Students studying on health professional programmes will be eligible to apply for an NHS Bursary. The type of bursary you can apply for will depend upon your choice of programme:

• If you are studying for a diploma in Nursing you will be eligible for a non-means tested bursary (i.e. your income is not assessed).
• If you are studying for a degree in Nursing and Physiotherapy you will be eligible to apply for an income-assessed bursary that will be dependant upon your financial circumstances plus a non-means tested bursary of £1,000.

You can find out how much you are likely to receive by visiting the NHS Student Bursary Calculator. More information about the bursary can be found at the NHS Bursary scheme FAQ.

If you receive an NHS Bursary you will have your fees paid for you by the NHS.

As soon as you have been offered a place at University you should create an online bursary application account using the NHS's Bursary Online Support System (BOSS).  You can also check your personal eligibility and whether you would be classed as an independent or a dependent student. All students are expected to apply for at least the minimum award which covers any non means tested grant (NMTG) and the payment of tuition fees. 

Only one application needs to be created through BOSS regardless of the number of offers you receive. This account is also used in subsequent years to reapply for your annual bursary. Applications must be completed by 23 August 2013 otherwise significant delays in payment may occur.  

Once you have created a BOSS account, your status will be show as 'pending' until the NHS receives the documentary evidence to complete your assessment. An email will be sent to you regarding this. All evidence should be sent together, along with a barcode cover sheet showing your unique student reference number. This can be downloaded from the 'documents' section of your BOSS account.

On receipt of this your BOSS account will become 'active', unless further evidence is required. In due course your active status will either change to 'approved' or 'rejected'. In case of the latter, you will be sent an email explaining why. The next stage for an approved application is that 'enrolment approval' will be sought from the University. Finally, once we have confirmed your enrolment, your bursary status will change to 'in payment'.

As soon as your bursary entitlement has been approved, you can check your Payment Schedule and corresponding amounts at any time by logging in to your BOSS account.

Normally payments will be within 10 working days of the University confirming your enrolment, providing your application and supporting evidence have been submitted to the NHS on time. Payments are made on the third Friday of every month, apart from new students who receive a double payment in the first month, then standard payments from the third month onwards.

The only additional forms that can currently be accessed through your BOSS account relate to Dependants' Allowance, which can be found in the main part of the form, and Disabled Students Allowance, which will become available on the home screen once your main application form has been submitted. All other forms relating to Childcare Allowance, Placement Expenses, Self Assessment Income, etc. can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority website. 

If you are studying on a Nursing or Physiotherapy degree, you will be eligible for a reduced-rate Living Cost Loan in addition to the income-assessed NHS Bursary.

In order to access these funds you will need to contact Student Finance England (or your relevant SLC agency). They will check your eligibility and let you know what your maximum entitlement is. You must then inform the Student Loans Company as to how much you wish to borrow.

Students undertaking Nursing or Physiotherapy degrees can also apply for the Elizabeth Murray Centenary Scholarship during the second year of their course, which opens in October each year and closes at the end of the first academic term.

In the first, second, third or fourth year of your degree, you will be funded by the standard student support package that is available from the government. Depending on the length of your term dates, you may be eligible for an extended sum of Living Cost Loan.

Once you enter your fifth year of study, you will become eligible for NHS funding. This means that you will be eligible for a means-tested NHS Bursary. You will also be able to take a reduced-rate Living Cost Loan. For details on how to apply for the bursary and when you will be paid please refer to the relevant sections under 'Nursing and Physiotherapy programmes' above. 

During the first four years of your degree, you will be able to take out a Tuition Fee Loan from the government to cover your tuition fee costs.  In your fifth year, the NHS will pay your tuition fees for you.

If you are entering a four-year Graduate Entry medical degree programme, you will receive standard student support (subject to your eligibility) in your first year, with NHS support taking over from year two onwards.

The Medical Student Hardship Fund is a scheme set up by the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) that aims to help medical students who are in exceptional financial hardship as a result of sudden and unexpected factors outside their control.

Any support granted will come in the form of an interest-free loan to be repaid at such time as the beneficiary is in a position to do so. The amount of each loan will be set according to an individual’s needs.

The RMBF also runs Money4Medstudents, a website featuring tips on managing your money, how to borrow sensibly and where to find other sources of funding.

If you are studying on a Social Work degree, in your first year you will only be eligible for the normal statutory support from Student Finance England (SFE). In subsequent years, it is understood that those students who are performing well on their course may be eligible for a non-repayable bursary from the NHS. Full details are likely to be published in due course on the NHSBSA website. Such bursaries are likely to be worth around £4,575 (paid in three termly instalments) and will be in addition to any other continuing funding from SFE.

Please note that where there are additional costs associated with attending placements in relation to this course, it is expected that the agency offering the placement will make a contribution towards these.

You will initially need to apply to Student Finance England (SFE) in order to assess your eligibility for statutory support. In subsequent years, when re-applying to SFE for funding, you should not declare that you are receiving an NHS Bursary as this does not relate to the Social Work Bursary.

As a postgraduate, you will not receive any statutory support from SFE. You are likely however to receive a Social Work Bursary. This is split into means-tested (up to £2,608) and non means-tested (£3,362.50) parts which are paid in three termly instalments.

You will also get at least £3,828 towards your tuition fees, which is paid directly to the University. Furthermore, a contribution of around £862.50 (to help with expenses for attending placements) has been built into the bursary. You will also be able to apply for a Parents’ Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants Allowance, Childcare Allowance and Disabled Students’ Allowances from NHSBSA, depending upon your circumstances.