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Guidance

Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant information packs

Information for higher education institutions and students on Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant arrangements for the academic year 2026 to 2027.

Updates to this page

From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Published:
30 May 2013
Last updated:
18 May 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated the information pack for the 2026 to 2027 academic year: updated dates, timelines, student intake references, allocations for higher education institutions and links to NHS Business Services Authority guidance and supporting documents.

  2. Added that a higher education institution can, in exceptional circumstances, allocate a Social Work Bursary to a returning undergraduate who had withdrawn, deferred or needed to repeat a year. Examples of exceptional circumstances added.

  3. Added the Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant information for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

  4. Updated ‘SWB guidance for HEIs by NHSBSA’ section of the information pack to clarify that bursary allocations may be transferred across HEIs.

  5. Added the social work bursary information for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

  6. Updated the page with the social work bursary (SWB) allocations for 2023 to 2024.

  7. Updated with document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

  8. Updated with document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

  9. Updated with document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2020 academic year.

  10. Updated with document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2019 academic year.

  11. Replaced document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2018 academic year – an error in the calculation of the postgraduate social work bursary allocation has been corrected.

  12. Published document on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2018 academic year.

  13. Updated with bursary allocations for academic year 2017.

  14. Updated Information for higher education institutions and students on the social work bursary arrangements for the 2016 academic year.

  15. Published social work bursary arrangements: 2015 information pack and updated the social work bursary information for HEIs and students

  16. Updates the social work bursary information for HEIs and students (2nd edition) and contains revised allocations for some HEIs.

  17. Published social work bursary arrangements: 2014 information pack

  18. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant information pack for academic year 2026 to 2027

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Details

This guidance contains the Social Work Bursary allocations for higher education institutions, and the Education Support Grant rates for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

More information, including how to apply for a Social Work Bursary, can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority’s page on Social Work Bursaries.

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