uniselectImage
uniselectLogo

The shortcut to your shortlist

Make your university search faster and less stressful.
Get a personalised shortlist by selecting what matters to you.

GET STARTED
Financing your studies

NHS funded courses 2023/24

The NHS bursary – or similar – can help you financially when starting a career as a nurse, doctor, dentist or allied health professional.

Doctors and nurses walking through corridor in a hospital

CONTENTS

  1. Overview

  2. England: NHS bursary and funding for Nursing and allied health professions

  3. England: Healthcare degree apprenticeships
  4. England: NHS bursary for medical or dental degrees

  5. England: Medical doctor degree apprenticeships
  6. Northern Ireland: Bursary for Nursing and Midwifery students

  7. Northern Ireland: Bursary for allied health profession students

  8. Northern Ireland: Medical or dental degree funding

  9. Scotland: Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary

  10. Scotland: Allied health profession course funding

  11. Scotland: Medical or dental degree funding

  12. Scotland: Dental Student Support Grant

  13. Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding
  14. Wales: NHS bursary and funding for Nursing and allied health professions

  15. Wales: NHS bursary for medical or dental degrees

  16. Other financial support for students on healthcare courses

Overview

The NHS bursary originally funded students on healthcare degrees across the UK, but reforms led to a patchwork of financial support in different nations.

Our guide shows the current financial support in in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, whether you want a career:

  • as a nurse or midwife
  • as an allied health professional
  • as a doctor or dentist

Find out all you can about what's available before you start and weigh up your options carefully. While a bursary offers you money that you don't have to repay, for some students the funding you get when receiving an NHS bursary may be lower than the financial support you might otherwise receive.

Where you live

The funding is for UK residents, and usually depends on the nation where you 'ordinarily live'. However, you may be able to study in a different UK nation and access extra financial support. Options for this are outlined under each nation below.

EU students

After Brexit, residence eligibility is complex. EU students in the UK who are registered with the EU Settlement Scheme, and Irish nationals resident in the UK, may be eligible for an NHS bursary or other healthcare funding on the same basis as they are for student finance.

Course eligibility

Check whether you're being offered an NHS-funded or eligible place with your course provider.

Household income

All means-tested finance will depend on your household income. 'Household' means your parents if you're a dependent student, or your partner or spouse (if you have one) for independent students. If you prefer not to give your household income, you may still be eligible for non-means-tested support.

Student finance

Even if NHS funding is offered, you may also need a maintenance loan. This may be a fixed-rate ‘reduced loan’ and the amount available in your final year will be lower.

Supplementary grants

You may be eligible for extra help if you’re a parent, support someone who depends on you financially, or are disabled. You won’t have to repay this money unless you’re overpaid.

  • Dependents Allowance is for students who financially support another adult or child – the amount will be based on any income your dependent has.
  • Childcare Allowance (means-tested) helps towards childcare costs for children in registered or approved childcare. Up to 85% of the cost may be paid up to a set limit. You can’t get financial support if you get childcare funding from any other source, or your child is eligible for a free early education place or looked after by a relative.
  • If you’re eligible for the Dependents Allowance for a child, you may get a Parents’ Learning Allowance.
  • If you have a long-term physical or mental health condition, a learning difference (like dyslexia), or physical disability, you may be eligible for Disabled Students' Allowance. The amount is based on your needs, not your income.

If you're on a funded course when you apply for these grants, the amount of financial support available may differ.

Travel expenses for clinical practice placements

If you have an NHS- or government-funded place you may be able to claim travel expenses for clinical placements. You’ll only be reimbursed costs over and above the normal expense of travelling to university. This may include accommodation, if approved, up to a daily limit.

Students on Nursing, Midwifery or allied health profession courses in England can apply for travel expenses from the Learning Support Fund.

Medical or dental students don’t get an NHS bursary for the first few years of their course. For clinical placements in non-NHS bursary funded years, you can apply for a travel grant from student finance. In NHS bursary funded years, placement expenses are claimed via the NHS. Funding arrangements differ if you’re from Scotland, detailed in the Scottish section of this guide.

Students who get Disabled Students' Allowances can only apply for the refund of travel costs not met by their DSA support.

Changes in your circumstances

Update your funder about any change in your personal circumstances to avoid overpayments, as you'll have to repay these.

NHS bursary and funding for Nursing and allied health professions in England

For UK-resident students studying at English universities, NHS funding is provided by the Learning Support Fund (LSF). Students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland taking an eligible pre-registration healthcare course may qualify for extra grants, including a £5,000 annual training grant.

The funding applies to undergraduate and most graduate students in these disciplines:

  • Dental Hygiene or Dental Therapy (level 5 or 6 courses)
  • Dietetics
  • Midwifery
  • Nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning disabilities, joint Nursing and Social Work, or joint Nursing and Paramedic Science)
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Operating Department Practitioner (level 5 or 6 courses)
  • Orthoptics
  • Orthotics/Prosthetics
  • Paramedic Science (DipHE and foundation degree courses are not eligible for NHS LSF)
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry/Chiropody
  • Radiography (Diagnostic/Therapeutic)
  • Speech and Language Therapy

Other things to note:

  • Undergraduate students who study part-time can get the support pro-rata
  • Learning Support Fund only applies from Year 1 of a degree: you’ll need to wait a year if you start with a foundation year
  • To access the Learning Support Fund, you must be eligible for both tuition fee and maintenance support loans

Student finance and the Learning Support Fund

You can apply for student finance as normal if you’re an undergraduate. As teaching years on healthcare courses are usually longer than a standard degree, you may be able to get additional weeks' funding, known as a long course loan.

Graduates in England who already have a degree – as long as it isn't in a related subject – may be able to get a second undergraduate student loan to study Nursing, Midwifery or an allied health professional degree.

However, graduates from England who want to study Paramedic Science as a second degree can’t get a second undergraduate loan. At the time of the NHS bursary review in 2017/18, paramedic training in England was funded differently to other allied health professions. For other subjects, the rules were changed to allow graduates access to an undergraduate loan – but Paramedic Science wasn’t included.

Since 2022/23, students studying Paramedic Science as a second degree have been able to access the Learning Support Fund on a case-by-case basis. However you still can’t get a maintenance loan or tuition fee loan, despite an ongoing campaign run by the College of Paramedics.

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

A non-means tested grant of £5,000 per year is available for all eligible students. You'll need to apply for this each year. You don’t need to repay it.

Specialist subject payment

Students studying certain subjects may qualify for an additional payment of £1,000 per year (not means tested):

  • Mental health nursing
  • Learning disability nursing
  • Radiography (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)
  • Prosthetics and Orthotics
  • Orthoptics
  • Podiatry

Parental support

£2,000 annual grant for students who are parents responsible for a child under 15 years old at the start of the academic year (or under 17 if they have special educational needs). The grant is pro-rata for part-time students and doesn’t affect your entitlement to childcare allowance.

Travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE)

If you receive the training grant, you can claim travel-related expenses while on your 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.

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. You’ll need to pay your own air fares.

Applications are submitted after the expenses have been incurred, but no later than six months after. Receipts must be included, and your university must authorise your form.

Exceptional support fund (ESF)

This fund provides means-tested support for students whose income isn't enough to meet their expenses despite careful budgeting.

Before you can get help from the ESF you must have received at least one student loan payment. If you chose not to take out a student loan, you’ll need to show that you arranged alternative financial support before starting your course.

If you’re from England and your household has an income above £42,875, your student loan entitlement may calculate an expected top-up contribution from your parents or partner. If your hardship is because this money is not forthcoming from your parents or partner, you may not get support from the ESF.

You can get up to £3,000 each academic year. You must have accessed all other sources of available income, such as 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 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 those 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 Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB) is only available to Scottish residents

Appointment For Mother And Daughter With Nurse

Healthcare degree apprenticeships in England

In England, an alternative way to become a nurse, midwife or allied health professional is by taking a degree apprenticeship.  These are funded by employers and run in partnership with the university or college where students study part-time. Apprentices are employed, so instead of taking out a student loan they receive a salary, and their tuition fees are paid for.

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.

Standards are set and approved for each subject by training and professional bodies. They cover a range of roles, including:

  • Arts therapist
  • Diagnostic radiographer
  • Dietician
  • Midwife
  • Nursing
  • Occupational therapist
  • Operating department practitioner
  • Paramedic
  • Physiotherapist
  • Podiatrist
  • Prosthetist/orthotist
  • Speech and language therapist
  • Therapeutic radiographer

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. Nursing degree apprenticeships are already offered by some health boards. To apply, you may already need to be employed full-time in a relevant role – check the situation for your local health board. Those who've completed a lower-level Nursing apprenticeship (such as assistant practitioner) may be able to progress to a higher or degree level programme to top up their qualification.

Medical or dental degree funding from England

If you're from England, you can study Medicine and Dentistry anywhere in the UK and still be eligible for an NHS bursary from England for part of the course.

If you study in Scotland, you may also be eligible to apply for Scotland's Dental Student Support Grant or Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding.

NHS bursary funding for medical and dental students from England

You must be on a course eligible to receive an NHS bursary.

Undergraduates can apply for an NHS bursary from the fifth year of study on a five- or six-year course. Before then, you’ll need to apply to Student Finance England for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs.

Graduates can apply for an NHS bursary from the second year of a three- or four-year accelerated degree. In the first year, you must self-fund some of the tuition fees. You may apply for a tuition fee loan towards the remaining tuition fees and can also apply for a maintenance loan from the first year – although in NHS bursary-funded years this will be capped at a fixed reduced rate.

Graduates on a standard undergraduate medical or dental course may be eligible for an NHS bursary from year five of study. For the previous years, you're not normally eligible for any tuition fee loans but can apply for a maintenance loan and any associated allowances.

What financial support do medical and dental students get from England?

In NHS bursary-funded years, you may receive a contribution towards your tuition fees, a means-tested bursary and a non-means-tested grant of £1,000 a year.

In eligible years, undergraduate tuition fees are paid by the NHS. If tuition fees are higher than the standard level, you'll need to pay the difference or apply for a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England. Students on a graduate entry course get a tuition fee contribution that may not cover their fees but can also apply for a tuition fee loan.

Means-tested bursary rates depend on where you live while you study. Students in London could get a bursary of up to £3,191; outside London, up to £2,643; or if living in your parental home, £2,207. Where courses are longer than the standard academic year you can get extra support, awarded at £108 (London), £84 (outside London) and £56 (living with your parents) per week. These figures rarely change.

The bursary reduces for household incomes above £24,279 as there is an assumed contribution from your parents or partner. If the reduction is such that you won’t receive a means-tested bursary, you will still be eligible for the £1,000 grant, placement expenses and tuition fee contribution. You are still required to apply to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) to receive these.

Students receiving an NHS bursary can only get a fixed reduced rate maintenance loan to supplement your income: £3,658 if living in London, £2,605 outside London or abroad, and £1,955 if you live in your parental home.

Even with the £1,000 grant and means-tested bursary, this means you could have less to live on in an NHS bursary year than years funded by student finance alone.

As well as supplementary grants and travel expenses, NHS bursary students can get support from an NHS hardship grant for medical and dental students. Up to £3,000 may be awarded to those eligible for a means-tested bursary who are facing financial hardship. You'll need to show how you've been managing your finances and must have applied for all possible financial support, including student loans and university hardship funds.

For detailed guidance, refer to the NHSBSA.

Applying for an NHS bursary from England

Apply only for the years you're eligible to receive an NHS bursary. Apply in good time to ensure you have funding in place for the start of the academic year. Go to the NHSBSA website, where you register for an NHS Bursary account. You'll need ID. You will also need to upload various documents as evidence of your financial circumstances.

Medical doctor degree apprenticeships in England

In 2022, a new medical doctor degree apprenticeship pathway was approved to run in England. Like the degree apprenticeships already available for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, it will offer training to the same standard as a university degree. Unlike a university degree, those taking this route will not have to fund their tuition fees and will also be paid a salary.

Apprentices will work as a trainee medical practitioner while studying towards their medical degree, but they’ll only be qualified as a doctor once their training is complete.

The government has said applications are likely to open for the pilot scheme in September 2024, and are unlikely to be advertised before then.

Bursary for Nursing and Midwifery students in Northern Ireland

Rather than the NHS bursary, Northern Ireland has commissioned places on Nursing or Midwifery first-degree courses. These are reserved for Northern Ireland-resident undergraduates who study in Northern Ireland. If you're from England, Scotland or Wales, you're not eligible for a commissioned place unless you've lived in Northern Ireland for three consecutive years before the start of the course.

What financial support do Nursing and Midwifery students get in Northern Ireland?

If you're from Northern Ireland and studying a Nursing or Midwifery degree there, you can have your tuition fees paid by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

The personal element of the bursary is not means-tested. The basic Nursing Bursary is £5,165 per year. There's also a dependents' element (for example if you’re married or have children) which is means-tested.

As well as grants, you can apply for emergency support from the Student Support Fund if you find yourself in severe financial hardship.

If you have a commissioned place, you're ineligible for a student loan.

Applying for a commissioned Nursing or Midwifery place

You can apply to your university of choice for a commissioned place. If you're accepted, your university will link you with the Bursary Administration Unit. You'll be sent an application pack two weeks before the start of your course.

If you're a resident in Northern Ireland but want to study elsewhere in the UK

If you're from Northern Ireland but studying elsewhere in the UK, you can apply for a student loan from Student Finance Northern Ireland.

  • If you study in Wales and commit to working 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
  • In Scotland, the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB) is only available to Scottish residents

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:

  • Diagnostic Radiography and Imaging
  • Dietetics
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Paramedic Science
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry
  • Radiography and Oncology
  • Speech and Language Therapy

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. For 2023/24, the maximum bursary is £2,355.

Students can also apply for a reduced fixed-rate maintenance loan, which isn't means-tested. This is normally 75% of the maximum available depending on your circumstances, such as where you live when you are studying. For 2023/24, the reduced rate loan is £2,492 if you live at home or £3,318 if you live in lodgings.

Applying for financial support on a commissioned allied health profession place

Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) administer the bursaries for the Department of Health.

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

Closeup of dentist looking at dental x-ray plate

Medical or dental degree funding from Northern Ireland

If you’re a resident from Northern Ireland, the first few years of your medical or dental undergraduate degree are supported by the standard student finance. Once eligible for support, instead of an NHS bursary, Northern Ireland's Department of Health (DoH) funds part of the course. This applies for degree courses taken anywhere in the UK.

If you study in Scotland you may be eligible to apply for Scotland's Dental Student Support Grant or Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding.

If you're studying in the Republic of Ireland (RoI), you should apply for student finance including a student contribution fee loan for each year of the course. You won’t be eligible for a DoH bursary.

If you're a graduate starting a second primary degree in Medicine or Dentistry, you're not eligible for a DoH bursary. You can apply for a maintenance loan and dependents grants, but you'll need to self-fund your tuition fees (or student contribution fee in the Republic of Ireland) for the duration of the course.

Department of Health bursary for medical and dental students from Northern Ireland

In a bursary-funded year, tuition fees are paid by the Department of Health. You can also apply for supplementary grants and travel expenses.

The maximum bursary is £1,920 if you live at home or £2,355 if you live in lodgings. The amount reduces if your household income is more than £24,770 and is £0 if your income is over £43,000.

In a bursary-funded year, you are only eligible for a reduced, fixed-rate maintenance loan of £2,492 (at home) or £3,318 (living in lodgings). The amount is lower for final-year students.

This means you may have less to live on during a bursary year than you have in a year where you only qualify for student finance.

Applying for a DoH bursary from Northern Ireland

Applications for funding are all made to Student Finance Northern Ireland for all years, as they administer the DoH bursary.

Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary in Scotland

Rather than the NHS Bursary, if you're a Scottish resident studying a Paramedic Science, Nursing or Midwifery degree full-time at a Scottish university, you're eligible for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary scheme (PNMSB).

Eligibility depends on three conditions:

  • You must be taking an eligible course at a university in Scotland
  • You haven’t had previous PNMSB funding
  • You must meet residency conditions

What financial support do Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery students get in Scotland?

Tuition fees for Scottish students on pre-registration courses are paid by the Scottish Government. Graduates may need to check with SAAS whether their fees will be covered.

The bursary of £10,000 per year isn't means-tested and funding covers the whole year (52 weeks). If you're studying an honours degree, you'll get 75% of the bursary in your fourth year.

Extra support includes a £60 initial expenses allowance in your first year, plus supplementary grants such as Dependents Allowances, Single Parents’ Allowance and Childcare Allowance.

The bursary includes £5 for daily travel but placement expenses exceeding this may be claimed. You're expected to use the cheapest public transport – and make use of free bus travel for Scottish residents under 22 years old, if applicable. If travel costs are over £30 per day, you should stay in local accommodation if possible.

A discretionary fund is available for students in severe financial hardship, applied for via your university.

If you receive a bursary, you can’t apply for a maintenance loan, or funding for care experienced students.

Applying for financial support on a Paramedic, Nursing or Midwifery course in Scotland

Applications are made via the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). You can apply for the PNMSB bursary online in spring each year (no later than June). Some additional support funds may need annual evidence of your eligibility.

If you're a resident in Scotland but want to study elsewhere in the UK

If you want to study a course elsewhere in the UK, you won’t be eligible for the bursary. Instead, 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
  • Northern Ireland's Nursing and Midwifery courses aren't open to students living in the rest of the UK

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 at a Scottish university 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.

Eligible AHP courses include:

  • Diagnostic Imaging (degree only)
  • Diagnostic Radiography
  • Dietetics
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Orthoptics
  • Orthotics
  • Paramedic Science
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry (chiropody)
  • Prosthetics/Orthotics
  • Radiography
  • Radiography and Oncology
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Speech and Language Pathology
  • Therapeutic Radiography

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.

If you're a resident in Scotland but want to study elsewhere in the UK

You can apply to SAAS for a tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and living cost grants if applicable. Graduates can only apply for a means-tested living cost loan and grants, but you'll need to self-fund your tuition fees.

Medical or dental degree funding from Scotland

There's no NHS bursary for Scottish-resident medical or dental students – you’ll need to apply to SAAS for a student loan. For tuition fees, what you get will depend on where you study your course.

If you study in Scotland, SAAS will pay all tuition fees for a standard five-year course. However, Medicine at the University of St Andrews is a three-year course where you must change university to complete the clinical years. If you move to a university outside Scotland, you'll need to apply for a tuition fee loan for your fourth year, and in years five and six apply to SAAS to have your tuition fees paid in full.

If you study elsewhere in the UK, you need to apply to SAAS for a tuition fee loan for the first four years of your course. From year five, you can apply to SAAS for full payment of your tuition fees.

Graduates taking an accelerated Medicine course have to self-fund their tuition fees, unless studying the Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) course run by St Andrews and Dundee universities. For this, see below.

Because there’s no NHS bursary for medical or dental students, there’s also no travel expenses for your placements. Scottish students are advised to make use of the Scottish Government’s free bus travel scheme if they’re under 22 years old.

Dental Student Support Grant if you study in Scotland

The Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG) is for any student studying a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow University, whose annual household income is below £34,000.

The DSSG is only available to students who have the right to live and work in Scotland after they graduate, because you’re expected to work for NHS Scotland after graduation for as many years as you've received funding. If you fail to do so or withdraw from your course, you must repay your grant.

Students at Aberdeen can apply from their first year and students at Glasgow or Dundee can apply from their second year.

The annual DSSG grant is £4,000, and UK-resident students can apply for a student loan as well.

You’ll need to apply for DSSG through your university each year before the end of December.

Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding

Like the Dental Student Support Grant, graduates studying the ScotGEM accelerated degree run in partnership by St Andrews University and the University of Dundee can opt to apply for a ‘return of service’ bursary. This offers £4,000 in each year of study, in return for committing to work for NHS Scotland for as many years as a bursary is claimed. The return of service bursary is open to all students on the programme.

Other funding and tuition fees are in line with the normal support for graduates from your home student finance body. Scottish-resident students on the graduate-entry course have their tuition fees funded by the Scottish Government.

For details, please refer to St Andrews' guidance on the ScotGEM degree.

Patient about to enter an MRI machine

NHS bursary for Nursing and allied health professions in Wales

The NHS Wales 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 you’re on a two-year course.

In September 2023, the Welsh Government confirmed that the NHS Wales Bursary will continue to be available to students starting their studies in 2024–25.

Also, from 2024/25 students from Wales will be able to apply for the full amount of maintenance loan from Student Finance Wales – unlike other UK-resident students who will only be eligible for a reduced rate of maintenance loan.

Eligible courses include:

  • Nursing and Midwifery
  • Dental Hygiene, or Dental Hygiene and Therapy
  • Diagnostic Radiography
  • Dietetics
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Operating Department Practice
  • Paramedic Science
  • Physician Associate
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry
  • Radiography and Oncology
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Plus certain healthcare science courses

Only NHS Wales approved courses are eligible for funding: check with your provider.

If you accept a place on an NHS Wales approved course, you must register on the Welsh Health Education Registration System. This includes students who do not 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.

Financial support for Nursing, Midwifery or allied health profession students in Wales

NHS Wales will pay your tuition fees. You'll receive a grant of £1,000 and a means-tested bursary of up to £2,207 if you live at home or £2,643 if you live away from home. If your course is longer than 30 weeks, you'll get an additional allowance (£56 per week if you live at home, £84 per week if you live away). If applicable, you can also claim supplementary grants.

If your household income is £24,279 or more, your bursary will reduce. If the reduction is such that you won’t get a means-tested bursary, you’ll still be eligible for the £1,000 grant, placement expenses and tuition fee contribution.

If you're an undergraduate with an NHS bursary, you’ll only be eligible for a fixed reduced-rate maintenance loan if you’re from Wales, England or Northern Ireland (Scotland does not have a reduced rate). In Wales, the reduced rate maintenance loan is currently £4,475 if you live at home, £6,815 if you live in London, and £5,360 if you live elsewhere. From 2024/25 the Welsh Government intends to remove this cap for students from Wales.

You should apply via the Student Finance body for your nation before the start of your course to see if you're eligible. If you're a graduate, you can't apply for a student loan even if you get the NHS Wales bursary

Applying for financial support on a Nursing, Midwifery or allied health profession course in Wales

You need to apply for the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme as soon as you've accepted a place at an NHS-approved university, as there's a set number of training places. The last date to register and apply for the NHS bursary is ten weeks after starting the course. No applications will be accepted after this time.

If you agree to work for NHS Wales after your course and fail to do so, you must repay all or part of the bursary, unless you fail to complete the course. You'll also need to repay it if you choose not to continue the course, unless you've arranged to transfer to another NHS-Wales funded course.

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
  • Places on courses in Northern Ireland are reserved for students resident in Northern Ireland, with a few exceptions for allied health profession courses – but you won't get any extra funding
  • In Scotland, only those who ordinarily live there are eligible for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB)

Medical or dental degree funding from Wales

An NHS bursary is available to Welsh-resident students on medical or dental degrees in the UK for part of the course. You don't need to work for NHS Wales after the completion of your course.

If you study in Scotland, you may be eligible to apply for Scotland's Dental Student Support Grant or Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding.

As an undergraduate, you can apply for an NHS bursary for the fifth year of a five- or six-year course. Before this, you should apply to Student Finance Wales (SFW) for help with tuition fees and living costs.

As a graduate, you can apply for an NHS bursary from the second year of a graduate-entry accelerated degree. In the first year you must self-fund some of the tuition fees, but you can apply for a tuition fee loan towards the remainder. You may also apply for a maintenance loan.

If you're a graduate on a standard undergraduate medical or dental course, you may be eligible for an NHS bursary from year five. The previous years aren't eligible for any tuition fee support, but you can apply for a maintenance loan and any associated allowances.

What financial support does the NHS bursary give to medical and dental students from Wales?

NHS bursary support usually includes support with tuition fees, a means-tested bursary and a non-means-tested grant.

If you're taking an undergraduate course, tuition fees up to the standard level will be paid by NHS Wales in NHS-bursary funded years. If you're on a graduate-entry course, the NHS pays the first £3,465 of tuition fees and you can apply for a loan of up to £5,785 to cover the difference. If your tuition fees are higher, you'll need to pay the difference yourself.

The bursary is means-tested and reduced for incomes above £24,279. If your course is longer than 30 weeks, additional funding provides up to £84 per week (up to £108 for those studying in London).

You can also get a non-means-tested grant of £1,000 per year. If applicable, you can claim supplementary grants and travel expenses too.

If you're eligible for an NHS bursary, you can apply for a reduced amount of maintenance loan. This goes up in increments depending on whether you're living with your parents, or outside or inside of London.

Applying for an NHS bursary from Wales

If you're a medical or dental student from Wales, you should only apply for an NHS bursary in the year you're eligible, via the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme.

Other financial support for students on healthcare courses

If an NHS bursary isn't available for your course, check whether you can get other financial support.

Royal College of Nursing produces the Student Money Guide.

British Medical Association and British Dental Association publish information for students considering these professions, which may include charitable funding sources.

If you're studying an allied health profession degree, check to see if professional bodies recommend sources of funding for students starting their career.

For medics, dentists and nurses or for roles such as radiographer, an army career may be an option if you're willing to work in the Armed Forces for a number of years. Competition for places is fierce.

There are also awards and competitions, and universities may offer bursaries to those on low incomes.

Related articles

Belfast City Hall Northern Ireland

University tuition fees and financial support in...

An overview of undergraduate university tuition fees and student finance for students...

13 Mar 2024
Police car at junction

How safe is your city?

Feeling safe and secure is crucial for enjoying university. See how safe university towns...

12 Mar 2024
Two policeman overseeing students

Crime rates in university cities and towns

Student safety is important. Here are the rates for crimes most likely to affect students...

12 Mar 2024

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Sorry about that...

HOW CAN WE IMPROVE IT?

SUBMIT

Thanks for your feedback!