Postgraduate social work students can apply for a bursary to help them with their living costs.
If you’re eligible for a bursary we’ll also pay a contribution of £4,052 towards your tuition fees per academic year.
A postgraduate social work bursary is:
- awarded to eligible students
- available to both part-time and full-time students
- a grant not a loan
- made up of a non-means tested basic grant and a means-tested maintenance grant
Bursary rates
The basic grant rate is:
- up to £3,362.50 a year if you attend a university outside of London
The means-tested maintenance grant rate is:
- up to £2,721 a year if you attend a university outside of London
- up to £4,201 a year if you attend a university within the London area
This is paid on a pro rata basis for eligible part-time students.
Travel costs
The social work bursary includes a contribution towards your placement travel costs of £862.50 for full time students. If your placement provider also contributes towards your travel costs, this will not affect your bursary entitlement.
Before you apply
View the guidance booklet.
Your guide to social work bursaries 2021/22 (PDF: 3.28 MB)
When to apply
If your academic year starts in the Autumn (from 1 September to 31 December), you must submit your application by 1 November.
If your academic year starts in the Winter (from 1 January onwards), you must submit your application by 14 February.
Applications received after the relevant date will not be accepted.
How to apply
- Log onto our online student portal MyFunding.
- From your account you can access the bursary application form.
- Complete the form online.
- Upload the form to your MyFunding account, along with all requested supporting documentation.
Uploading a document to your MyFunding account
The selected file must be:
- a JPG, BMP, PNG, TIF or PDF
- an original version which displays the document in full
- clear and in focus
- in colour
- unaltered by computer software
-
at least 50KB and no more than 5 MB
If the document does not meet this criteria your application will be rejected.
You can view our MyFunding guide for students (PDF 1.04MB).
If you're receiving or applying for a retainer
You must complete the Bursary Retainer Declaration form and include it with your main bursary application. This is available from your MyFunding account.
Evidence of income
You may need to complete additional Confirmation of Earnings or Confirmation of Benefits forms if you cannot provide evidence of a spouse, partner or civil partner’s income or benefits. These are available from your MyFunding account if you need them.
What happens next
We aim to process your application within 20 working days from the day we receive the form and all supporting evidence.
You can track the progress of your application by logging in to your MyFunding account.