NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)

NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) is funding to support 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

The foundation years are not eligible for NHS LSF.

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

What you could get

NHS LSF is made up of 4 main elements. What you get depends on your circumstances.

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 any excess travel or accommodation costs on a placement, you can claim money back through Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses.

If you’re experiencing unexpected financial hardship, you may be able to claim up to £3,000 through 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 the academic year.

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

If you’re a continuing student, we’ll email invites out in groups to make sure we process all applications for the start of the academic year.

If you've interrupted or withdrawn 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.

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

2024 to 2025 academic year

If you started your course in September or October 2024, the main payment dates for the 2024 to 2025 academic year are:

Term 1 - 19 November 2024
Term 2 - 18 March 2025
Term 3 - 22 July 2025

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.