Healthcare students

Additional funding is available to students studying certain healthcare courses.

Additional funding is available for students studying the following healthcare undergraduate degree courses:

  • Nursing (Adult, Children’s, Learning Disabilities and Mental Health)
  • Midwifery
  • Allied Health Professionals (Occupational Therapy, Paramedic Sciences, Physiotherapy, Diagnostic Radiography, Radiotherapy and Oncology).

As UWE Bristol’s academic year is longer than 30 weeks each year, our healthcare students will receive an additional amount of maintenance loan each year. Depending on the course and year of study, you could receive an additional means-tested £113 per extra week (or £75 if you live with your parents during your studies).

Student smiling at her friend

NHS Learning Support Fund

Pre-registration healthcare students who want to study a Nursing, Midwifery or allied health professions course (as listed above), and who are eligible for a maintenance and tuition fee loan from Student Finance, can receive additional non-means tested, non-repayable grants from the NHS. These include:

  • NHS training grant of £5,000 (with up to an extra £1,000 specialist subject payment for those on specified courses)
  • parental support of £2,000 (for students with children under 15 or 17 if registered with special educational needs)
  • travel and dual accommodation – a reimbursement of excess costs incurred on practice placement for travel and temporary accommodation costs
  • a means-tested Exceptional Support Fund of up to £3,000 (for students in exceptional hardship, this is subject to eligibility and assessment).

Please note, this additional funding is not available to students doing the BSc Social Work, BSc Sports Rehabilitation, BSc Optometry or the Health Professions Foundation programme during the foundation year.

International student support

Although international students are not eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund, students on the courses listed above may access some additional funds to support the travel and dual accommodation costs they experience on placements commencing after 1 September 2023, if these exceed £500.

The application process for this funding is slightly different. International and overseas students wishing to apply for this fund need to submit a Placement Expenses Claim on InfoHub. Please note the following. 

  • Claim forms should be submitted after the placement has ended and expenses have been made but no later than six months from the last day of the placement. A Placement cost loan may be available to help support students with upfront costs.
  • Evidence will be required for all claims, so students should keep copies of all receipts for costs incurred. 
  • The fund will only cover expenses over £500 – we require evidence of all expenses.
  • Only placements starting after 1 September 2023 are covered by this fund. 

Please contact PlacementExpenses@uwe.ac.uk with any queries.

Student Finance England funded students

If you already hold a HE qualification, or have previously studied at HE level, this will not prevent you from getting full funding to do a pre-registration Nursing, Midwifery or allied health professions course. You can get full funding to do one of these courses as a second degree.

Full funding for a second degree does not apply to the following courses (ELQ – Equivalent or Lower Qualification rules will apply):

  • Paramedic Science
  • Sports Rehabilitation
  • Optometry
  • Foundation Programme Health Professions.

If you are planning to study Social Work as a second degree, see ELQ (Equivalent or Lower Qualification).

Student Finance Wales funded students

For students funded by Student Finance Wales, the rules on previous study and ELQ (Equivalent or Lower Qualification) will apply to all healthcare courses.