Guidance

Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant information pack for academic year 2025 to 2026

Updated 30 April 2025

Applies to England

Overview

In the September 2025 to August 2026 and January 2026 to December 2026 academic years, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting social work higher education through funding the Social Work Bursary (SWB) and the Education Support Grant (ESG). The SWB and ESG are used to support attainment of the relevant undergraduate and postgraduate social worker qualifications. This funding contributes to maintaining and improving the quality of social work education and supporting a future workforce of skilled and qualified social workers. The funding investment provides support to social work students and practice placement providers.

Funding objectives of the SWB include financial awards for social work students living in England to qualify as social workers. Students who usually live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland may be eligible for their own national financial support and therefore should apply to their own national funding authority for support.

Funding objectives of the ESG include:

• funding higher education institutions (HEIs) and placement providers to support practice placements, skills development days and the HEI administration fee

• funding to support service user and unpaid carer involvement in the development and delivery of the social work undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses

There is finite government funding available for both the SWB and ESG.

The SWB is capped at a total of 4,000 bursaries for eligible social work students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses in England. It is distributed to 2,500 undergraduate students and 1,500 postgraduate students.

The budget for ESG is demand led, based on the delivery of practice placements, skills development days and accompanying administration fee.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Student Services administer the SWB and ESG application process and payment awards on behalf of DHSC.

The information here applies to the academic years September 2025 to August 2026 and January 2026 to December 2026 only. It supersedes all published information pack guidance in previous years.

How to apply

Eligibility for the SWB

Eligibility criteria and further information including the link to apply for SWB is available from the NHSBSA Student Services website. 

A student is not eligible for SWB if a social care employer is paying the student to attend their undergraduate or postgraduate course or paying any of the student’s tuition fees.

Receiving a ‘retainer’ is an incentive to engage in social work employment with the provider of the retainer, once the recipient qualifies as a social worker. It does not provide support towards the recipient’s social work training. There are rules about the types of retainer that a student can have and still be eligible for the SWB. A retainer should not be funded by the Department for Education. See the NHSBSA Student Services website for full details.

New and continuing students claiming SWB

Students must apply for an SWB each year within the published application deadline. Applications should be sent to NHSBSA Student Services. There is no guarantee that students who start to receive the bursary in one academic year (for example, 2025 to 2026) will receive an SWB in the following academic year (for example, 2026 to 2027). Students must not assume that an award will be granted until they receive confirmation from NHSBSA Student Services. NHSBSA Student Services will send confirmation of being awarded an SWB by email.

Students normally receive the SWB for a maximum of 2 years, for undergraduates the SWB is usually only available for the final 2 years of study when most students complete their placements. Any exceptions to this will be considered on a case-by-case basis subject to a change of circumstances beyond the student’s control such as ill health, disability, maternity, bereavement and so on. All changes which affect a student’s entitlement and their attendance on the course must be reported in a timely manner, as it may result in an over or underpayment. NHSBSA Student Services will work with students to recover any overpayments.

Placement travel allowance

The placement travel allowance (PTA) is intended to help students meet the costs of travel to and from their home to the placement provider’s place of work. It is not intended to replace or supplement placement providers’ expenses policy for students travelling to individual assignments. Non-SWB recipients may be eligible (subject to criteria set out in the application form) to receive a PTA. For those students who are in receipt of an SWB, PTA is automatically included.

Students do not need to apply for a PTA separately to the SWB. The PTA application is included as part of the main SWB application and is allocated by NHSBSA based on residency and the relevant eligibility criteria. Students should apply for the SWB online on the NHSBSA website.

Education Support Grant

ESG funding is only available in support of eligible social work qualification courses. Details are available on the NHSBSA Student Services website and specifically in the publication: Education Support Grant, a university’s guide to arrangements for ESG funding (PDF, 456KB). This document was published for the 2016 to 2017 academic year but remains current. There is no difference in either the rates or the claiming process for HEIs whether or not they are part of the teaching partnerships.

Student Finance England

Students may be able to access additional loans and/or grants from Student Finance England, depending on their circumstances. These are separate from the SWB and ESG offers.

Student loan support:

• may be available for undergraduate students, even if they also receive a bursary
• is not available for postgraduate students if they receive a bursary
• may be available for postgraduate students if they only receive a PTA

Benefits and other financial support

If you are receiving benefits or other financial support such as Universal Credit you should check with your relevant benefits adviser to confirm how receiving a bursary may affect your entitlement. See also ‘How student income affects Universal Credit’ on the Universal Credit and students page.

SWB rates: 2025 to 2026 academic year

Undergraduate SWB rates

The undergraduate SWB for 2025 to 2026 is not income assessed and is only available in the final 2 years of study (usually years 2 and 3 of full-time study, or part-time equivalent) when most students undertake practice placements and skills days. The undergraduate funding available for 2025 to 2026 academic year is shown in table 1. Further information and eligibility can be found on NHSBSA’s page on the Social Work Bursary for undergraduate students.

Table 1: undergraduate funding available for the 2025 to 2026 academic year

Type of funding	London	Outside London
SWB	£5,262.50	£4,862.50
PTA for a non-SWB recipient	£862.50	£862.50

Postgraduate SWB rates

The postgraduate SWB for 2025 to 2026 is available in both years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) and comprises the elements shown in table 2. Further information and eligibility can be found on the NHSBSA’s page on the Social Work Bursary for postgraduate students.

The postgraduate loan regulations state that students in receipt of any element of the SWB, with the exception of the PTA, are ineligible for a postgraduate student loan.

Table 2: postgraduate funding available for the 2025 to 2026 academic year

Element	Type	Amount
Bursary (non-income assessed) (London)	Full-time student	Up to £3,762.50
Bursary (non-income assessed) (outside London)	Full-time student	Up to £3,362.50
Bursary (non-income assessed)	Part time student	Up to pro-rata of full-time rate
Tuition fee contribution	Not applicable	£4,052
Income assessed SWB (London)	Full-time student	Up to £4,201
Income assessed SWB (outside London)	Full-time student	Up to £2,721
Income assessed SWB	Part-time student	Up to pro-rata of full-time rate
Income assessed allowances	Adult dependant allowance	£2,757
Income assessed allowances	Parent learning allowance	£1,573
Income assessed allowances	Childcare (1 child)	Weekly £155.24
Income assessed allowances	Childcare (2 children or more)	Weekly £266.15
Disabled student allowances	Specialist equipment	Up to £5,212
Disabled student allowances	Non-medical helper	Up to £20,725
Disabled student allowances	General allowance	Up to £1,741
PTA for a non-SWB recipient	Not applicable	£862.50

HEI application process

Process

The number of places for HEIs’ SWBs is capped. There are 1,500 whole-time equivalent (WTE) postgraduate SWBs available for students who start their postgraduate study in the 2025 to 2026 academic year and 2,500 WTE undergraduate SWBs will be available for students who start their penultimate year of undergraduate study in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Non-SWB recipients will be eligible (subject to criteria) for PTA.

The following process applies:

1. Each HEI will publish their SWB inclusion criteria.
2. Students will need to be shortlisted by the HEI, using the criteria below.
3. HEIs will notify NHSBSA of the shortlisted students.
4. HEIs will notify NHSBSA of all remaining students that are eligible, ranked in priority order so that any unused bursaries from any HEI can be re-allocated to students who are not initially shortlisted.
5. HEIs will notify NHSBSA of any expected January or March 2026 intakes, and the number of bursaries from their allocation that should be held for these students, with a nil return if none.
6. Students will apply to NHSBSA for the SWB. They can apply prior to finding out whether they have been nominated by their HEI for an SWB.
7. NHSBSA will assess eligibility for the SWB and PTA and pay students appropriately.

Inclusion criteria for postgraduate students

Students included on the SWB short list should be prioritised for an SWB based on a ranking during the HEIs’ admissions process. The shortlisting approach will be agreed at a local level. HEIs should also consider other factors such as their obligations for widening participation and public sector equality duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Inclusion criteria for undergraduate students

Students included on the SWB short list should be prioritised for an SWB based on a ranking during the HEIs’ admissions process. The shortlisting approach will be agreed at a local level. The ranking can be adjusted during year 1 based on attendance and passing the ‘readiness to practise’ and year 1 exams. HEIs should also consider other factors such as their obligations for widening participation and under the Equality Act 2010.

HEI shortlisting assurances

HEIs will want to assure themselves of the overall fairness and consistency of decision making (including consideration of the public sector equality duty and the Equality Act 2010) to shortlist students. Therefore, it is recommended that HEIs keep a record of why students were shortlisted for the SWB. For each of the students that HEIs shortlist, the following details need to be provided to NHSBSA Student Services:

• names of the students ranked in order of eligibility (the student who most met the criteria would be the first choice, and so on. HEIs may decide to apply a scoring system)
• a list of reserves ranked in order of their eligibility
• title of course
• full-time or part-time
• proposed duration of study

NHSBSA Student Services will supply a template spreadsheet for HEIs to complete with the above information.

Shortlist and transfer of unused SWBs

If a student shortlisted by a HEI is not eligible for an SWB under the eligibility rules applied by NHSBSA, the first named student on the shortlisted list of eligible students not in receipt of the bursary will assume the bursary funded place. This process will continue in the order students not in receipt of the bursary are listed as reserves until the HEI’s total number of SWB recipients is used. If a student has queries with the shortlisting process, these should be taken up with their HEI.

Following the October closing date for the SWB allocation (see table 5a), the list of eligible students not in receipt of the bursary will be used to re-allocate any unused bursaries, ensuring allocations remain within the budget available. Bursaries will first be re-allocated within the HEI (holding any bursaries the HEI has identified for January or March intakes) and then, if bursaries remain unused, they will be allocated in ranked order across HEIs: all students ranked first on the reserve list will receive a bursary before those ranked second, and so on.

Unused bursaries will be re-allocated within undergraduate and postgraduate limits first, but if unused bursaries remain they may be re-allocated across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with one postgraduate bursary being translated to 2 undergraduate bursaries or 2 undergraduate bursaries being translated to one postgraduate bursary.

SWB allocation methodology

This section describes the SWB allocation methodology. The number of bursaries awarded to each HEI is based on data provided by HEIs to DHSC.

It considers:

• the number of students at an HEI over the 5-year period from the 2020 to 2021 academic year to the 2025 to 2026 academic year
• the number of eligible students enrolled for 2025 to 2026
• the total number of bursaries available for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses

The data collection for the 2025 to 2026 academic year took place between October 2024 and January 2025.

The intake figures were taken when the HEIs confirmed the 2024 to 2025 student intake (bursary eligible students) and forecast student intake (bursary eligible students) for 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027.

The 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 student intake totals are based on the information HEIs provided during the last October 2023 collection exercise and are therefore retained for each annual information pack.

Intakes refer to the confirmed number of students, while planned intakes represent the numbers that HEIs anticipate for future years.

Methodology

For 2025 to 2026, the total number of students at all HEIs over the 5-year period is added together and divided by the number of years that a course ran for. This is then divided by the national number of bursaries available to create a proportion of bursaries that the HEI is allocated. This ensures a fair allocation of bursaries to all courses, regardless of the number of years a course has been open. As in previous years the national number of new bursaries for the academic year 2025 to 2026 is 1,500 postgraduate bursaries and 2,500 undergraduate bursaries. The calculation of the quota for postgraduate and undergraduate bursaries from the 2020 to 2021 academic year onwards is shown below in tables 3 and 4.

Table 3: calculation of postgraduate quota

Calculation of postgraduate (PG) quota	2021	2022	2023	2024
National number of new PG bursaries	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Total number of eligible PGs within 5-year period	9,711	8,959	7,779	7,205
Average intake, over 5 years, required for one new bursary (row 2 divided by row 1)	6.47	5.97	5.19	4.80

Table 4: calculation of undergraduate quota

Calculation of undergraduate (UG) quota	2021	2022	2023	2024
National number of new UG bursaries	2,500	2,500	2,500	2,500
Total number of eligible UGs within 5-year period	15,085	14,792	13,758	13,099
Average intake, over 5 years, required for one new bursary (row 2 divided by row 1)	6.03	5.92	5.50	5.24

Note for tables 3 and 4: the quotas for years up to 2023 reflect the total number of eligible students across all HEIs over the 5-year period divided by the number bursaries.

The total number of students at an individual HEI over the 5-year period is divided by this quota to calculate the proportion of bursaries awarded to an institution. Validation checks are then undertaken to ensure that no institution receives more bursaries than it has eligible students. If this condition is violated these bursaries are distributed between remaining HEIs.

Reasons for changes in allocations

It is common for the number of bursaries awarded to individual HEIs to change each year even if there is no change to the overall number of bursaries. This is because the methodology used to allocate bursaries considers actual and planned student intakes over a 5-year period at all HEIs. There are several reasons why the number of awards might change from year to year including the following.

Change in the overall number of students in England

As shown in examples 1 and 2 (below) any change in the total number of students changes the quota required to produce a bursary. For example, between 2018 and 2019 the total number of postgraduate students increased by around 320 which increased the quota from 6.4 to 6.6 students per bursary. Because of this, HEIs who reported the same number of students in 2018 and 2019 may have seen a slight reduction in the number of bursaries received. Similarly, a reduction in the total number of undergraduates may result in a slight increase, depending on the individual data provided.

Changes at HEI level

The allocation formula considers the number of students over a 5-year period and how many times the course ran. Therefore, if there are changes in intakes for any HEI then that will have an impact on the number of bursaries. The data in the 5-year period used in calculating the 2025 allocation differs from that for calculating the 2024 allocations by moving the 5-year period forward by a year. This creates a new 5-year period comprising actual intake numbers for 2022, 2023 and 2024, and planned intake numbers for 2025 and 2026, by:

• no longer considering the actual intake number for 2021
• changing the 2024 number from ‘plan’ to ‘actual’
• adding on a new year’s planned intake number for 2025 to 2026

SWB allocation limits

The formula ensures that no institution can receive more bursaries than it has eligible students. In 2025, this means that no HEI can receive more bursaries than its reported undergraduate intake in 2024 (for 3-year undergraduate courses) or 2023 (for 4-year undergraduate courses), and its planned postgraduate intake for 2025. If an institution has a dip in recruitment in any year, this can result in a seemingly large decline in allocations.

Therefore, a change in bursary numbers is dynamic and depends on both changes at the HEI and national level. The precise reasons for a change will vary from HEI to HEI.

Worked examples

To illustrate the allocation methodology, here are some fictional scenarios. In each example the number of bursaries to be awarded is 1,500 and in year 1 there were 2,000 students in England.

Example 1: ‘business as usual’

In this example in year 1, HEI A had an intake of 50 students per year over each of the 5 years. This meant HEI A received a total of 37.5 bursaries.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
50	50	50	50	50

The total of eligible new students in HEI A equals 250. The course is open for 5 years. There is an average of 50 students per year (250 divided by 5). The total of eligible new students across all HEIs is 2,000. HEI A’s proportion of total students is 2.5% (50 divided by 2,000, multiplied by 100). There are 1,500 bursaries available, so HEI A’s bursary allocation is 37.5 (1,500 multiplied by 2.5, divided by 100).

Example 2: expansion

In year 2, HEI A plans expansion from the next year. This means that in the return year 5 becomes a higher value (80) and a value of 50 drops from the calculation. As a result, the number of students over 5 years increases to 280 and the number of awards increases to 42.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
50	50	50	50	80

The total of eligible new students in HEI A equals 280. The course is open for 5 years. There is an average of 56 students per year (280 divided by 5). The total of eligible new students across all HEIs is 2,000. HEI A’s proportion of total students is 2.8% (56 divided by 2,000, multiplied by 100). There are 1,500 bursaries available, so HEI A’s bursary allocation is 42 (1,500 multiplied by 2.8, divided by 100).

Example 3: change to total number of students

There is no change to HEI A’s plans; however, a new provider has entered the market and so the overall number of students across all HEIs has increased from 2,000 to 2,075. This changes the proportion of total students HEI A will teach. As a result, HEI A’s allocation reduces to 36.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
50	50	50	50	50

The total of eligible new students in HEI A equals 250. The course is open for 5 years. There is an average of 50 students per year (250 divided by 5). The total of eligible new students across all HEIs is 2,075. HEI A’s proportion of total students is 2.4% (50 divided by 2,075, multiplied by 100). There are 1,500 bursaries available, so HEI A’s bursary allocation is 36 (1,500 multiplied by 2.4, divided by 100).

Example 4: new course

HEI B announces that is going to open a new social work course next year. This means that in year 5 a value of 75 is recorded and averaged over the 1 year that the course is open. The total bursaries they are allocated is 54.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
0	0	0	0	75

The total of eligible new students in HEI B equals 75. The course is open for 1 year. There is an average of 75 students per year (75 divided by 1). The total of eligible new students across all HEIs is 2,075. HEI B’s proportion of total students is 3.61% (75 divided by 2,075, multiplied by 100). There are 1,500 bursaries available, so HEI B’s bursary allocation is 54 (1,500 multiplied by 3.61, divided by 100).

SWB guidance for HEIs by NHSBSA

This section provides guidance from NHSBSA Student Services for HEIs to clarify and reinforce the action to take with various scenarios relating to the allocation of SWBs to social work students.

Aims and objectives

The aim of this section of the guidance to HEIs is to maximise the use of available SWBs allocated to each HEI. As detailed below, if a student does not complete their course within the ‘normal period’ (usually 3 to 4 years, based on the length of the academic course), they will in most cases lose their entitlement to the SWB even if they return to training.

We need support from all HEIs to effectively meet the objective of maximising the use of available SWBs under the current arrangements. This includes a requirement to provide us with timely information about every change in a student’s attendance, such as:

• withdrawal (using the SWB02 form)
• returning to study (using the SWB03 form)
• extending their study (using SWB04 form)

This means HEIs must download the relevant change of attendance form (SWB02, SWB03 or SWB04) from the ‘Social Work Bursary forms’ section of NHSBSA Student Services’ guides and toolkits page. These forms should be completed and returned to NHSBSA Student Services as soon as HEIs become aware of such a change. This is especially important at the start and end of each academic year, as once a payment has been made to a student with an SWB who subsequently withdraws, it cannot be re-allocated to another student for that academic year.

In addition to the re-allocation of unused SWBs from one HEI to a student in another HEI, DHSC may allow the transfer of bursary allocations between HEIs in certain circumstances. Advance notification is required, and each request will be reviewed before a decision is made.

Withdrawals

If a student withdraws from training, their SWB may be re-allocated to another student, if the withdrawn student has not received a payment and the SWB is re-allocated prior to the end of the financial year in which the academic year commences. Once a payment has been made, the SWB cannot then be re-allocated to another student and any further funding for that SWB will be lost in that academic year.

Postgraduate student deferrals

If a postgraduate student has been allocated an SWB but informs their HEI that they wish to defer starting their course until a later academic year, their SWB can be re-allocated to another student. The SWB will be lost if:

• the deferring student has already received a bursary payment
• the SWB is not re-allocated to another student

A new SWB will then need to be allocated, subject to availability, to the deferred student when they commence training, from any allocation of SWB for the academic year they are joining. Postgraduate students who have deferred will need to reapply for an SWB if they are joining a new academic year. They cannot retain a previous academic year’s SWB even if the place was not re-allocated to another student. It is not guaranteed that students who reapply will be allocated an SWB.

Resuming postgraduate students

SWB allocation is an annual process. Students who received an SWB in 2025 to 2026 will not automatically be included in the 2026 to 2027 allocation and they will need to reapply. For example, students who attended in their first academic year and were nominated for an SWB but had a period of non-attendance for a full academic year and are now resuming training will have lost the SWB initially allocated to them. These SWBs cannot be retained if a student withdraws from training for any reason, even if the SWB is not re-allocated to another student.

If HEIs wish to allocate an SWB to a postgraduate returning student (who attended in their first academic year), this can only be done if there are exceptional circumstances that instigated the deferral and the SWB place must either:

• be allocated, subject to availability, from the postgraduate year cohort the student is returning to
• be taken from any allocation of students for the new academic year

Undergraduate student deferrals

If an undergraduate student has been allocated an SWB but informs their HEI they wish to defer starting the second or third year until a later academic year, their place can be re-allocated to another student. They must not have received a bursary payment, or the SWB is lost. If the place is not re-allocated to another student, the SWB will also be lost.

Resuming undergraduate students

Students who attended in their first academic year and were nominated for an SWB but had a period of non-attendance and are now resuming training will have lost the SWB initially allocated to them for the rest of the duration of the course.

Undergraduate students who withdraw or defer and resume training at any point during the course, including the first year, may not occupy an SWB when they resume training. Undergraduate students will need to reapply for an SWB if they are joining a new academic year.

For resuming undergraduate students, the award entitlement is limited to the PTA (£862.50). However, if the student has an overpayment balance greater than £862.50 then the £862.50 would be recovered from the outstanding overpayment balance, resulting in no PTA payable and the overpayment balance being reduced by £862.50.

Maternity leave

HEIs must follow the process outlined below for all students who are taking a period of maternity leave regardless of when they commence their maternity leave (including if it is during a holiday period) and regardless of whether they receive an SWB.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students who are nominated for an SWB may continue to receive bursary payments for up to a maximum of 12 months from the agreed date of the start of the maternity leave period or from the day after the date of birth. Students must provide the HEI with medical evidence of the pregnancy prior to commencing maternity leave (usually form MATB1, which they will receive from their midwife or doctor). The start date of the maternity leave must be agreed with the HEI prior to commencement of the leave. HEIs must forward the form SWB02 to NHSBSA, annotated to confirm the student has provided relevant evidence including:

• the expected date maternity leave will begin
• the last date of attendance
• the date of return if the student is expected to return to complete the course

Undergraduate and postgraduate students who resume training after a period of maternity leave will retain their SWB for the duration of the course. HEIs cannot re-allocate or transfer an SWB from a student on maternity leave to another student.

In addition, students who have taken a period of maternity leave may receive an extension of funding for up to a maximum of 12 months to complete the course. This may be extended in exceptional circumstances if the student also must repeat part of the course. HEIs must forward the form SWB03 to the NHSBSA, annotated to confirm the student has returned to training, including:

• the date they returned
• the cohort they have joined
• the new expected end date of the course
• any other information that will help clarify the student’s personal circumstances

Students who are not allocated an SWB (those in receipt of the PTA only, or EU fees-only postgraduate students) are not eligible to receive the PTA or payment of fees during a period of maternity leave. They may be eligible to receive the PTA and/or payment of fees if relevant when they resume training.

SWB timeline

The following section and tables describe activity throughout the year, and it is expected that information will be provided by the specified target date.

Student applications to NHSBSA Student Services

Students should submit their application to NHSBSA Student Services, with all supporting evidence, by the specified cohort deadline.

Submission of SWB nominations with reserves

Each HEI should submit the SWB nomination form issued by NHSBSA Student Services completed in full, including all students nominated for an SWB and the list of all other students who are eligible for an SWB but have not been allocated an SWB (reserves). Reserve students should be listed in order, with reserve 1 being the first student eligible for an unused SWB, reserve 2 the next and so on.

Submission of final college place notification (FCPN)

Each HEI should submit the template issued by NHSBSA Student Services listing those students who have enrolled. This must be a complete list of all enrolees as this information will be used to release payments to those individuals who are named by their HEI as having formally enrolled on to the course.

Any enrolment confirmation received after the deadline will not be considered.

Completion of SWB nomination and/or FCPN process and movement of reserves onto SWBs

NHSBSA Student Services will issue any remaining unused SWBs to students that the HEI has listed as eligible but who had not been allocated an SWB, in the order described above.

Close

This date signifies the end of all activity relating to the intake. This exercise will close on the specified deadline and no other reserves will be considered beyond this date for that particular intake. Any bursary funded places that are unallocated at this point will be forfeited.

Table 5a: general NHSBSA processing timeline

Action or activity	DHSC	NHSBSA Student Services	HEI
Publish SWB and ESG information pack	April 2025	Not applicable	Not applicable
Issue templates to HEIs	Not applicable	May 2025	Not applicable
For all intakes, confirm to DHSC the actual student intake for UG and PG courses for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 academic years	Not applicable	Not applicable	31 October  2025
For all intakes, confirm to DHSC the planned student intake for UG and PG courses for 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 academic years	Not applicable	Not applicable	31 October 2025
For all intakes, confirm to DHSC the start dates of courses for UG and PG courses for the 2025 to 2026 academic year	Not applicable	Not applicable	31 October 2025

Table 5b1: cohort-specific activity - September and October 2025 intake

Action or activity	DHSC	NHSBSA Student Services	HEI	Student
Student applications to NHSBSA	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	31 October 2025
HEI submission to NHSBSA of SWB nominations of full list of eligible SWB students and reserves	Not applicable	Not applicable	15 August 2025	Not applicable
HEI submission to NHSBSA of FCPN of eligible students	Not applicable	Not applicable	31 October 2025	Not applicable
Completion of SWB nominations and/or FCPN process and movement of reserves onto receiving an SWB	Not applicable	28 November 2025	Not applicable	Not applicable
Close	5 December 2025	5 December 2025	5 December 2025	5 December 2025

Table 5b2: cohort-specific activity - January 2026 intake

Action or activity	DHSC	NHSBSA Student Services	HEI	Student
Student applications to NHSBSA	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	22 February 2026
HEI submission to NHSBSA of SWB nominations of full list of eligible students and reserves	Not applicable	Not applicable	12 December 2025	Not applicable
HEI submission to NHSBSA of FCPN of eligible SWB students	Not applicable	Not applicable	16 January 2026	Not applicable
Completion of SWB nominations and/or FCPN process and movement of reserves onto receiving an SWB	Not applicable	20 February 2026	Not applicable	Not applicable
Close	27 February 2026	27 February 2026	27 February 2026	27 February 2026

Table 5b3: cohort-specific activity - March 2026 intake

Action or activity	DHSC	NHSBSA Student Services	HEI	Student
Student applications to NHSBSA	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	20 March 2026
HEI submission to NHSBSA of SWB nominations of full list of eligible students and reserves	Not applicable	Not applicable	27 March 2026	Not applicable
Submission of FCPN	Not applicable	Not applicable	3 April 2026	Not applicable
Completion of SWB nominations and/or FCPN process and movement of reserves onto receiving an SWB	Not applicable	10 April 2026	Not applicable	Not applicable
Close	30 April 2026	30 April 2026	30 April 2026	30 April 2026

Tuition fee invoices

HEIs should submit invoices for postgraduate student SWBs to NHSBSA Student Services after 1 December 2025 for September starters and 1 March 2026 for January starters.

Universities have their own independent invoice system. However, each invoice for a postgraduate SWB should include standard information such as:

• the student’s name
• course
• academic year for which the invoice applies
• the amount of fee being invoiced

Payment dates for students

The SWB is paid to eligible students in 3 instalments. Each instalment will also include the PTA.

The first instalment will be paid no later than 10 working days from the date NHSBSA Student Services receives confirmation of course enrolment, attendance and SWB allocation, or 10 working days from the date the SWB notification letter is issued, whichever is later.

Instalments 2 and 3 will be made in synchronisation with the start of each term for all students. Details on dates will be published on the NHSBSA Student Services website.

Placement Travel Allowance (PTA)

Students not included on the HEI SWB shortlist will be paid the PTA when and if their application has been assessed as eligible. This will normally be no later than 10 working days from the date NHSBSA Student Services receives confirmation of student enrolment and attendance, or 10 working days from the date of the notification letter, whichever is later.

Childcare allowance

Based on the information included in their application, NHSBSA Student Services will pay a childcare allowance to eligible students in receipt of a postgraduate SWB in 3 instalments, one for each term of the academic year. These will be paid separately to the postgraduate SWB instalments.

The first instalment will be paid no later than 10 working days from the date on the notification of entitlement or no later than 10 working days from the date NHSBSA Student Services receives confirmation of course enrolment, attendance and place on the HEI short list, whichever is the latter.

The second and third instalments will be paid when NHSBSA Student Services has verified the amount paid to the childcare provider for the preceding term. NHSBSA Student Services will contact the childcare provider directly to confirm these costs.

Education Support Grant 2025 to 2026 academic year

Overview

This section provides information on the process for the Education Support Grant (ESG) 2025 to 2026 academic year.

The ESG provides funding for HEIs and social worker placement providers (particularly local authorities) to support practice placements and skills development days which are a requirement of social worker education, as well as the HEI administration fee involved. To qualify as a social worker both undergraduate and postgraduate student social workers must undertake 170 days of statutory and non-statutory practice learning placements and 30 skill development days. Funding for the ESG also supports people who draw on care and support and unpaid carers to be involved on the development and delivery of the social work undergraduate and postgraduate courses in England.

In October 2025 NHSBSA will ask HEIs for information on the number of placement days for the next academic year. HEIs will be given the opportunity to revise their current year’s figures in April or May 2026.

At the end of November 2025, HEIs will need to report on the actual number of placements expected to be delivered. The first instalment of ESG funding will be paid based on estimated figures. The second instalment is paid based on revised figures. 

At the end of the agreement period where the actual figures show that any under or overspend has occurred, NHSBSA will adjust the second instalment of the following year’s funding accordingly.

Table 6: ESG rates

Item	Rates
Practice placement days	£20 per day
Skills development days	£10 per day
HEI administration fee	£2 per day
Service user and carer involvement in the development and delivery of the social work UG and PG degree	£7,400 per HEI (subject to criteria)

HEIs will need to follow the process below to claim the funding. ESG funding is only available in support of eligible social work qualification courses. Details are available on the NHSBSA Student Services website and specifically in the publication ‘Education Support Grant, A university’s guide to arrangements for ESG funding’ (link available above). There is no difference in either the rates or the claiming process for HEIs that are or are not part of the teaching partnership programme.

Table 7: timeline for claiming ESG

Activity	Timescales
NHSBSA Student Services requests initial estimates of student cohort’s placement and skills days for the 2025 to 2026 academic year from HEIs	By 31 October 2025
HEIs provide initial estimates of student cohorts placement and skills days for the 2025 to 2026 academic year to NHSBSA Student Services	By 30 November 2025
NHSBSA Student Services calculates the ESG for HEIs	By 30 November 2025
NHSBSA Student Services pays first ESG instalment to HEIs	By 31 January 2026
NHSBSA Student Services requests revised estimates of student cohort’s placement and skills days for the 2025 to 2026 academic year from HEIs	By 30 April 2026
HEIs return revised estimates of student cohorts’ placement and skills days for the 2025 to 2026 academic year to NHSBSA Student Services	By 31 May 2026
NHSBSA Student Services uses the methodology to calculate and revise the estimates for the second ESG instalment for HEIs	By 30 June 2026
NHSBSA Student Services pays second ESG instalment to HEIs including any relevant adjustments	By 31 July 2026
HEIs submit tracking data as per NHSBSA Student Services requirements	Between 30 November 2025 and 31 January 2026

Annex A: 2025 SWB allocation

The table below sets out the allocation of SWB to HEIs. The figures below are in addition to the number of SWB recipients in the 2024 to 2025 academic year. The total number of SWB payable in the 2025 to 2026 academic year may include a small number of students (mainly part time) who started their course before the introduction of the year.

2025 to 2026 allocations 

HEI name	Undergraduate	Postgraduate
Anglia Ruskin University - Cambridge	92	56
Bath, University of	24	0
Bedfordshire, University of	14	16
Birmingham, University of	45	17
Birmingham City University	105	25
Bolton, University of	16	34
Bournemouth University	23	15
Bradford College	29	0
Bradford, University of	24	25
Brighton, University of	22	20
Bristol, University of	0	10
Brunel University London	0	32
Buckinghamshire New University	22	18
Canterbury Christ Church University	42	27
Cardiff University	0	2
Central Lancashire, University of	92	43
Chester, University of	23	30
Chichester, University of	30	20
Coventry University	50	19
Cumbria, University of	10	15
De Montfort University	48	20
Derby, University of	40	13
Dundee, University of	0	2
Durham, University of	0	16
East Anglia, University of	25	15
East London, University of	40	40
Edge Hill University	34	16
Edinburgh, University of	2	3
Essex, University of	50	25
Glasgow Caledonian University	0	2
Gloucestershire, University of	30	20
Greenwich, University of	49	23
Havering College	0	0
Heart of Worcestershire College (previously North East Worcs)	0	0
Hertfordshire, University of	40	36
Huddersfield, University of	33	23
Hull, University of	53	32
Keele University	47	0
Kent, University of	23	25
Kingston University	57	25
Lancaster University	28	0
Leeds, University of	41	0
Leeds Beckett University	50	28
Leeds Trinity University	0	12
Lincoln, University of	31	15
Liverpool Hope University	26	29
Liverpool John Moores	0	24
London, University of Goldsmith’s College	21	20
London, University of Royal Holloway College	0	33
London Metropolitan University	49	50
London South Bank University	78	79
Manchester, University of	0	36
Manchester Metropolitan University	71	34
Middlesex University	46	50
New College Durham	16	0
Newman University	0	0
Northampton, University of	22	25
Northumbria University	55	18
City College Norwich	0	0
Nottingham, University of	41	14
Nottingham Trent University	22	15
Oxford Brookes University	30	20
Plymouth University	22	10
Portsmouth, University of	52	15
Ruskin College	0	0
Salford, University of	70	36
Sheffield, University of	0	0
Sheffield Hallam University	62	20
Southampton Solent University	23	10
South Wales, University of	1	0
Staffordshire University	49	20
Stirling, University of	1	1
Strathclyde University	2	2
Suffolk, University Campus of	6	0
Sunderland, University of	25	20
Sussex, University of	20	13
Swansea University	1	1
Teesside, University of	42	10
UWIC - Llandaff (Cardiff Met)	3	0
Warwick, University of	0	0
West of England, University of	38	0
West London, University of	0	0
Wiltshire College	0	0
Winchester, University of	27	13
Wolverhampton, University of	40	26
Worcester, University of	20	22
Wrexham University	7	0
York St John University	0	0
York, University of	25	19
Total	2,397	1,500