degrees by published work.

How to apply

The discount applies automatically to all students who meet the criteria. You do not need to apply for this discount and there is no deadline. The discount will not be mentioned on your offer letter but will appear on your financial statement a few days after it has been issued.

The discount applies to tuition fees only, for the duration of the programme. Your discount will apply to the balance that you pay yourself, after any other sponsorship has been paid. For example, if your full fee is £5,000 and a sponsor pays £4,000 towards your fees, the 25% discount would apply to the remaining £1,000, reducing this to £750. The sponsor would still pay £4,000.

If the discount has not appeared 14 days after completing the registration process, contact education-administration-office@bristol.ac.uk.

Further details

If you have more than one University of Bristol student number 

You will normally be given the same student number as you had for your previous degree at the University of Bristol. In some rare cases, you may get a different student number. This can stop the discount applying automatically, even if you meet the criteria.

If this happens, contact education-administration-office@bristol.ac.uk. We will apply your discount if you meet the criteria.

If you start a degree before receiving the award from a previous degree

The discount will not be applied until a previous qualifying degree has been awarded. If, for example, you start a postgraduate research degree before receiving your award for a postgraduate taught degree, the discount will not immediately be applied.

Once you receive the award for your qualifying degree, the discount will be applied. If you have already paid your fee in full, you will receive a refund for the discounted amount.

If you pay your fees through a student loan organisation 

If your fees are paid for through a student loan organisation, you may still be eligible for the discount, but it may not be applied automatically. You should contact education-administration-office@bristol.ac.uk. They will check your eligibility and apply the discount manually if you qualify.

If you are a member of staff

The University also operates a Staff Discount scheme. This is separate from the Alumni Discount and you cannot benefit from both discounts for the same degree.

The Alumni Discount is applied before the Staff Discount, so staff should only apply for the Staff Discount if they are not eligible for the Alumni Discount.