Do Student Nurses Get An NHS Bursary & How You Can Apply For It

Student Nurses will get a minimum bursary of £5,000. This does not need to be paid back"

If you’re considering Nursing and want to know more about funding, grants and the bursary - then this article is for you.

While funding is still available for nursing students, what's known as the bursary is now exclusively available to prospective doctors and dentists.

Funding for nurses, if you're eligible, consists of a £5000 training grant - and potentially other sources of funding too, depending on your situation.

How Much Funding Will I Get As A Nursing Student?

If you're eligible, you'll receive a £5000 grant via the Learning Support Fund (LSF).

The amount you get beyond this will depend on various factors, including whether you live at home or on campus, and whether you're a parent.

Am I Eligible For Any Income Beyond The Training Grant?

If you're a parent, you may be eligible for £2000 a year in childcare support.

Everything else really comes down to other factors and testing.

This may include:

• £1000 a year extra for a specialist subject - which includes mental health and learning disability nursing

• Support with travel and accommodation costs for placements, where relevant

• Exceptional hardship funding up to £3000 a year

However, you can only be certain of what is and isn't available once you've completed the application process. The full details of how funding is decided are not made publicaly available.

Will My Tuition Fees Be Covered?

Unfortunately, tuition fees aren't funded separately to the training grant.

In other words, your £5000 grant can support your costs, but won't cover the entirety of your fees.

You'll need to fund this separately. Nursing students have access to student loans in addition to any grants that are given.

Will I Have To Pay My Training Grant Back?

No, you will not need to pay back your grant.

To be clear, this is a payment to you, not a loan.

Student Nurses, once qualified, are not required to pay their grant back - you only need to repay your student loan.

How Do You Apply For Funding

To apply for the bursary you need to first create an account on the LSF website

You’ll then have to fill out an application form.

You might also need to provide supporting evidence but this will be explained in due course.

For any other information on becoming a nurse or what it's like within different nursing roles, Nurses.co.uk has all the information you will need.

You can start finding out more here: Our Complete Guide To Becoming A Nurse.

What Other Funding For Student Nurses Is Available?

Beyond everything described here, your main source of extra funding would be a student loan.

This is a loan available to any student in the UK studying any subject.

The size and terms of the loan vary, but essentially you won't start repaying until you're in full-time work and earning a certain amount.

Has Nursing Funding Inspired Nursing Applications?

The Student Nursing bursary returned in September 2020, having been scrapped in 2015.

The plan to bring back Student bursaries was launched before Coronavirus spread.

In 2022, applications did rise considerably. The large number of people applying for Nursing degrees was apparently due to people being inspired by the diligence and compassion of Nurses and Care professionals during the Covid pandemic, and not the re-introduction of the bursary.

However, in 2023, nursing degree applications actually dropped by 16% according to UCAS and the Royal College of Nursing. So to date, it's difficult to argue that the re-introduction of grants has made a significant impact on nursing applications.

In 2024, the application number dropped again, albeit by a smaller amount - 5.5%. However, this drop reflected a more widespread drop in university applications across almost all areas of study.

Is Funding Today The Same As The Original Bursary?

No, the new funding model pays less to Students than the one that was scrapped in 2015.

The earlier iteration provided Nursing Students with a minimum of £10,000 a year, up to a maximum of £16,454.

(Here’s more information on the new Nursing Bursary introduced in 2020.)

Whether or not the current bursary scheme will become more generous over the coming years remains to be seen.

Does The Training Grant Apply To Open University Students?

Open University students on the standard nursing programme do not qualify for this funding – they are employed in a healthcare role and have to supported by their employer to be on the programme.

However, students on the OU's newer, blended nursing programme are eligible to apply for the bursary.

This is the programme is run in partnership with Middlesex University and the University of West of England.