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CONTENTS

1. Overview

2. England: NHS 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 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 used to fund students on healthcare degrees across the UK. But reforms led to a patchwork of financial support in different nations.

NHS funding now depends on where you live, what you study, and whether you're an undergraduate or graduate. Funding comes from different sources and may affect your student loan.

If you want to become a nurse, midwife, doctor, dentist, or allied health professional, this guide helps explain what NHS funding is available.

Be warned

A bursary is funding that you won't have to pay back. But in most cases, getting an NHS bursary will reduce the amount you get as a student loan for your living costs. You could end up with less money to live on than if you had a normal student loan. On the plus side, it can mean the funding also pays for your tuition fees.

Our guide gives bursary amounts, where available. It also tells you how it could affect your student finance i.e. your maintenance loan. This will help you see how much money you'll have to live on in an NHS funded year.

Where you live

NHS funding is for UK residents. What you get usually depends on the nation where you 'ordinarily live'. Sometimes financial support is available even if you study in another UK nation.

For each nation and subject, we show what's available whether you study there or elsewhere in the UK.

EU students

After Brexit, residence eligibility is complex. Students registered with the  and Irish nationals living in the UK may be eligible. If you qualify for a student finance maintenance loan, you could get NHS funding.

Course eligibility

Check if your course provider is offering you an NHS-funded or eligible place.

Household income

All means-tested finance will depend on your household income. If you live with your parents, or a partner or spouse, 'household' includes their income. If you prefer not to give your household income, you may still be eligible for non-means-tested support.

Student finance

Even if you get NHS funding, you may also need a maintenance loan. This may be a fixed rate 'reduced loan'. As a result, it could leave you with less money for your living costs than if you had no bursary. It all depends on the funding rules in the UK nation you live in – we explain all below.

Additional allowances

You may be eligible for extra grants if you're disabled, a parent, or support another adult or child who depends on you. You won't have to repay this money unless you're overpaid.

• Disabled Students' Allowance – this funds extra study support if you have a disability. This includes long-term medical conditions, a learning difference like dyslexia, or physical disability. It does not take your income into account
• Dependents Allowance – this provides a grant if you financially support another adult or child who has almost no income. The amount of grant is based on the income of the person you support (your 'dependent')
• Childcare Allowance – a grant paying up to 85% of childcare costs (up to a set limit), based on your income. You won't get this if you have other childcare funding, or free childcare. Children must be in registered or approved childcare
• Parents' Learning Allowance – an extra grant if you get Dependents Allowance for a child. In Scotland this is only available for single parents

The above grants are also available if you get a maintenance loan. Our page on student finance and funding has the details. If you get NHS funding, the NHS may have their own version of these grants, and the amounts paid may differ.

Travel expenses for clinical practice placements

If you have NHS or other healthcare funding, you may reclaim travel expenses for clinical placements. Funders only repay costs over and above the normal expense of travelling to university. This may include accommodation, if approved, up to a daily limit.

Medical or dental students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland don't get an NHS bursary for the first few years of their course. In earlier years, apply for a travel grant from student finance. In NHS bursary funded years, claim your placement expenses via the NHS.

If you're a medical or dental student from Scotland, you won't get any travel expenses.

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 funding for Nursing and allied health professions in England

UK-resident students at English universities may qualify for the NHS Learning Support Fund. You must study a degree leading to registration as a healthcare professional. The NHS Learning Support Fund provides extra grants, including a £5,000 annual training grant.

The funding applies to undergraduates and most graduate students taking these subjects:

• 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 studying 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

Apply for student finance as normal if you're an undergraduate. Healthcare courses have more weeks of teaching than a standard degree. You should get extra weeks of loan to account for this.

If you already have a degree in a different subject, you can get a second student loan for Nursing, Midwifery and most other allied health profession degrees.

But graduates who want to study Paramedic Science as a second degree cannot get a second undergraduate loan. When NHS funding changed in 2017/18, paramedic training was different from other allied health professions. For other subjects, changes to eligibility rules allowed graduates to get an undergraduate loan. Paramedic Science wasn't included when the rules changed.

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. But you still can't get a maintenance loan or tuition fee loan, despite an ongoing campaign by the College of Paramedics.

Grants offered by the Learning Support Fund

The Learning Support Fund provides a training grant and other payments in each academic year of your degree. You won't have to repay this money unless your circumstances change and you're overpaid. Contact the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) about any changes within one month.

Training grant

A grant of £5,000 per year is available for all eligible students. You must apply for this each year. You don't need to repay it.

Specialist subject payment

Students studying these subjects may get an extra payment of £1,000 per year:

• Mental Health Nursing
• Learning Disability Nursing
• Radiography (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Orthoptics
• Podiatry

Parental support

A £2,000 grant gives support if you are responsible for a child under 15 years old (or under 17 if they have special educational needs). The grant is pro-rata for part-time students. It doesn't affect your entitlement to support with childcare costs.

Travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE)

If you get the training grant, you can claim travel expenses while on a clinical practice placement. You'll only receive travel expenses above your normal cost of getting to university. You're expected to use the cheapest form of transport possible. If you're driving, expenses can include toll roads and parking. You can't claim expenses if you get a lift – but you can if you cycle!

If it's not practical to get to a placement from your term-time home, you may get accommodation nearby. You can only claim up to a certain amount each day for this.

If you need to study abroad during your course, you can apply for reimbursement of medical insurance, tests, and visa fees. You'll need to pay your own air fares.

Exceptional support fund (ESF)

This means-tested fund provides support for students whose income isn't enough to meet their expenses despite careful budgeting. It won't cover the cost of stolen items or emergency repairs.

It may pay up to £3,000 per year but only after assessing all your income and expenses – and the income of your partner or spouse if you have one.

You can only apply after you've received at least one student loan payment. You need to show you've applied for all funding possible, including university hardship funds. If you didn't take out a student loan, you must show what other financial support you arranged.

Your student loan may also calculate an expected 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.

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. You can then apply to one of the funds. You must do this within the first six months of each academic year. You'll need to upload 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

You can also study a Nursing, Midwifery or an allied health profession degree in a different UK nation. Apply to Student Finance England for a student loan.

• If your course is in Wales and you're prepared to work for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you could apply for the NHS Wales bursary. The list of allied health profession courses funded in Wales differs from those listed above
• In Northern Ireland, funded places are only 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

Healthcare degree apprenticeships in England

Another way to become a nurse, midwife or allied health professional is by taking a degree apprenticeship.

Employers fund the apprenticeship, with training led by a university. Apprentices are employees and get a salary instead of taking out a student loan – and their tuition fees are paid for. If you get a place on a degree apprenticeship, you can't apply for a student loan.

Unlike a degree, apprenticeships are only available when advertised by the employer. This makes them 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
• Nurse
• Occupational therapist
• Operating department practitioner
• Paramedic
• Physiotherapist
• Podiatrist
• Prosthetist/orthotist
• Speech and language therapist
• Therapeutic radiographer

Vacancies may be advertised on the NHS Jobs website or the government's Find an Apprenticeship website. To apply, you may already need to be a full-time employee in a relevant role. Check the situation for your local NHS trust. If you completed a lower-level nursing apprenticeship, you may be able to move into a degree-level apprenticeship.

You can find out more about healthcare apprenticeships on .

Medical or dental degree funding from England

You can study Medicine or Dentistry anywhere in the UK and be eligible for an NHS bursary from England for part of your course.

If you study in Scotland, you may also 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, get a student loan from Student Finance England 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. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the first year – although in NHS bursary-funded years it will be 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. In the previous years, you can apply for a maintenance loan but you won't be eligible for tuition fee loans.

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

The NHS bursary gives a contribution towards your tuition fees, a means-tested bursary and a non-means-tested grant. If you are from England, the bursary is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).

In eligible years, the NHS pays your undergraduate tuition fees up to £9,250. If they are higher, you must pay the difference. The contribution for graduate entry students is £3,715 (£3,925 if studying in Northern Ireland). This may not cover their fees, but they can apply for a tuition fee loan.

The means-tested bursary takes household income into account, reducing for incomes over £24,279. Students from higher-income households may not get this bursary. The amount also depends on where you live while you study:

• Up to £3,191 if you live in London
• Up to £2,643 if you live elsewhere
• Up to £2,207 if you live with your parents

If your course is longer than 30 weeks, extra funding is available per week:

• Up to £108 if you live in London
• Up to £84 if you live elsewhere
• Up to £56 if you live with your parents

These amounts rarely change.

All NHS bursary students get the non-means-tested grant of £1,000. Students also get additional allowances if they support family or are disabled.

You can still apply for student finance, but you'll only get a fixed reduced-rate maintenance loan. Amounts for 2024/25 are:

• £3,749 if you live in London
• £2,670 if you live elsewhere
• £2,004 if you live with your parents

This means you could have less to live on in an NHS bursary year than years funded by student finance alone.

A hardship grant of up to £3,000 is available to students who get the full NHS bursary (including means-tested bursary). You must prove you're in hardship and that you've applied for student loans and university hardship funds. The NHSBSA decides whether to award the grant.

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, England announced a new medical doctor degree apprenticeship. Like other healthcare degree apprenticeships, it will offer training to the same standard as a university degree. Unlike a university degree, those taking this route won't have to pay for their tuition fees and will get a trainee salary. If you get a place on a degree apprenticeship, you can't apply for a student loan.

A key aim of the medical doctor degree apprenticeship is to widen access to medical training.

NHS trusts in areas with a shortage of doctors or medical school applicants are more likely to offer this route. They may seek different applicants than those who would usually go to medical school, aiming to build their local workforce. Entry requirements may include Access courses for medicine or science.

Apprentices will get the same training as traditional medical students and complete a medical degree.

Most of their time is likely to be at medical school or on clinical placement. The rest of the time, apprentices will work for their NHS trust in non-clinical roles. They'll gain insight into the working environment of the hospital or doctor's practice. Apprentices won't work as a doctor until they complete their apprenticeship and qualify.

200 medical doctor degree apprentices will start training in September 2024. Some of the first intake were recruited in March 2024, with health trusts advertising places from January. If you hope to apply in the future, check NHS trust social media, the NHS Jobs site and the government's Find an Apprenticeship site from January onwards.

Bursary for Nursing and Midwifery students in Northern Ireland

Instead of an NHS bursary, there are 'commissioned places' on Nursing or Midwifery degree courses if you study in Northern Ireland. You are only eligible for a place if you've lived in Northern Ireland for three consecutive years before the start of the course. Support is only available to students taking their first degree.

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

Northern Ireland's Department of Health will pay your tuition fees.

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.

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 receive 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

Students from Northern Ireland can also choose to study elsewhere in the UK. Apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland for a student loan.

• If you study in Wales and commit to working for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you could choose to apply for 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 on an eligible allied health profession degree course in Northern Ireland, you can get funding from the Department of Health. This only applies for students taking their first degree.

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.

There's also a bursary of up to £2,355, depending on your income.

Students are only eligible for a reduced-rate maintenance loan – this isn't means-tested. The amount is 75% of the loan available for where you live while studying. The maximum reduced-rate loan is £3,318.

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. Apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland for a student loan.

• If your course is in Wales and you're prepared to work for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you could apply for the NHS Wales bursary. The list of allied health profession courses funded in Wales differs from those listed above
• 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

Medical or dental degree funding from Northern Ireland

Students from Northern Ireland apply for student finance for the first few years of their medical or dental degree. 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 could apply for the Dental Student Support Grant or Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding.

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

If you're a graduate starting a second 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, the Department of Health pays your tuition fees. You can also apply for additional allowances and travel expenses.

The bursary is up to £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 you won't get a bursary if it's over £43,000.

You can also apply for student finance. In a bursary-funded year, you only get 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 go to Student Finance Northern Ireland, as they administer the DoH bursary.

Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary in Scotland (PNMSB)

The PNMSB scheme funds students studying a course that leads to registration as a paramedic, nurse or midwife. You must study in Scotland to receive this funding.

Eligibility depends on three conditions:

• You must take an eligible full-time course
• You must meet residency conditions
• You haven't had previous PNMSB funding

If you normally live in Scotland, you could be eligible. If you normally live elsewhere in the UK, you won't. Graduates may get funding if their first degree wasn't in Paramedic Science, Nursing or Midwifery.

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

The Scottish Government will pay your tuition fees. Graduates may need to check if the government will pay their fees.

The bursary is £10,000, which isn't means-tested. 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.

The bursary includes £5 for daily travel but you can claim for placement expenses above this. You're expected to use the cheapest public transport. (In Scotland, bus travel is free for Scottish residents under 22 years old). If costs are more than £30 per day, you should stay in local accommodation if possible.

In your first year, there's also a £60 initial expenses allowance.

Additional allowances include:

• Dependents Allowances – if you have a partner or spouse with a low income
• Single Parents' Allowance
• Childcare Allowance – for registered childcare costs
• Disabled Students' Allowance

A discretionary fund is available for students in severe financial hardship.

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 must apply for the PNMSB bursary online in spring each year. Do this after 1 April and no later than June. Additional allowances 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 your course is in Wales and you're prepared to work for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you could apply for the NHS Wales bursary
• 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. Undergraduates should apply for student finance from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

Graduates studying an undergraduate allied health profession course can also apply for support. If you study at a Scottish university, SAAS will pay your tuition fees in years one and two. After that you'll need to pay your own tuition fees. You can also apply for a living cost loan and get additional allowances if eligible.

Eligible allied health profession courses include:

• Diagnostic Imaging (degree only)
• Diagnostic Radiography
• Dietetics
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Occupational Therapy
• Orthoptics
• Orthotics
• 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?

Students in Scotland can claim travel costs to clinical placements. You can only claim for amounts above your normal travel costs to and from university.

You should use public transport, as car mileage is paid only in exceptional circumstances. If you are under 22 and use a bus, SAAS expect you to make use of Scotland's free bus travel scheme. If travel is likely to cost more than £30 per day, you can arrange local accommodation. 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, living cost loan and additional grants if applicable. Graduates can apply for living cost loan and additional allowances, but must self-fund all tuition fees.

• If your course is in Wales and you're prepared to work for NHS Wales for two years after your course, you could apply for the NHS Wales bursary. The list of allied health profession courses funded in Wales differs from those listed above
• Those who study an eligible course in England may be able to get extra financial help from the Learning Support Fund
• There's no additional funding if you study in Northern Ireland

Medical or dental degree funding from Scotland

There's no NHS bursary for students from Scotland who want to study a medical or dental degree. Instead, apply to Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for student finance in all years of your degree. Support for your tuition fees 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. But Medicine at the University of St Andrews is a three-year course, and you must change university to complete the clinical years. If you choose a university elsewhere in the UK, you must apply for a tuition fee loan for your fourth year. From year five, apply to SAAS to have your tuition fees paid in full.

If you study your whole degree outside Scotland, SAAS will award a tuition fee loan for the first four years of your course. From year five, SAAS will pay your tuition fees.

If you're taking a graduate entry Medicine course, you must pay your own tuition fees for your whole course. The only exception is the Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) course, where fees are fully funded. In either case, you can apply to SAAS for a maintenance loan and any additional allowances for all years of study.

Because there is no NHS bursary for medical or dental students, there are also no travel expenses for your placements. Students studying in Scotland 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

If you are from a low-income household and study dentistry at the University of Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow, you could apply for the DSSG. The annual DSSG grant is £4,000.

Your household income must be under £34,000 per year. If you are under 25, 'household income' will include your parents' income. If you are an independent student (over 25, self-supporting or have a child), it will include your partner or spouse, if you have one.

You must also have the right to live and work in Scotland after you graduate. This is because you must work for NHS Scotland after qualifying for as many years as you receive funding. If you fail to do this, or withdraw from your course, you must repay your grant.

Students studying the Bachelor of Dental Surgery at Aberdeen can apply from their first year. Students at Glasgow or Dundee should apply from their second year.

UK-resident students must apply for a student loan, as this will provide evidence of their household income. Students from the European Union must give proof of their household income and their right to live and work in Scotland.

You’ll need to apply for through your university each year.

Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) funding

The ScotGEM graduate-entry degree is run in partnership by St Andrews University and the University of Dundee.

UK-resident medical students taking this degree can apply for a 'return of service' bursary. This offers £4,000 in each year of study. In return you must commit to work for NHS Scotland for as many years as you get a bursary. The return of service bursary is open to all students on the programme.

Student finance is in line with the normal support for graduates taking a second degree in medicine. See what's available if you come from England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. Scottish students have their tuition fees funded by the Scottish Government.

For details, please refer to .

NHS bursary for Nursing and allied health professions in Wales

The NHS Wales bursary is for students studying an eligible healthcare course in Wales. This includes 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.

The bursary is open to all UK-resident students. This includes Irish nationals and EU students with settled status.

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 take up 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. You must register, then opt out of the Welsh NHS bursary scheme.

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

If you accept the terms of Welsh NHS bursary, NHS Wales will pay your tuition fees.

You'll receive a grant of £1,000 and a means-tested bursary. The amount you get will depend on your household income, and whether you live at home or elsewhere. If your household income is high, you may not qualify for a mean-tested bursary.

Bursary amounts shown here are for 2023/24, but amounts rarely change:

• Up to £2,207 if living with your parents
• Up to £2,643 if living elsewhere

If your course is longer than 30 weeks, you'll get an extra amount per week:

• Up to £56 if living with parents
• Up to £84 if living elsewhere

If applicable, you can also claim additional allowances.

Having an NHS bursary may affect the amount of maintenance loan you can apply for.

If you are from England or Northern Ireland, you can only get a fixed reduced-rate maintenance loan (Scotland does not have a reduced rate).

• £2,670 if you're from England (£2,004 if you live with your parents while studying)
• £3,318 if you're from Northern Ireland

From 2024/25, students from Wales who opt into the Welsh NHS bursary will get the full maintenance loan. The amount will not depend on your household income.

• £9,315 if living with parents
• £11,150 if living elsewhere

Only graduates from England can get a second undergraduate student loan for a Nursing, Midwifery or allied health profession degree. Your first degree cannot be in a related subject.

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

You must apply for the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme as soon as you've accepted an eligible place. Only a certain number of training places are available. The last date to register and apply for the NHS bursary is ten weeks after starting the course. The scheme won't allow applications 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. You also need to repay it if you choose not to continue the course, unless you agree a 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 degree elsewhere in the UK, apply for student finance from Student Finance Wales. You will get a normal means-tested maintenance loan.

• Those studying an eligible course in England may be able to get support from the Learning Support Fund
• Northern Ireland reserves its funded places for students living in Northern Ireland
• Scotland's Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB) is only for students in Scotland

Medical or dental degree funding from Wales

An NHS bursary is available to medical or dental students from Wales for part of their course. You can study a degree anywhere in the UK. You don't need to work for NHS Wales after you qualify.

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

Undergraduates can apply for an NHS bursary from the fifth year of a five- or six-year course. Before then, apply to Student Finance Wales for loans for your tuition fees and living costs.

Graduates can apply for an NHS bursary from the second year of a graduate-entry accelerated degree. In the first year you must self-fund the first £3,465 of your tuition fees, but you can apply for a tuition fee loan towards the rest. You may also apply for a maintenance loan.

Graduates taking a standard undergraduate medical or dental course may get an NHS bursary from year five. You won't be eligible for a tuition fee loan for any year of your course. However, 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?

In an NHS bursary funded year, the NHS pays towards your tuition fees, and there's a means-tested bursary and a non-means-tested grant.

NHS Wales will pay undergraduate fees up to the standard level (£9,250). For those on a graduate-entry course, the NHS pays the first £3,465 of tuition fees. You can apply for a loan of up to £5,785 to cover the difference.

If your tuition fees are higher, you will need to pay the difference yourself.

The means-tested bursary reduces for incomes above £24,279. Students with higher household incomes may not get a bursary. Amounts rarely change.

• Up to £2,207 if living with your parents
• Up to £2,643 if living elsewhere
• Up to £3,191 if living in London

If your course is longer than 30 weeks, extra bursary payments provide:

• Up to £56 if living with parents
• Up to £84 if living elsewhere
• Up to £108 if living in London

The non-means-tested grant is £1,000 per year. If applicable, you can claim additional allowances, as well as placement expenses.

From 2024/25, all NHS-bursary funded students from Wales are eligible for the full maintenance loan. This is not means-tested. The amount you get will depend only where you live while studying.

• £9,315 if living with parents
• £11,150 if living elsewhere
• £14,170 if living in 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 a scholarship or bursary.

• produces the Student Money ´óÏó´«Ã½. Its charity – the RCN Foundation – also offers .
• Allied health professional organisations may also have guidance on funding for students
• The and publish information for students, which may include other funding sources

If you are willing to work in the Armed Forces, this provides another funded route for a career in health. Roles includes medics, dentists, nurses and radiographers. Competition for places is fierce. After qualifying you must work in the Armed Forces for several years as a 'return of service'.

You can also get money from awards and competitions, and universities may offer bursaries to those on low incomes.