NHS bursary and funding if you study in England
For UK-resident students studying at English universities, NHS funding support is provided by the Learning Support Fund. In February 2020, the government confirmed extra financial support for nursing and midwifery students and many allied health profession students. Students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland taking an eligible pre-registration healthcare course may qualify for extra grants, including a new £5,000 annual training grant. The new funding will be available from September 2020.
The funding applies to current students as well as new students (whether undergraduate or graduate) and includes chiropody and podiatry.
Undergraduate students who study part-time can get the support pro-rata.
Grants offered by the Learning Support Fund
The Learning Support Fund gives extra financial support under the categories below. You won’t have to repay this money unless your circumstances change and you’re overpaid. Contact the NHS Business Services Authority within one month to let them know of any changes.
Training grant
£5,000 each year for all new and continuing students. You’ll need to apply for this each year.
Specialist subject payment
£1,000 per year awarded automatically to new students studying a ‘shortage specialism’ once you’ve applied for the training grant. The shortage specialisms include podiatry.
Regional incentive
£1,000 awarded automatically to new students once you’ve applied for the training grant. Eligible regions are still to be confirmed.
Parental support
£2,000 annual grant for students who are parents responsible for a child. The grant is pro-rata for part-time students and doesn’t affect your entitlement to childcare allowance.
Travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE)
This reimburses additional expenses from clinical practice placements. You’ll only receive travel expenses above your normal cost of getting to university. You’re expected to use the cheapest form of transport feasible. If you’re driving, this can include toll roads and parking. If you get a lift, you can’t claim expenses – but you can if you cycle!
There are capped daily rates for accommodation if it isn’t practical for you to travel from your normal term-time residence to your placement. You won’t get this if staying with your parents.
If you’re required to study abroad for part of your course, you may be able to apply for the cost of medical insurance, tests and visa fees to be reimbursed.
Applications are submitted after the expenses have been incurred, but no later than nine months after. Receipts must be included, and your university must authorise your form.
Exceptional support fund
This fund provides means-tested support for students whose income isn’t enough to meet their expenses despite careful budgeting.
You can get up to £3,000 each academic year. You must have accessed all other sources of available income, i.e. savings, part-time or holiday work, or additional household support, and have applied to university hardship funds or other income sources. If you’re rejected by these sources, you can still apply to the Exceptional Support Fund.
The fund doesn’t cover unexpected emergency costs such as repairs or stolen items.
Applications can be made at any time in the academic year. You’ll need to supply evidence, such as bank statements for yourself and for your partner if you have one. Your application must be authorised by your university. You can apply more than once within the academic year.
Applying to the Learning Support Fund
The NHS Business Services Authority has detailed guidance on the Learning Support Fund. To apply, you must first register on the Learning Support Fund (LSF) Application System to create an online account. You can then apply to one of the funds – you’ll need to apply each year. To apply, send a copy of your full student loan notification letter along with any other evidence required.
If you’re a resident in England but want to study elsewhere in the UK
If you’re an English resident and want to study nursing, midwifery or an allied health profession course elsewhere in the UK, you can apply to Student Finance England for a student loan.
If you study in Wales, you can access the NHS Wales bursary as long as you commit to working for NHS Wales for two years after the end of your course. The list of allied health profession courses funded in Wales differs from the one listed above.
In Northern Ireland, funded places are reserved for students who’ve lived in Northern Ireland for three years before the start of their course.
In Scotland, the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (NMSB) is only available to Scottish residents.
Healthcare degree apprenticeships in England
In England, an alternative for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals is a degree apprenticeship. These are funded by employers and run in partnership with the university or college, where students study part-time. Standards are set and approved for each subject by training and professional bodies.
Unlike a degree, they’re only available when advertised by the employer, so may be harder to track down and competition for places may be tough.
Degree apprenticeship standards have been drawn up for a range of roles, including Podiatrists
While the standards have been approved, it may take some time for employers to offer the programmes. You can find out more about healthcare apprenticeships on healthcareers.nhs.uk.
In England, vacancies will usually be advertised on the NHS Jobs website or the government’s Find an Apprenticeship website.
Applying for an NHS bursary from England
Apply only for the years you’re eligible to receive an NHS bursary. Applications open from March and close two months before courses begin. Go to the NHS Business Services Authority website, where you create an account on the Bursary Online Support System (BOSS). You’ll need photographic ID. After submitting your application, an email will inform you if other supporting evidence is needed. Our subject tables can help you with choosing a university.
Bursary for allied health profession students in Northern Ireland
If you’re from Northern Ireland and taking an eligible allied health profession first degree there, you can get support from the Department of Health (DoH).
Approved courses include Podiatry
What financial support do allied health profession students get in Northern Ireland?
Allied health profession students have their tuition fees paid by the Department of Health (DoH) in Northern Ireland. There’s also a bursary based on household income.
Students can also apply for a reduced rate of maintenance loan, which isn’t means-tested. Students living at home can get £1,780, while students in lodgings are eligible for £2,370.
Applying for financial support on a commissioned allied health profession place
Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) administer the bursaries for the Department of Health. Contact them for further information on the level of bursaries available.
If you’re a resident in Northern Ireland but want to study elsewhere in the UK
Undergraduates from Northern Ireland can choose to study elsewhere in the UK and still get a student loan from Student Finance Northern Ireland. If your course is in Wales and you’re prepared to work for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you can access the NHS Wales bursary. If you study in England, you may be eligible for support from the Learning Support Fund. There’s no extra funding if you study in Scotland.
If you’re a resident in Scotland but want to study elsewhere in the UK
If you want to study nursing elsewhere in the UK, you can apply to SAAS for student finance, including a tuition fee loan.
If you study in Wales, you can also consider the NHS Wales bursary if you’re willing to work for NHS Wales for two years after graduation.
If you study in England on an eligible course, you may be able to get extra financial help from the Learning Support Fund. From September 2020, this includes the new funding announced by the UK Government in 2019.
Funding for allied health profession students in Scotland
In Scotland, there’s no NHS bursary for allied health profession students. However, if you already have a degree, you may be able to apply for a student loan.
Undergraduates are eligible for the normal student finance and can apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) to cover their tuition fees and for a maintenance loan for living costs.
Graduates following a full undergraduate AHP course in Scotland can apply for undergraduate funding in year one and two. After this, you’re only eligible for means-tested maintenance loans and grants, so you’d need to pay your tuition fees. Graduates on accelerated courses have to self-fund their tuition fees.
Eligible AHP courses include Podiatry (chiropody)
What other financial support do allied health profession students get in Scotland?
AHP students can claim the cost of travel to clinical practice placements taken in Scotland, but only for amounts above their normal travel to and from university. You should use public transport as car mileage is paid only in exceptional circumstances. If travel is likely to cost more than £30 per day, local accommodation may be arranged. You must submit receipts for all expenses.
NHS bursary and funding if you study in Wales
In June 2019, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services announced funding under the NHS Wales Bursary to be extended until 2020–21. This NHS bursary is for all UK-resident students studying an eligible healthcare course in Wales, including graduates who already have a degree. To get the bursary, you must commit to working with NHS Wales for two years after your course (or less if on a two-year course).
Eligible courses include Chiropodists and podiatrists
If you’re a UK-resident taking a health education course in Wales, you must register on the Welsh Health Education Registration System. This includes undergraduates who don’t want to commit to working for NHS Wales – if you don’t register, you won’t be able to apply for a full student loan.
If you’re an EU national, you may apply to have your tuition fees funded if you commit to working for NHS Wales for two years after your course, but you’ll need to pay for all other costs.
If you’re a resident in Wales but want to study elsewhere in the UK
If you want to study a nursing, midwifery or allied health profession course elsewhere in the UK, you should apply for student finance from Student Finance Wales.
Those studying in England on an eligible course may be able to get support from the Learning Support Fund. This includes the new funding outlined by the UK Government in 2019, which comes into effect from September 2020.
Places on courses in Northern Ireland are reserved for student’s resident in Northern Ireland, with a few exceptions for allied health profession courses (these don’t confer any additional funding).
Student Finance England
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SF_England
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SFEngland
Telephone: 0300 100 0607
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, Saturday, 9am to 4pm, Sunday – closed
Student Finance England, PO Box 210, Darlington DL1 9HJ
Helpful links
Information taken from https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/finance/nhs-bursary
https://www.savethestudent.org/student-finance/maintenance-loans.html