I am completing my LLM in London at UCL.  I applied for and received both a Stafford and Graduate PLUS loan to fund my education.  I did not know that although my checks would be sent in advance to the university, it would take approx. four weeks before I would be able to access that portion of my loan designated for my living expenses.  The university takes three weeks to process each check disbursement.  And, since I am one of the lucky ones with a bank account in the UK (some people actually have to send their check back to the US to be deposited -- add three weeks), I only have to wait an additional week after that for my cash.  London is a very expensive place to live.  Make arrangements for some type of signature loan (sent directly to you) to get you through the gaps.