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NHS bursaries aren’t the easiest forms of student funding to get your head around, but there’s no need to stress – this guide has all the information you need.
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If your degree sets you up for a healthcare career with the NHS, you may well be eligible for extra funding in the form of NHS bursaries, which will make a big difference to your money management at uni.
The best part? Student bursaries don’t need to be repaid.
To make the process easier, we’ve gone through the key info about the NHS Bursary, the NHS Learning Support Fund and Social Work Bursaries, along with extra guidance about the available funding in different parts of the UK. Here’s everything you need to know…
What’s in this guide?
What is the NHS Bursary?
Are you eligible for the NHS Bursary?
How much NHS Bursary will you get?
How to apply for the NHS Bursary
NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)
Social Work Bursaries (SWB)
Funding for students in Northern Ireland
Funding for students in Scotland
Funding for students in Wales
Most of the advice in this guide is focused on funding for full-time students from England, where the NHS bursaries are most extensive. If you’re not from England, see below for important info for students in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
NHS Bursary
The NHS Bursary is arguably the most generous form of NHS funding for students in the UK.
Unfortunately, it’s not as widely available as it used to be, but if you’re eligible, you could be entitled to a fair amount of financial support at uni.
Before we go into more detail, it’s worth clarifying that we’ll sometimes refer to the ‘NHS Bursary’ in this guide, and ‘NHS bursaries’ at other times. Here’s a quick rundown of what we mean:
‘NHS Bursary’ – This refers to a specific bursary scheme that’s offered by the NHS.
‘NHS bursaries’ – This refers generally to bursaries that are offered by the NHS (as they have a few funding schemes for students).
What is the NHS Bursary?
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There are a few bursaries and funding options available to students studying courses related to health and social care in the UK. But, when you hear references to the ‘NHS Bursary’, this often refers to funding that’s available to medical and dental students in England.
As a full-time student, there are five forms of funding that you can receive with the NHS Bursary:
A means-tested bursary (this will be calculated based on household income)
A non-means-tested grant of £1,000 (this won’t be affected by household income)
Contribution to tuition fees
Reduced Maintenance Loan from Student Finance
Extra funding depending on your personal circumstances.
NHS student funding may be reviewed and changed in future years. Because of this, the NHS urges new and prospective students not to rely on the funding that’s currently available when planning for future academic years.
Eligibility criteria for the NHS Bursary
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While additional criteria apply (see below), here is a quick overview of which students are eligible for the NHS Bursary in England in 2020/21:
Medical and dental students in the later stages of their courses
Continuing students who started a non-medical healthcare course between 1st September 2012 and 1st August 2017
Continuing postgraduate students who started a non-medical healthcare course between 1st August 2017 and 1st August 2018
Continuing students who started a dental hygiene or dental therapy course between 1st August 2017 and 1st August 2018.
Which years of a medical or dental course are eligible for the NHS Bursary?
Type of courseCourse year 1Course year 2Course year 3Course year 4Course year 5Course year 6
5+ year undergraduate pre-registration course*Not eligibleNot eligibleNot eligibleNot eligibleEligibleEligible
4 year accelerated pre-registration course**Not eligibleEligibleEligibleEligible
3 year accelerated pre-registration course**Not eligibleEligibleEligible
* Includes any integral foundation or intercalating years at bachelor’s or master’s level.
** For graduates with relevant prior learning.
The above table outlines what would qualify as being in the ‘later stages’ of your medical or dental course, according to the eligibility criteria for the NHS Bursary.
If you’re studying an undergraduate medical or dental course as a second degree, you’d still be eligible to apply for the NHS Bursary from the fifth year of your course, as long as you meet the residency conditions (below).
For students who start an undergraduate medical or dental course as a second degree and join in a later study year (e.g. the second year of the course instead of first as your last degree gave you an advanced start), you’d still be able to apply for the NHS Bursary from the fifth official course year.
Residency criteria for the NHS Bursary
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You would meet the residency and nationality criteria for the NHS Bursary in 2020/21 if:
You are ordinarily resident in England
You’ve lived in the UK for at least three years before the first academic day of the course
You’re studying in the UK
You’re a UK resident or have settled status (so there’s no limit as to how long you can stay in the country).
If you’re not from England, there are still a number of reasons you could be eligible for some funding during your medical or dental studies in the UK.
See below for information about funding that’s available to health and social care students in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (including non-NHS funding).
There are also a number of reasons you could be eligible for NHS funding while studying in the UK if you’re not ordinarily resident here.
For example, if you’re an EU student and you’ve lived in the EEA or Switzerland for at least three years before the start of the course, you may not be eligible for the Maintenance Grant aspect of the NHS Bursary, but you could receive a tuition fee contribution from the NHS.
You can find more examples of the eligibility conditions on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website.
How much money could you get with the NHS Bursary in 2020/21?
For all eligible students, the NHS Bursary will be paid in 12 equal monthly instalments throughout the year. Bear in mind, though, that this doesn’t include the Maintenance Loan part of the bursary, as this is generally paid at the beginning of each term.
Means-tested grant and non-means-tested bursary
Type of fundingStudents at university in London, living away from homeStudents at university outside of London, living away from homeStudents living with parents (any area)
Means-tested bursary (per year)Up to £3,191Up to £2,643Up to £2,207
Non-means-tested grant (per year)£1,000£1,000£1,000
Total bursary and grant (per year)Up to £4,191Up to £3,643Up to £3,207
The above table outlines how much you could receive from the means-tested grant and non-means-tested bursary in 2020/21.
Bear in mind that, as the means-tested bursary is based on household income, you may not receive the total amount per year.
However, all eligible students will receive the full £1,000 per year for the non-means-tested grant, regardless of household income.
If you’re a part-time student, please note that any income you earn during the academic year will be taken into account when you’re assessed for the means-tested grant. More info here.
Tuition fee contributions
Course typeAmount of tuition fee contribution
Undergraduate course that lasts 5 or 6 yearsUp to £9,250
Graduate entry course that lasts 3 or 4 yearsUp to £3,715*
Final year of a course that must be completed after 15 weeks’ attendance or lessUp to £4,625
* For English students studying in Northern Ireland, the maximum amount of tuition fee contribution goes up to £3,925.
For students who are eligible for the NHS Bursary, the NHSBSA will contribute towards your tuition fees – just be sure to send your bursary application in on time to have the fees covered from the start of the year.
The tuition fee contributions will go directly to your medical or dental school.
If your fees are higher than the maximum amount the NHS will pay, you will need to cover the remaining costs. In this case, it would be worth seeing if you could receive a Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance for the rest of the fees.
If the fees are lower than the maximum contribution amount, they will only pay the cost of the fees (so you wouldn’t receive the difference).
Reduced Student Loan for living costs
As well as the NHS Bursary, you may also be able to receive additional funding in the form of a reduced Maintenance Loan.
Although the amount of money you’d receive with the reduced Student Loan would be less than the standard amount, bear in mind that the extra funding that you get with the NHS Bursary should mean that you’re not missing out at all. Instead, there’d just be a smaller proportion of funding that needs to be repaid.
Contact Student Finance to find out what funding may be available to you. And remember that, unlike the NHS Bursary, you would need to repay the reduced Student Loan.
Additional funding for NHS Bursary students in 2020/21
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There are some additional forms of funding available from NHSBSA for students who are eligible for the NHS Bursary. Most will be calculated based on your household income, so there’s no guarantee you’ll receive the maximum figures mentioned below.
Here are some additional forms of funding you could be entitled to with the NHS Bursary:
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) – You could receive funding to help with extra costs at university if you have a disability, learning difficulty or health problem (physical or mental). Over £25,000 could be available to help fund a helper, specialist equipment and other costs. If you’ve previously received DSA support from Student Finance England, apply to the NHSBSA instead in the years you’re eligible for the NHS Bursary.
NHS Bursary Hardship Grant – Medical and dental students in financial hardship can apply for a grant of between £100 – £3,000. This grant is awarded at the discretion of the NHSBSA.
Dependants’ Allowance – If there are people who are mainly or wholly financially dependent on you while you’re studying, you could receive up to £2,448 per year if your spouse*, civil partner*, partner* or first child is dependent on you. And, you could receive up to £549 for each child, after your first.
Parents Learning Allowance (PLA) – You could get up to £1,204 per academic year if you have dependent children. If your Dependants’ Allowance includes a dependent child, you’ll be automatically assessed for PLA.
Childcare Allowance – If your dependent child is under 15 on the first day of the academic year, or they are under 17 and are registered with special educational needs, you could receive funding for up to 85% of your childcare costs, capped at £128.78 per week for one child or £191.45 per week for two or more children.
Extra Weeks Allowance – For courses that run for more than 30 weeks and three days in 2020/21 (excluding holidays), you could receive Extra Weeks Allowance of £108 per extra week if you study in London away from home, £84 per extra week if you study outside London away from home, or £56 per extra week if you live with your parents.
Practice placement expenses (PPE) – You can claim travel costs for practice placements in hospitals or community health centres that aren’t at your university, as well as travel costs for placements when it costs you more to get there than it would to get to your university.
* If your spouse, civil partner or partner is also a full-time student and gets loans or grants related to your children, you’d get 50% Dependants’ Allowance for each child.
How to apply for the NHS Bursary
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Applying for the NHS Bursary with NHSBSA is pretty straightforward. Each year that you’re eligible, you’ll need to complete an application on the Bursary Online Support System (BOSS).
It should take about 30–45 minutes to complete the application form, and you can save it and return to it later if you’re not able to fill it all in at once.
You can find out more and log in to BOSS here.
When to apply for the NHS Bursary
To receive funding from the beginning of the academic year in 2020/21, medical and dental students should have applied for the NHS Bursary by the following dates:
When your course startsDate applications openApplication deadline
June – July 20202nd March 202029th May 2020
August 20206th April 202026th June 2020
September – October 20204th May 202031st July 2020
To receive funding from the beginning of the academic year in 2020/21, continuing students on a healthcare course other than medicine or dentistry should have applied for the NHS Bursary by the following dates:
When your course startsDate applications openApplication deadline
January 20207th October 201929th November 2019
February 20204th November 201927th December 2019
March 20202nd December 201931st January 2020
April – May 20203rd February 202027th March 2020
June 20202nd March 202024th April 2020
September – October 20204th May 202031st July 2020
Keep in mind that, if you’re still yet to apply for the NHS Bursary for 2020/21, you can apply within nine months from the first date of your academic year, but you might not receive funding from the beginning of your course if you miss the deadlines in the above tables.
Also, if you’ve missed the dates in the table, you may also need to pay your own tuition fees in the 2020/21 academic year.
For students hoping to apply for the NHS Bursary in 2021/22, the above dates can act as good indications of when you should apply by next year.
NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)
For students studying nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (AHP) courses, you may not be eligible for the NHS Bursary. But there is another form of NHS funding you could receive: the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Eligibility criteria for the NHS Learning Support Fund
These are the courses that qualify for the NHS Learning Support Fund:
Dental therapy/dental hygiene*
Dietetics
Midwifery
Nursing (includes adult, child, mental health, learning disability and joint nursing/social work)
Occupational therapy
Operating department practitioner*
Orthoptics
Orthotics and prosthetics
Paramedics**
Physiotherapy
Podiatry/chiropody
Radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic)
Speech and language therapy.
* Level 5 and 6 courses.
** Bachelor’s and master’s students are eligible, DipHE and FD students are not.
Additional eligibility criteria for the NHS Learning Support Fund
As well as needing to study one of the above courses, you must also meet the following criteria to receive the NHS Learning Support Fund in 2020/21:
You’ll need to be at a university in England.
You must be eligible for the Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan from the relevant Student Finance body in the part of the UK you’re from (i.e. Student Finance England, Student Finance NI, Student Awards Agency for Scotland or Student Finance Wales).
You will need to be actively in study, either as a new or returning student (academically and/or in practice learning).
How much money could you get with the NHS Learning Support Fund in 2020/21?
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Here’s how much funding you could receive with the NHS Learning Support Fund:
Training Grant – All eligible full-time students can get £5,000 per academic year.
Exceptional Support Fund – Students who are experiencing financial hardship may be able to receive additional funding of up to £3,000 per academic year.
Parental Support – Students with at least one dependent child aged under 15, or a child under 17 who is registered with special educational needs, can get £2,000.
Specialist subject payments – New students who are doing a specialist subject* can receive £1,000.
Regional payments – In certain regions that have difficulty recruiting, students could get £1,000.
Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) – Excess costs on practice placement for travel and temporary compensation can be reimbursed.
* This applies to students starting on or after 1st September 2020 who are studying mental health nursing, learning disability nursing, radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic), prosthetics and orthotics, orthoptics and podiatry.
The NHS Learning Support Fund is paid in three instalments throughout the year.
If you’re studying part-time, you may be able eligible to receive some funding from the NHS Learning Support Fund on a pro-rata basis. See information from the NHSBSA for more details.
How to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund
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On the whole, you’ll need to apply on the NHSBSA system, or else your application will be rejected.
When to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund
For the 2020/21 academic year, applications opened on 1st July 2020.
It’s best to send in your application as soon as you can to increase your chances of receiving funding from the beginning of term.
If you’re extending your course as a final year student
If you’re a final year student and you need to extend your course, you must not apply using the online system.
The NHSBSA say they are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to finalise the funding arrangements for these circumstances. Keep an eye out for updates, and contact the NHSBSA directly if you have any questions.
Social Work Bursaries (SWB)
For social work students, there’s specific funding that helps with study and living costs, and it doesn’t need to be paid back.
There is a cap on how many people can receive the Social Work Bursaries each year. Universities are allocated a certain number of bursary places to nominate students for, and it’s up to the unis rather than the NHSBSA to decide which students will receive the funding.
Even if you aren’t nominated by your uni for the SWB, you might still be able to receive a Placement Travel Allowance if you meet the eligibility criteria (more on this below). Apply as soon as you can to increase your chances of receiving funding.
Eligibility criteria for Social Work Bursaries
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To be eligible for the SWB, you will need to be studying (or intending to study) on a social work course that’s university-based. The course must be approved by one of these organisations:
Social Work England (SWE)
Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
Social Work Wales
Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC).
If a social care employer is giving you any of the following, you will not be eligible for the SWB:
Paid time off to let you attend your studies
Payment of your tuition fees (either in part of in full)
Payment for undertaking placement duties for a practice learning provider.
You will also not be eligible if:
You receive funds through the Department for Education (DfE), except as Student Loans
You get any other form of support for your social work training*
You have funding from a public body, government benefit agency, or you receive bursaries from your university.
* To be eligible for SWB, you may receive a retainer from an employer/potential employer if it’s an incentive to work with them once you’ve qualified as a social worker. It can’t be offered as support towards your training, and it can’t be funded by the DfE.
Residency criteria for the Social Work Bursaries
The NHS Social Work Bursaries are available to students who normally live in England (i.e. who haven’t just moved there for uni).
But, there are additional criteria that you could meet to be eligible, such as if you are an EU national, you’ve acquired the right of permanent residence in the UK, or you’ve been granted refugee status here. You can see the full residency criteria here.
How much money can you get with Social Work Bursaries?
There are different amounts of funding available to undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, but everyone who gets the Social Work Bursaries will receive them in instalments at the beginning of each term.
Undergraduate social work students
Where your university is locatedAmount
London£5,262.50
Outside of London£4,862.50
The above table shows how much you can receive with SWBs if you’ve been allocated a capped place by your uni. As an undergraduate student, you won’t be able to apply for any other parts of the bursary.
It’s worth noting that the figures in the table include the Placement Travel Allowance (PTA).
The PTA is a fixed amount of £862.50 per academic year. And, as we mentioned earlier, you could apply for this form of funding, even if you are not allocated a place for the Social Work Bursaries by your uni.
Postgraduate social work students
Where your university is locatedNon-income assessed bursaryIncome assessed bursaryTuition fee contribution
London£3,762.50Up to £4,201Up to £4,052
Outside of London£3,362.50Up to £2,721Up to £4,052
If you’ve been allocated a bursary place, you can expect to receive the above funding amounts for each part of SWB.
The means-tested bursary is based on household income, so you may not receive the full amount. It would also be less if you’re a part-time student, as you’d receive it on a pro-rata basis.
Also, if your university charges above the maximum amount of tuition fee contribution, you will need to pay the remaining amount.
Here are the additional forms of funding available to postgraduate students through the Social Work Bursaries:
Disabled Students Allowances (DSA) – Eligible students who have been nominated for a capped place can apply for DSA through NHSBSA. This can be for funding of up to £5,212 for specialist equipment, up to £20,725 for a non-medical helper, and up to £1,741 for a general allowance.
Adult Dependants Allowance (ADA) – If there’s an adult who’s wholly dependent on you (e.g. a partner, civil partner or spouse), you could receive means-tested funding of up to £2,757.
Parents’ Learning Allowance (PLA) – Students with one or more dependent child under the age of 19 could receive up to £1,573 per academic year.
Childcare Allowance – If you have any dependent children aged under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs, and they’re attending registered childcare, you could receive funding for up to 85% of the childcare costs, capped at £155.25 per week for one child or £266.15 per week for two or more children.
How to apply for Social Work Bursaries
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Applications for the SWB are made through the MyFunding system – if you haven’t already, set up an account to get started.
You will need to reapply for the bursary again each academic year.
When to apply for SWB
You should send in your application for the Social Work Bursaries as soon as you can.
If you’re a new or continuing student in September or October, you would have needed to send in your application by 31st August to guarantee you’d receive the payment for the start of term.
But, the final deadline to apply for 2020/21 funding is 1st November 2020.
Apply for Social Work Bursaries »
Funding for students in Northern Ireland
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If you normally live in Northern Ireland and you’re studying a healthcare course, you can receive some additional forms of funding during uni.
But, rather than applying for the funding through the NHS, you’d apply for it through Student Finance Northern Ireland and it would be provided by the Department of Health (DoH).
Here are some examples of the funding you could receive, depending on your course.
Medicine and dentistry
If you’re a pre-registration student on a medical or dental course in the UK and you’re from Northern Ireland, you could receive a means-tested bursary from the fifth year of your course onwards (depending on whether you follow a one-year intercalated degree).
During the eligible years of your course, you can get:
Tuition fees paid in full
A reduced rate, non-means-tested loan for living costs.
Nursing and midwifery
Students on nursing and midwifery courses who are from Northern Ireland and studying there can get:
Tuition fees paid in full
A non-means-tested bursary for living costs.
But, please note that you won’t be eligible for a Maintenance Loan alongside this bursary.
Allied health professional (AHP) courses
If you’ve lived in Northern Ireland for at least three years before the start of the course, you can have your tuition fees covered in full by the Department of Health (DoH) if you’re studying certain allied health profession (AHP) courses.
EU students on eligible courses could also be eligible for this funding.
If you’re studying any of these subjects and you meet the residency conditions, you could have your tuition fees covered by the DoH:
Diagnostic radiography and imaging
Dietetics
Occupational therapy
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Radiotherapy and oncology
Speech and language therapy
Paramedic science.
Funding for students in Scotland
The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) covers the tuition fees for undergraduate Scottish students, regardless of their subject. There are, however, some additional forms of funding for students on certain healthcare courses.
Medicine and dentistry
If you’re ordinarily resident in Scotland and qualify as a Scottish home student, you can have your tuition fees covered in full by SAAS for standard five-year degrees in medicine and dentistry (as long as it’s your first degree).
On top of this, you can apply for loans and bursaries from SAAS to help with living costs.
Funding for medical students at the University of St Andrews
As medicine is structured slightly differently at St Andrews compared to other unis in Scotland, funding is different, too.
The BSc Honours degree at St Andrews lets students graduate after three years, before going on to one of the university’s partner medical schools to complete their doctor training and get an MBChB/MBBS degree.
During the three-year medicine course at St Andrews, SAAS will cover your tuition fees.
In year four of your studies, SAAS may cover your fees if you study at a Scottish medical school. But, if you study at a medical school in a different part of the UK for the year, you would need to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan of up to £9,250 (that you’d have to pay back).
Then, in years five and six, you can again apply to SAAS for payment of your fees in full.
NHS Dental Bursary Scheme in Scotland
Dental students at some universities in Scotland can apply for a bursary of up to £4,000 per year, on the conditions that they’ll work for the NHS in Scotland for the same number of years that they receive the bursary.
The Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG) is available to some undergraduate dental students at the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.
You could be eligible if your annual household income is below £34,000, and if you’re able to live and work in Scotland after graduation.
Nursing and midwifery
In Scotland, eligible students can apply for a Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary through SAAS.
The bursary is not based on household income. Here’s how much money you could expect to receive each academic year:
Years 1, 2 and 3 of the course – £10,000
Year 4 of the course – £7,500.
You may also be entitled to additional forms of funding, depending on your circumstances. For example, there is extra support available to nursing and midwifery students in Scotland who have a financially-dependent partner, children or a disability or learning difficulty.
Plus, you can claim expenses for some extra travel and accommodation costs during clinical placements.
Allied health professional (AHP) courses
Students on allied health professional (AHP) courses who are from Scotland will receive the usual funding options from SAAS to help with the costs of the course.
However, English, Northern Irish and Welsh domiciled students on an AHP course in Scotland may also be able to have their tuition fees covered by SAAS – but only if they started their degree in 2016/17 or earlier.
If this applies to you, keep in mind that you’d still need to apply for Student Loans from the Student Finance body in your part of the UK, even though SAAS would be covering your fees.
You could be eligible to have your tuition fees covered by SAAS as an English, Northern Irish or Welsh student if you’re doing one of these AHP courses in Scotland:
Diagnostic imaging
Human nutrition and dietetics
Occupational therapy
Orthoptics
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Radiotherapy and oncology.
Funding for students in Wales
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Some students who are studying medicine or dentistry are eligible for NHS funding, through the Student Awards Service.
Medicine and dentistry
If you’re a medical or dental student who is ordinarily resident in Wales, you could be eligible for an NHS Wales Bursary.
Unlike the NHS Wales Bursary for nursing, midwifery and AHP courses (which we’ll explain shortly), you do not need to commit to working in Wales after graduating to receive the funding.
This bursary is very similar to the one that’s available to medical and dental students from England (see here).
But, for specific details on getting the NHS Bursary as a Welsh student, as well as info on how to apply, please have a look at the NHS Wales website.
Nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (AHP) courses
There’s an NHS Funding Package available to students studying nursing, midwifery or certain AHP courses.
To be eligible for this NHS Bursary, you could be from anywhere in the UK, but you must commit to working for NHS Wales for at least two years after graduating if you’re on a course that lasts three years or more.
For students on two-year courses, you’d need to commit to working for NHS Wales for 18 months after graduating.
If you stop working for the NHS early, they would calculate how much you’d need to repay based on how long you had worked for them.
The NHS Wales Bursary includes:
Tuition fees paid in full
A non-means-tested grant of £1,000
A means-tested bursary (up to £2,643 if you live away from home, or up to £2,207 if you live with parents)
A reduced Maintenance Loan (up to £4,405 if you live away from home, or up to £3,665 if you live with parents)
Additional allowances depending on personal circumstances, such as funding to help students with disabilities and extra support for students with financially-dependent adults and children.
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Read more: savethestudent.org