Health students

NHS funded undergraduate courses

Physiotherapy Students With Text BookThis information is based on 2012/13 figures and will be updated as soon as the information is released by the NHS.

The following courses are eligible for NHS funding:

If you are a UK or EU student studying one of these courses, the NHS will pay your tuition fees in full, so you won't have to pay a penny. You may also be eligible for a non-repayable grant, a means-tested bursary and a reduced rate of student loan.

  • tuition fees paid by the NHS
  • a £1,000 non-income assessed, non-repayable grant
  • a means-tested bursary
  • a reduced rate of student loan.

Student loan

You can apply for a student loan for living costs from your funding organisation (eg Student Finance England). The loan is not means-tested on household income and you do not have to borrow the full amount if you don't wish. The loan will be repayable from the April after you graduate and when you are earning above £21,000.

Means-tested bursary

As well as covering tuition fees, the NHS also provides means-tested bursaries to UK students. This means-tested bursary is based on the income of either your parents or your partner (ie. your spouse, civil partner or the partner you live with).

You may also be assessed as independent of your parents if you meet one of these criteria.

Independent student criteria

  • you have a dependent child or children
  • you have been married or entered into a civil partnership before the start of the academic year
  • you have no living parents
  • you have supported yourself financially for a total of 36 months through either salary from employment or from receipt of benefits
  • your parents cannot be traced
  • you are permanently estranged from your parents
  • your parents live abroad and an assessment would put them in danger
  • you are in the care of a local authority on your 18th birthday or immediately before your course if
  • you are not 18 when it begins.

You will be asked to provide evidence of your circumstances to claim independent status.

For more information about the NHS bursary scheme, please visit the NHS Business Services Authority website.

Find out how much you're eligible for using the NHS bursary calculator.

See a break down of the maximum funding available.

Students studying up to 30 weeks each year
If you will be studying and living:  Non-means tested grant Means-tested bursary (maximum) Non means tested maintenance loan
In student/rented accommodation/your own home  £1,000 £2,591 £2,324
With your parents  £1,000 £2,163 £1,744

Students studying 45 weeks or more each year
If you will be studying and living:
 Non-means tested grant
 Means-tested bursary (maximum)
 Non-means tested maintenance loan
In student/rented accommodation/your own home £1,000 £4,395 £2,324
With your parents £1,000 £3,351 £1,744

Practice placement expenses

The cost of journeys between term time residence and placement can be reimbursed where appropriate, providing the cost is in excess of your normal daily travel.

If you incur additional accommodation costs whilst on placement, either because you have to retain accommodation on campus or because you have to pay for accommodation in your placement, then you may be able to claim the excess costs.

This is means-tested support and you will see a Travel (and Accommodation) Disregard amount on your bursary notification. If this is zero then you can reclaim full expenses, providing you meet the eligibility criteria. If, for example, the Travel Disregard is £200, you will be expected to pay the first £200 and then claim any expenses incurred above that amount.

Further information can be obtained from the Student Development Advisors in Library and Student Services.

Students with dependants

This support is means-tested upon household income. Further details of how the NHS calculates the allowances can be found at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk. Dependants’ Allowance and Parents’ Learning Allowance are paid for children who are under 15 or under 19 if still in continuous full-time education (ie no gap since leaving school).

  • Dependants’ Allowance—Adult dependant/first child up to £2,640; each subsequent child up to £539.
  • Parents’ Learning Allowance up to £1,303.
  • Childcare Allowance - up to 85% is paid on your behalf. Allowances are paid as follows: for one child £148.75 per week, two or more children £255 per week. Children should be aged 15 and under (or aged 17 and under for children with special educational needs).
  • Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs)—for students with a disability or specific learning difficulty to help towards extra costs, eg non-medical helper, specialist equipment, extra travel costs, etc.

How to apply for funding

Once you have received an offer of a place from us, and you have accepted it as your first choice, you will receive an email from the NHS Student Grants Unit confirming your Student Reference Number and details of how to apply online.

You can call the NHS Student Grants Unit on 08453 586655, email bursary@nhspa.gov.uk or visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students

Please note that the invite process will not start until after April 2013. Any online bursary applications made before this will be rejected and lost. 

Extra support

There may be some extra support you are entitled to:

  • council tax exemption
  • Disabled Students’ Allowance
  • Adult Dependants’ Grant
  • Access to Learning Fund
  • Help with healthcare costs, depending upon circumstances.

Further information can be obtained from the Student Development Advisors in Library and Student Services.

For students with children:

  • Childcare Grant
  • Parents’ Learning Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Income Support and Housing Benefit, depending upon circumstances.

Non-funded undergraduate courses

PracticeDevelopment5The tuition fees for non-funded courses vary depending on the number of credits and the intensity of the course. The table below shows an overview of the tuition fees for the 2013/14 academic year. If you're not sure which category your course falls under, check the course page.

If your course has 120 credits or more, you may be eligible for a tuition fee loan. For more information about student loans, visit our part-time undergraduate finance page.


Fees for the 2013/14 academic year
Course Credits Home EU International
BA, BSc or DipHE top-up (standard) 120 £7,850 £7,850 £8,762 
Foundation degrees (FdA, FdSc) 240 £6,200 £6,200 £9,960 
UA, UD, UAD and UC 60 £1,860 £1,860  
DipHE Counselling 240 £15,700* £15,700*  

* This is based on the fee for the 2012/13 academic year. The fee for DipHE Counselling for 2014 has not yet been confirmed.

Social work courses (full-time)

Tuition fees for the 2013/14 academic year
Course Home/EU/Island International
BA (Hons) Social Work £8,250 £12,385
MA Social Work £5,293 £12,000

Undergraduate

Nursing StudentIf you are studying BA (Hons) Social Work in 2013, in addition to a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, you may also be eligible for a bursary in your second and third years of study. The NHS Business Services Authority is offering a limited number of bursaries for undergraduate students. Full details are on the NHSBSA website. 

Please note - whilst this bursary is administered by the NHS, it is different to an NHS bursary for nursing or health professions students. Please remember when you are completing your funding application that you are NOT applying for an NHS bursary - you are applying for a Social Work Bursary. If you tick the box to say that you are applying for an NHS bursary then your funding organisation will think you are funded by the NHS and will not award you a tuition fee loan, maintenance loan or maintenance grant.

Students studying in Barrow

£1,500 non-repayable grants are available for first-year Social Work students studying in Barrow-in-Furness. For more information, contact the Enquiry Centre.

Postgraduate

If you are studying MA Social Work in 2013, you may be eligible for a bursary. The NHS Business Services Authority is offering bursaries for 15 University of Cumbria postgraduate Social Work students. Full details are on the NHSBSA website.

Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting)

SarahLoweinKenyaThis information is for students taking the following courses:

Bursary scheme

In an effort to grow the health visiting workforce, the Department of Health are offering a health visiting bursary for newly qualified nurses and midwives who are not currently in permanent employment, or nursing or midwifery students completing study in September 2013.

Qualified nurses and midwives who are current on the NMC nursing or midwifery register and are interested in this bursary scheme may also apply. However, students will not be able to receive a bursary if they are employed within an NHS provider service or are currently studying on a secondment to training basis.

The programme will be funded by the NHS and you may be eligible for a non means tested bursary of £9,950 per annum, spread over 52 weeks or pro rata if part-time, payable by the University. You may be eligible for a maintenance bursary and other allowances. Certain travel, accommodation and other allowances in line with the national NHS Bursary Scheme (with the exception of the older student allowance), including a disabled student allowance, will be payable as appropriate.

Continuing professional development

PracticeDevelopment4The tuition fees for continuing professional development (CPD) courses vary depending on the number of credits and the intensity of the course. The table below shows the standard rate for these courses. If you are not sure which category your course falls under, please check the course page.

The tuition fees for CPD courses may be paid by the student or a sponsor. Find out more about paying tuition fees.

CPD fees for the 2013/14 academic year
Course Credits Home/EU/Island
Standard 10-credit module 10 £240
Standard 20-credit module 20 £480
Return to practice module 20 £620
Multiprofessional support of learning and assessment in practice 20
 £480
Non-medical prescribing 40 £1,420