NHS bursaries
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1. Overview
You can get an annual payment from the NHS to help with your study and living costs (known as a ‘bursary’) if you’re studying to be a doctor or dentist.
You do not have to pay your NHS bursary back.
If you’re not eligible for a bursary you may still be eligible for student finance. For example, if you’re studying a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course.
If your course started before 1 August 2018
You may also be able to get a bursary if you’re studying to be a:
- dental hygienist
- dental therapist
If your course started before 1 August 2017, you may also be eligible if you’re studying to be a:
- chiropodist (including podiatrist), dietician, occupational therapist, orthoptist, physiotherapist, prosthetist, orthotist, radiographer, radiotherapist, audiologist or a speech and language therapist
- nurse, midwife or operating department practitioner (degree or diploma course)
2. Eligibility
Whether you can get an NHS bursary depends on:
- where you live
- your course
- your household income
- whether you’ve already had funding
Where you live
To be eligible to apply for an NHS bursary you must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years up to the start of the academic year.
You may still be eligible if you do not meet the residency requirements - find out more from the NHS Business Services Authority.
Your course
Whether you’re eligible depends on when your course starts.
You will not get an NHS bursary if you’re a first level nurse or midwife and you’re registering for a second field in nursing or midwifery.
If your course starts on or after 1 August 2018
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a doctor or dentist.
You can apply for an NHS bursary from your 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course.
If your course started in the 2017 to 2018 academic year
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a:
- doctor or dentist (you can apply for an NHS bursary from the 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course)
- dental hygienist or dental therapist
If your course started before 1 August 2017
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a:
- doctor or dentist (you can apply for an NHS bursary from the 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course)
- chiropodist (including podiatrist), dietician, occupational therapist, orthoptist, physiotherapist, prosthetist, orthotist, radiographer, radiotherapist, audiologist or a speech and language therapist
- dental hygienist or dental therapist
- nurse, midwife or operating department practitioner (degree or diploma course)
Household income
Your total bursary amount depends on your household income. This can be either your own income, your parents’ income, or that of your partner, spouse or civil partner.
If you’ve already had funding
You may be eligible for an NHS bursary even if you’ve already had public funding for higher education.
If you’ve had an NHS bursary and want to change professions, you may also be eligible.
Find out more from the NHS Business Services Authority.
3. What you'll get
If you’re an eligible full-time NHS student you can apply for:
-
a bursary from the NHS
-
a £1,000 grant from the NHS
-
a reduced Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England
If you’re an eligible part-time student you can apply for:
-
a reduced bursary from the NHS
-
a reduced grant from the NHS
The amount you get depends on the length of your course.
Tuition fees
If you’re eligible for an NHS bursary, the NHS pays your standard tuition fees. Your course tuition fees are paid directly to your university.
If you’re studying a graduate-entry accelerated medical or dental programme, you can get some of your tuition costs paid with an NHS bursary in years 2 to 4 of your programme. You can get up to:
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£3,715 if you’re starting in the 2023 to 2024 academic year
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£3,715 if you’re starting in the 2022 to 2023 academic year
Bursary
Your bursary amount depends on your household income. This can be your own income, your parents’ income, or that of your partner, spouse or civil partner.
If you started a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) Nursing or Operating Department Practitioner course before 1 September 2012, you’ll receive a basic bursary which does not depend on your household income.
If you’re studying to become a doctor or dentist, you can apply for an NHS bursary from your second year for graduate entry programmes or from your fifth year for undergraduate programmes.
Grant
You’ll get a fixed amount of £1,000 if you’re an eligible full-time NHS student. You’ll get a reduced amount if you’re a part-time student.
You must apply for an NHS bursary to get the grant - check if you’re eligible.
Maintenance Loan
You’ll get a reduced Maintenance Loan. The amount you get depends on:
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where you live and study
-
whether you’re in the final year of your course (when you get less)
Current rates for the 2023 to 2024 academic year are:
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£3,658 for students studying in London and living away from home
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£2,605 for students studying outside London and away from home
-
£1,955 for students living at home
Current rates for the 2022 to 2023 academic year are:
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£3,558 for students studying in London and living away from home
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£2,534 for students studying outside London and away from home
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£1,902 for students living at home
How it’s paid
The NHS bursary is paid into your bank account in 12 equal monthly instalments.
The Maintenance Loan is usually paid into your bank account at the beginning of each term.
If you’re disabled or have children
You may get extra help if you:
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have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty
-
have dependants
Find out what extra help you could get.
4. How to apply
You need to register for an NHS bursary account on the NHS Student Bursaries website.
You must reapply for your bursary every academic year.
There are different ways to apply if you’re from Scotland, you’re from Wales or you’re from Northern Ireland.
New students
If you’re entering the first year of your NHS-funded course or, for medical and dental students, your first year of NHS bursary funding, read the guidance for new students.
When to apply
You should wait until you have an offer of a course place from your university or college before you apply for an NHS bursary.
The date you can apply from usually depends on when your course starts.
Documents
If you’re applying for an NHS bursary for the first time you must provide 2 documents to confirm your identity, one of which must include a photograph of yourself, for example a birth certificate and a valid passport.
You must send original documents (not photocopies), which NHS Student Bursaries will return to you.
Continuing students
You’re a continuing student if you’ve already had an NHS student bursary for your current course and you’re reapplying for another year.
When to apply
NHS Student Bursaries will send you an email invitation when you can reapply for your bursary. The date your invitation is sent depends on when your next academic year begins.
You must send your application within 6 months of the first day of your academic year.
What happens next
If your application is approved, NHS Student Bursaries will send you an email when your bursary is available for you to view in your NHS bursary account.
If you get an NHS bursary you can apply separately for a reduced rate loan from Student Finance England. Estimate how much you could get using the student finance calculator.
Contact NHS Student Bursaries
Contact NHS Student Bursaries if you need help with your application.
NHS Student Bursaries
Telephone: 0300 330 1345
Fax: 01253 774491
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday 9am to 3pm
Find out about call charges
NHS Student Bursaries
Hesketh House
200-220 Broadway
Fleetwood
Lancashire
FY7 8SS
5. Extra financial help
In addition to the NHS bursary you may also be able to apply for extra help if:
- you have children
- you have adult dependants
- you have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty
- you do a practice placement
- your course runs for more than 30 weeks and 3 days in the academic year
You may also be able to get extra help from the NHS bursary hardship grant.
Dependants’ Allowance
You may get this if you have adults or children who are financially dependent on you when you’re training.
How much you get depends on your household income.
Apply for Dependants’ Allowance through your NHS bursary account.
Childcare Allowance
You must apply for Dependants’ Allowance before you can apply for Childcare Allowance.
You may be able to get the NHS Bursary Childcare Allowance if you have dependent children.
How much you get depends on your circumstances and your household income.
You cannot get this if you’re not entitled to the NHS bursary (known as a ‘Fees Only award’).
To qualify:
- you must use a registered childcare provider
- your children must be under 15 on the first day of the academic year (or under 17 if they have special educational needs)
The allowance pays 85% of the gross actual cost up to:
- £128.78 a week for 1 child
- £191.45 a week for 2 or more children
Apply for Childcare Allowance using the form on the NHS Student Bursaries website.
Parent Learning Allowance
You must apply for Dependants’ Allowance first. If this includes a dependent child, you’re automatically assessed for Parent Learning Allowance.
You can claim up to £1,915 per academic year.
How much you get depends on your household income.
Disabled Students’ Allowance
You can get this if you have to pay extra costs because of a:
- physical disability
- long-term health condition
- mental-health difficulty
- specific learning difficulty like dyslexia
You need to give up-to-date medical evidence of the nature and severity of your disability from a qualified professional.
You can get up to:
- £20,725 for a helper
- £5,214 for specialist equipment for the whole course
- £1,741 for other costs
Apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance through your NHS bursary account.
Travel and dual accommodation expenses
Travel and dual accommodation expenses used to be called practice placement expenses.
If you do a practice placement you may be able to claim travel costs if:
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your practice placement is in a hospital or community health centre and not at your university
-
it costs you more to travel to your placement than it costs to travel to university
Claim travel and dual accommodation expenses using the form on the NHS Student Bursaries website.
Extra Weeks Allowance
If your course runs for more than 30 weeks and 3 days in the 2023 to 2024 academic year you may be entitled to Extra Weeks Allowance:
| Where you study and live | Allowance |
|---|---|
| In London | £138 per week |
| Outside London | £107 per additional week |
| With your parents | £71 per additional week |
Your Extra Weeks Allowance is calculated automatically during the application process.