Funding for NHS courses
This page provides general information on funding for health-related undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses.
Some of the information on this page is specifically for those who apply for their funding through Student Finance England. if you receive your funding through a different national Student Finance service, please contact us.
What financial support is available?
Student Finance England
Eligible undergraduate students on university-based nursing and most allied health profession pre-registration courses now have access to the full student support package. This consists of tuition fee loans and a means-tested maintenance loan to provide support with living costs.
Additional grants for undergraduates
You may be eligible for extra help if you are a single parent, support someone who depends on you financially or are disabled.
- Adult Dependants’ Grant
- Childcare Grant
- Parents’ Learning Allowance
- Disabled Student Allowances (needs assessment required)
The type of funding you may be eligible for when studying a postgraduate course would depend on your course. If you are studying a MSc Nursing course (Adult/Mental Health or Learning Disability) you may be eligible for funding via the undergraduate student finance route. If you are studying a Paramedic Science MSc course you may be eligible to apply to Student Finance England for the Postgraduate Master’s loan. For 2024/25 the Postgraduate loan is £12,471 and can be used towards your tuition fee and living costs. This is not means tested and is paid directly to you. If you have any queries regarding which funding you may be eligible for please for further information.
Postgraduate students with a disability can also apply for additional grant funding to help pay the extra essential costs they may have whilst studying on a higher education course as a direct result of their disability, through the Disabled Students' Allowance. Postgraduate students are not eligible for an Adult Dependants’ Grant, a Childcare Grant or Parents’ Learning Allowance from Student Finance England unless they're studying a course that is eligible for funding through the undergraduate system.
You can find more information on undergraduate and postgraduate student finance online.
NHS Learning Support Fund
The Learning Support Fund provides supplementary financial support to the student loans system detailed above. This encompasses the Training Grant and additional funding grants depending on your circumstances.
Training Grant
The Training Grant is a payment of £5,000 per academic year to help with maintenance and associated study costs. The Training Grant is not means-tested. This grant is accessible to undergraduate and postgraduate students on relevant courses. Eligible nursing and many allied health professional degree students will receive at least £5,000 a year. Some students may also be eligible to receive additional funding:
Specialist Subject Payments
An extra £1,000 for students studying a specialist subject, such as Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing.
Parental Support
New and continuing students with parental responsibility for at least one child may be entitled to up to £2,000 per academic year. This grant does not affect your access to childcare support or other means of funding available through student finance.
Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses
Reimbursement of some expenses for travel to practice placement for costs incurred over and above your usual daily travel costs. Reimbursement of the cost of temporary (secondary) accommodation to attend a compulsory practice placement where it is not practical for you to travel to the placement site from your normal accommodation on a daily basis.
Exceptional Support Fund
Up to £3,000 per academic year for students in unforeseen financial hardship
NHS Learning Support payments do not have to be repaid. The Specialist Subject payment will be automatically added to your account when you select a qualifying course and university when applying for the Training Grant. You can apply for your Parental Support at the same time. You can find a list of courses eligible for the Specialist Subject payment online. Further information about the Learning Support Fund including the additional grant payments can also be found online.
Payment
Training Grant payments will be paid in three instalments over the academic year in between your student finance Maintenance Loan payments.
Student Finance: Long Courses Loan
Several of the undergraduate nursing, allied health professional courses, and postgraduate nursing courses are classed as long courses and are therefore eligible for a Long Courses Loan from Student Finance England to assist with living costs. A long course is classed as a course that lasts longer than 30 weeks and three days in an academic year. Student Finance England assess whether students are eligible for the Long Courses Loan when they apply for their main student finance.
Can I receive funding if I already have a degree?
Funding may be available to graduates looking to undertake a further undergraduate or postgraduate degree in nursing and many of the allied health professions. New postgraduate pre-registration nursing and allied health professional students may also be able to access loans from the Student Loans Company. This does not apply to students studying Paramedic Science, as this is not currently included in the list of healthcare courses with this exemption. Students studying Paramedicine as a second degree may be eligible for support from the Learning Support Fund. These students can have their eligibility assessed on a case-by-case basis if they are eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and maintenance support if they have an equivalent or lower level qualification.
If you already have a higher education qualification, we recommend that you check your eligibility for funding. Please contact NTU’s Student Money Team if you would like any help in checking this information.
Student Money Team
If you would like to discuss student finance, the Learning Support Fund, or your eligibility for funding you can contact our Student Money Team, which is based within Student Support Services.
We can also provide support with issues such as budgeting, money management, and entitlement to benefits.