To be eligible to apply for NHS financial support, you must be accepted for an NHS funded place on a full or part-time course which leads to professional registration as a:
- doctor or dentist (you will be eligible for an NHS Bursary during the latter stages of your pre-registration training). Information regarding Tuition Fees for new medical / dental students commencing courses in the 2012/13 academic year can be found here
- chiropodist (including podiatrist), dietician, occupational therapist, orthoptist, physiotherapist, prosthetist, and orthotist, radiographer, audiologist or a speech and language therapist
- dental hygienist or dental therapist
- nurse, midwife or operating department practitioner (degree course)
- nurse, midwife or operating department practitioner (diploma course)
You may be eligible for an NHS Bursary even if you have already had public funding for higher education. If you have previously had an NHS Bursary and wish to switch professions, you may also be eligible.
NHS Bursaries are not intended for:
Registered first level nurses seeking a second registration in nursing;
OR
Registered midwives seeking a second registration in midwifery,
For example: if you are a qualified adult nurse and you are seeking to complete a branch programme in mental health nursing you would not be entitled to a Bursary, but you could approach your employer to see if they are prepared to fund the training.
OR;
Registered health care professionals wishing to undertake post registration training courses.
The NHS Bursary package differs from the support available to non-NHS students who are supported through the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) student support arrangements. It is therefore important that students considering healthcare professional training do not refer to DIUS publications, (with the exception of medical and dental students who should refer to DIUS student support information in the earlier part of their training).
If you attend a course in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, broadly comparable arrangements will apply, but you will need to consult the relevant national authorities for details as NHS Student Bursaries will not be able to administer your funding.
Medical and dental students whose country of residence is England are supported through the NHS Bursary Scheme during the later stages of their training irrespective of which home country their medical school is situated in. However, medical and dental students living in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland should consult the relevant national authorities.
More information on eligibility can be found in these factsheets: