NHS bursaries
Eligibility
Whether you can get an NHS bursary depends on:
- where you live
- your course
- your household income
- whether you’ve already had funding
Where you live
To be eligible to apply for an NHS bursary you must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years up to the start of the academic year.
You may still be eligible if you do not meet the residency requirements - find out more from the NHS Business Services Authority.
Your course
Whether you’re eligible depends on when your course starts.
You will not get an NHS bursary if you’re a first level nurse or midwife and you’re registering for a second field in nursing or midwifery.
If your course starts on or after 1 August 2018
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a doctor or dentist.
You can apply for an NHS bursary from your 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course.
If your course started in the 2017 to 2018 academic year
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a:
- doctor or dentist (you can apply for an NHS bursary from the 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course)
- dental hygienist or dental therapist
If your course started before 1 August 2017
You must be accepted for a place on a full or part-time NHS-funded course which will lead to you registering as a:
- doctor or dentist (you can apply for an NHS bursary from the 5th year on the 5 or 6 year undergraduate course or from your 2nd year on the 4 year accelerated graduate course)
- chiropodist (including podiatrist), dietician, occupational therapist, orthoptist, physiotherapist, prosthetist, orthotist, radiographer, radiotherapist, audiologist or a speech and language therapist
- dental hygienist or dental therapist
- nurse, midwife or operating department practitioner (degree or diploma course)
Household income
Your total bursary amount depends on your household income. This can be either your own income, your parents’ income, or that of your partner, spouse or civil partner.
If you’ve already had funding
You may be eligible for an NHS bursary even if you’ve already had public funding for higher education.
If you’ve had an NHS bursary and want to change professions, you may also be eligible.
Find out more from the NHS Business Services Authority.