How can HBH fund his MBA?

I met HBH for the first time when I took him out for dinner last year, and since then we've become friends :-). It's good news to hear that he's finally got an offer of acceptance to study for an MBA in London. Working out how to pay for it is probably his biggest concern right now, so I thought I'd do a post specifically on the subject of funding postgraduate degrees. Hopefully this will be of interest to both HBH as well as other readers who may be contemplating some form of higher education in the UK. However it's been a while since I was in this situation myself, or since I had any friends who needed funding for higher education, so it would be good if readers with more knowledge than me could leave comments with further ideas.

Funding for higher education is a very wide area. Applicants are generally treated on a case by case basis depending on circumstances such as nationality, country of residence, financial situation, educational institution previously attended, type of degree and class awarded, and so on. HBH is not British, and although he does come from a former British colony in the Caribbean, this definitely makes it harder for him to fund a postgraduate degree here in the UK. Anyway, depending on the situation, the following funding sources may (or may not) be available:

1. A grant or scholarship from the institution offering the course: Applicants need to do intensive research before applying to business schools and universities, because most offer some form of financing via a direct reduction of tuition fees. Research should be made early enough so that financing can be applied for before the start of the course. Needless to say, there's usually stiff competition for this form of funding. For example, if applying to do an MBA program at the LBS, you come up against professionals such as doctors, lawyers and engineers who can all demonstrate a need. The clincher probably depends on academic ability. Even if you're successful in obtaining this type of funding, it's usually only a fraction of the total cost, so there still remains a large sum to finance.
2. Company sponsorship: A company scholarship might sound easy, but to qualify for MBA funding, you usually need to already be employed at that company in a managerial type of position with the relevant number of years experience. Even so, I suspect that many companies are tight on spending at the moment due to the credit crunch in the financial markets. While this option is definitely worth exploring, for many people like HBH this won't be an option.
3. Grants from private bodies: Finding grants from private bodies is like finding a needle in a haystack. They do exist, but it requires intensive research. The Grants Register by Macmillan helps. Do any readers have any specific ideas on this which might be useful to HBH?
4. Career Development Loans At the moment, the CDL program is being administered by three UK High Street Banks - The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Co-Operative Bank and Barclays. They have certain conditions which must me met before making an application, for example the institution offering the course must be registered with the Learning and Skills Council. The applicant must also have been resident in the UK for a certain period of time, and plan to remain in the UK for long enough to repay the loan. There are also other restrictions that appear harsh if you're a non UK national like HBH.
5. Personal savings of the individual: Private funding is always a good option if all other avenues fail. However, this option is a last resort for most people, because most people don't have sufficient savings prior to becoming a well-paid MBA graduate!  Hence establishing this source usually requires several years of dedicated saving, because one needs more than just a couple of £k. It's also a big risk to use all your money, because everyone needs to have some cash in hand to cover incidental expenses and living costs.
6. Personal loan from a bank: A personal loan from a bank is only available if you intend to work while studying for your degree, so that the loan re-payments can come out of your salary. Again, this is dependant on satisfying the conditions the Bank lays down. Just like with company scholarships, the UK High Street Banks are all hesitant to lend at the moment because of the credit crunch.
7. Association of MBA loan: The Association of MBA loans is presently being administered by a single UK High Street Bank. Several conditions must be met such as the MBA being accredited by the Association. The applicant must have no restrictions to remain and work in the UK, and several other conditions must be met too. As with Career Development Loans, some of these conditions appear harsh if you're a non UK national like HBH.

As far as I'm aware, these are the avenues that can be explored, however there's no guarantee in any of them. Sometimes good networking can be the best untapped source of funding for bright hardworking students like HBH . Anyway, it would be great if any readers have further ideas for funding, which HBH or any other interested readers could try?