New Year, New You – Why You Should Start a Masters in 2025

2025 is upon us and there is still some time or months shall we say, for you to accomplish all of your goals for this year! As the New Year self-improvement frenzy kicks in, you may find yourself wondering whether to buy a gym membership, quit drinking, embark on a social media cleanse, or all three.

One resolution that may not have made it onto your list, however, is starting a postgraduate degree. Here’s why we think it should – and how to get started!

You can still start your Masters in January or February (but you don’t have to!)

Some courses do accept January start applications early in the year and to help you find them, we’ve have set up a dedicated portal for 2026 where you can browse them all in one place.You can keep coming back to the page to see if new ones are showing.

Many courses are open all the way up until the end of the month, meaning you have a good couple of weeks to put your application together! To help you succeed on a tight timeline, check out our four tips for last-minute applications.

If you need a little longer to find and apply for the right course, there’s plenty of time to get prepared for the September application cycle. Applications are open all year round, so it’s never too soon to start exploring funding opportunities, contacting referees, or drafting your personal statement.

In fact, it’s a good idea to get your application submitted six months before the beginning your course (this will give you plenty of time to find funding and accommodation). So, if you’re feeling the start-of-year buzz, now is as a good time as any to start ticking items off your application checklist!

Kill two resolutions with one stone

Postgraduate study could be described as the buy-one-get-one-free of New Year’s resolutions (or Master-resolution, if you will). Has your list ever included reading more (check), learning a new language (check, if you choose to study abroad) or cultivating an in-depth knowledge of a niche topic (check)?

If you’re looking to tick off multiple boxes on your self-improvement scorecard at once, a 2025 Masters is the way to go.

Invest in your future

New Year’s resolutions do have a reputation for being rather short-sighted (will you still be scheduling in nightly mindfulness sessions or swearing off refined sugar in 2026?) – but committing to postgraduate study is a resolution that can help set you up for the long-term future.

Whether you’re getting specialised training for your dream job with a professional Masters degree, switching career paths with a conversion course or simply aiming to stand out from the applicant pool, postgraduate study can boost your employability and earning potential.

Starting a Masters will ensure that the ‘new you’ persists not just through 2025, but through the years ahead.

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