What Funding Can I Get As A Student Nurse?

Money worries are one of the biggest causes of stress for student nurses. With long placement hours making part-time work difficult, it’s vital to know exactly what you’re entitled to — and how to claim it. This guide walks you through every stream of support.

Nursing degrees are different from most university courses. Because of the professional nature of your training — including substantial clinical placement time — there are additional funding streams alongside standard student finance. Some are universal; some depend on where you live, your household income, or whether you’ve studied at degree level before. Let’s break it all down.

1. The Basics: Tuition Fees & Standard Maintenance Loan

Like other undergraduate students, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover the full cost of your course, and a Maintenance Loan to help with living costs. These are processed through your home nation’s student finance body and are repaid alongside any other student loans after you qualify.

🎓 Tuition Fee Loan

Covers the full cost of your tuition fees — up to £9,250 per year in England. Paid directly to your university. You do not need to pay this upfront.

Eligibility: Available to most UK students studying their first degree. Repayable once earning over the threshold.

🏠 Maintenance Loan

Helps with rent, food, bills, and daily living. The amount depends on your household income and where you live while studying.

Up to £13,022 per year (2025/26 rates — living away from home, outside London)

Key point: This is means-tested — the lower your household income, the higher the loan. Paid directly into your bank account at the start of each term. Repayable alongside your tuition fee loan.

2. NHS Funding — The Nursing Support Fund

This is what sets nursing students apart from many others — the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF), introduced in England in 2020. It is not a loan — you do not pay it back.

💰 Standard Training Grant

A tax-free, non-repayable grant available to all eligible pre-registration nursing students in England.

£5,000 per year — non-means tested, everyone gets it

Eligibility: Studying an eligible pre-registration nursing degree in England; ordinarily resident in the UK; not in receipt of a salary or sponsorship.

✅ Paid in 3 equal instalments across the academic year

➕ Extra Grant — Specialist & Disadvantaged

Additional top-ups available on top of the standard £5,000:

Specialist subject uplift: Up to £1,000 extra per year if studying mental health or learning disabilities nursing
Disadvantaged recruitment area: Up to £2,000 extra per year if your university is in one of the designated priority areas
Childcare support: Up to £2,000 per child per year towards registered childcare costs
Parent’s Learning Allowance: Additional help with course-related costs if you have children

Important distinction: If you started your course before September 2020, you may be on the older NHS Bursary scheme instead. This works differently — fixed payments but no standard Maintenance Loan. Check your start date carefully.

3. Funding By Nation — England, Scotland, Wales, NI

It’s easy to assume funding is the same everywhere — it is not. Here’s how the other nations differ:

Nation	Key Scheme	Tuition	Living Support
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	NHS Learning Support Fund	Loan available	£5,000 grant + Maintenance Loan
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland	NHS Bursary (SAAS)	Free / SAAS covers	Bursary + living cost support
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales	NHS Wales Bursary	Grant covers fees	Maintenance grant + £1,000 annual grant
🇬🇧 Northern Ireland	HSC Bursary	Tuition loan available	HSC grant + Maintenance Loan

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland

Student nurses in Scotland do not pay tuition fees — these are covered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). You receive a bursary for living costs — some means-tested, some fixed — and may also be eligible for supplementary grants. The bursary is non-repayable.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales

The NHS Wales Bursary pays your tuition fees in full and provides a maintenance grant (means-tested) plus a fixed £1,000 per year living cost grant. In return, you commit to working in NHS Wales for up to 2 years post-qualification if a suitable role is offered.

🇬🇧 Northern Ireland

The Health and Social Care (HSC) Bursary provides non-repayable support alongside standard student finance. Rates differ from England — check the HSCBSA website for current values.

4. Additional Support — Who Can Claim More?

There are specific groups who qualify for extra help — don’t miss these:

👩‍👦 Students With Children

Nursing is hard enough — juggling it with children brings extra costs. You may be entitled to:

Childcare Grant (Student Finance): Up to 85% of registered childcare costs — paid alongside your Maintenance Loan
NHS LSF Childcare Support: Up to £2,000 per child per year — on top of the standard grant
Parents’ Learning Allowance: Up to £1,900+ per year for course-related costs
Universal Credit: May be payable alongside student finance — get a benefits check to confirm your entitlement

🎓 Second Degree / Postgraduate Students

Already have a degree in another subject? You still qualify — but the route changes:

Standard route: If your first degree was in a non-nursing subject, you apply as a new student — NHS LSF still applies
Postgraduate pre-registration: You may access the postgraduate LSF — different rates, often including a training grant
Maintenance Loan: Eligibility can be affected — check with Student Finance early

♿ Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, or specific learning difficulty, DSA covers extra study-related costs — equipment, travel, or support workers — incurred because of your condition.

Not means-tested — not repayable. Apply through your standard student finance application.

💼 NHS Hardship Funds & University Support

When money gets genuinely tight — placement hours mean you can’t pick up extra shifts, or an unexpected bill hits — there are safety nets:

NHS LSF Hardship Fund: One-off payments for students in severe financial difficulty — apply through NHSBSA
University Access to Learning Funds: Most universities have discretionary hardship grants — ask your student support team
Trust-specific support: Some placement trusts offer local travel assistance or uniform allowances — ask your practice education team

5. Apprenticeship Route — How Funding Differs

If you’re training via the Nursing Degree Apprenticeship route, funding works completely differently — and this catches many people out:

✅ What’s different:

You do not pay tuition fees — your employer covers them
You earn a salary throughout training — usually Band 3 or Band 4
You cannot claim the standard Maintenance Loan or NHS LSF — you are employed, not a standard student
Your employer may still support you with study leave, resources, and professional fees

Bottom line: Regular income = no loan needed, but you miss out on the grants. Weigh up what matters most to you — immediate income or lower hours and grant support.

6. Practical Tips — Maximise Your Income & Reduce Stress

Money stress affects your wellbeing, your studies, and your placement performance. These steps make a real difference:

Do This Early

Apply on time — every year. Student Finance and NHS LSF take weeks to process. Late applications don’t get paid late — they cause genuine hardship. Apply as soon as the portal opens, even if you haven’t finalised your university place yet.
Declare all household income accurately. Under-reporting means less support — and repayment later.
Keep your student finance team updated. Change of address, name, or bank account? Let them know immediately — delays happen when details don’t match.

Placement & Living Costs

Travel to placement: If your placement is further from your term-time address than your university base, you may claim additional travel costs through your university. Keep every receipt — bus, train, petrol, parking.
Uniform & equipment: Most trusts provide uniforms. If you need to buy shoes, stethoscopes, or bags, check if your university or placement trust offers an allowance — some do, some don’t.
Working alongside placement: It’s possible — many students do — but be realistic. Placement is full-time plus study time. Don’t commit to hours that will compromise your registration or your health.

Final Thought

You chose nursing to care for others — and you deserve to be cared for too. Financial worry shouldn’t be part of your training. The support is there — but it’s rarely well-explained, and the rules change. Read the fine print, ask the questions, and claim what’s yours. You’ve earned it.

If in doubt — speak up. Your university support team, your practice education lead, and your student union are all there to help. And if you’re struggling to make ends meet — there is no shame in saying so. It does not reflect on your ability to be a good nurse. It reflects on how hard this course is — and how much you’re already giving.

📚 Sources & Further Information

NHS Business Services Authority (2025) NHS Learning Support Fund — Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health Professions. Includes Training Grant, hardship, and childcare support eligibility and current rates.
Student Finance England Maintenance Loan & Tuition Fee Loan — Current Academic Year Rates. Government student finance portal.
Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) NHS Bursary — Pre-Registration Nursing & Midwifery. Scottish tuition and living support.
NHS Wales NHS Wales Bursary Scheme. Tuition coverage, maintenance grant, and service commitment terms.
Department of Health NI HSC Bursary Scheme — Student Nurses. Northern Ireland funding arrangements.
Disabled Students Allowance Eligibility & Application Guidance. Additional support for students with health conditions or disabilities.
NHSBSA / National Audit Office LSF Scheme Review — Transitional Arrangements & Updates. Confirms current scheme status and any planned changes.