Student Bursary Guide

Student bursaries are available to a wide range of students which is claimed from your Higher Education Institute. You'll need to check with your own institution to see what is available to you and the main scheme in the UK is the NHS student bursary scheme but universities offer bursaries also.

What Are Bursaries ?

A bursary is a non repayable financial support cash amount you receive as a student generally provided to new students on lower incomes. The smaller the income the more the bursary award. It is paid if you are paying the full tuition fees.
The amount is paid directly to the student and you should not have to complete additional forms to get it. Some universities are based on academic qualifications whilst others are not. Bursaries are normally used like top up fees and are meant to be used towards tuition fees or cover living expenses.
The bursary application process is fairly automated in that if you provide consent in your student finance application form PN1 (under "bursary consent") then the bursary will be calculated and paid to you. Bursaries are normally paid in the Spring of each year but check your institution for more information.

Types of Bursaries

Most universities and colleagues bursary policies are based on household income (in that if you are from a lower income family you are effectively means tested (generally under £25,000 but many will offer something under £50,000)) but there are other non means tested schemes like Derby University that offer awards if you are a local resident.
Some colleagues offer a bursary if you are studying for a specific discipline such as Lincoln University that offers sports bursaries if you are an amateur sports person and are continuing that training (even if you are not studying sport).
The best advice is to check your local college or university to see what they offer. All applications forms can be downloaded online and one website has pulled all this information together and you can see what's on offer here
Others offer bursaries for international students but the most popular is the NHS bursary scheme detailed below.

NHS Bursary Scheme

The NHS runs a bursary scheme for nursing careers including midwifery which is administered by the NHS business services authority. The scheme pays an award to students on eligible health professional training courses.
If you are studying for a DIP HE qualification in nursing or midwifery then the award is non means tested (ie: is non income assessed
Other qualifications are means tested such as BSC, BA and BSc and are reconciled against any childcare allowances you may receive. This bursary can be up to £3,306 for new scheme students or £3,050 for existing scheme students. There are other grants available to you if you are following an approved course such as parents learning allowance or single parents allowance. You can get full information here

Placement Bursaries

A university may offer a placement bursary which is used to pay the student a salary whilst on their placement year or year overseas.

Other Bursaries

Many universities offer additional funding to help student finances and you need to enquire on their website to see what's on offer. Such bursary funding may include:

• Childcare grant - to assist with child care
• Bridging loans - small amounts of money to help you through short term borrowing issues
• Learning funds - to help cases of hardship for students and are non-repayable loans
• Emergency loan funds - like the bridging loan for emergency cash
• Named person bursaries - there are various schemes for specific research projects
• Alumni awards - awarded on the attainment of academic excellence
• Scholarships - many scholarship programmes are available for those who have attained excellent results in A levels - they are awarded and paid in instalment so long as your pass mark generally continues to be over 70%

Whatever field you are going to study in please check your university or college to see what student bursaries are available and if you qualify.