NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)

The NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) provides additional funding for eligible healthcare students. To apply, you need to be on one of the following pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate courses:

dental therapy or dental hygiene (level 5 and 6 courses)
dietetics
midwifery
nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning disability, joint nursing, or social work)
occupational therapy
operating department practitioner
orthoptics
orthotics and prosthetics
paramedics (except DipHE and FD courses)
physiotherapy
podiatry or chiropody
radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic)
speech and language therapy

Foundation years are not eligible for NHS LSF.

Pharmacy and Healthcare Science courses

From 1 September 2025, new and continuing students studying undergraduate pharmacy or pre-registration healthcare science courses will be able to claim reimbursement towards practice placement expenses through the Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) element of NHS LSF.

They will not be eligible for any of the other NHS LSF allowances

Applying for NHS LSF

You need an NHS LSF account to apply or manage your details.

What you could get

You can apply for a Training Grant of £5,000 per academic year, or a pro rata amount for part-time students. Students on certain courses can get a Special Subject Payment, which is an extra £1,000.

If you have at least one dependant child under 15 years old (or under 17 if registered with special educational needs) you can also receive Parental Support. This is a grant of £2,000 per academic year or a pro rata amount for part-time students.

If you paid for excess travel or temporary accommodation costs on a placement, you may be able to claim some of your costs back through Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses.

If you’re experiencing unexpected financial hardship, you may be able to claim for help from the Exceptional Support Fund.

Eligibility

To apply, you need to be:

studying on an eligible course at a university in England
actively studying, whether academic or practice learning
eligible for tuition fees and maintenance support from the Student Loans Company, either through:

If you’ve not applied for a student loan, you may still be eligible for NHS LSF. You’ll need to show us that you still meet the relevant eligibility criteria for SFE, SFW, SFNI or SAAS.

If you receive the NHS Bursary, you are not eligible for NHS LFS. Visit NHS Bursary students for more information about your bursary.

How and when to apply

You can apply for NHS LSF by creating an NHS Learning Support Fund account. You'll keep this account and will need to reapply each year.

You need to apply within 6 months of the start of your academic year.

You should not apply on any other systems as your application will be rejected.

If you’re a continuing student, an email to re-apply will be sent to you so you can make a timely application for the start of your academic year.

Pharmacy and Healthcare Science students

From the 2025 to 2026 academic year, eligible Pharmacy and Healthcare Science students will be able to claim travel and accommodation expenses through TDAE, but they are not entitled to any of the other elements of NHS LSF.

To do this you will need to create a NHS LSF account.

If you interrupt or withdraw from your course

Your university will update your NHS LSF account with your last date of attendance and the reason for the interruption or withdrawal. We'll then calculate your NHS LSF entitlement for the period you were enrolled.

If you return to your studies in the same academic year, you do not need to reapply for NHS LSF. Your university will register your return on their portal.

If you return to your studies in a new academic year, you'll need to reapply for NHS LSF. Your university can then register your return on their portal.

This information does not apply to students on Pharmacy and Healthcare Science courses.

Payment dates

2025 to 2026 academic year

If you start your course or your next academic year in September or October 2025, the main payment dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year are:

Term 1 - 18 November 2025
Term 2 - 17 March 2026
Term 3 - 21 July 2026

If you did not start in September or October

Your payment dates depend on when you started your course and whether you or your university confirmed your attendance on your course. Visit Confirmation of Student Attendance (COSA) for more information on payment dates and the COSA process.