Student Finance Centre

NHS Funded Students

This page is relevant to you if you will be a new student starting your course in 2013/14 for the first time.  If you started your studies in 2012/13 or earlier please visit our current students section.

NHS courses are funded differently from standard degree courses. Courses currently covered by NHS funding at the University of Portsmouth are:

• DipHE Operating Department Practice/(Rodp)
• BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene And Dental Therapy
• BSc (Hons) Radiography (Diagnostic)
• BSc (Hons) Radiography (Therapeutic)

The information below relates to the 2012/13 academic year. Information for 2013/14 will be published here as soon as the NHS makes it available.

Please note, you may be eligible for an NHS Bursary even if you have already had public funding for higher education. If you have previously had an NHS Bursary and wish to switch professions, you may also be eligible.

• Tuition Fees

  BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene And Dental Therapy
  BSc (Hons) Radiography (Diagnostic)
  BSc (Hons) Radiography (Therapeutic)
  

  Home and EU students studying on the above courses will have their fees paid in full by the NHS. If you study on one of these courses, the University will be paid these fees directly by the NHS. You do not need to apply for a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England.

  DipHE Operating Department Practice (RODP)

  Home and EU students studying on the above course will have £7,980 paid towards their fees by the NHS. If you study on this course you will need to pay the remaining tuition fee cost of £520 yourself. You cannot access a tuition fee loan to cover this amount.

• NHS Bursaries

  Support for living costs is only available to home students. EU students can only receive help with their fees.

  All Home (UK) NHS students will be eligible for a small non-means tested grant from the NHS and a reduced rate non-means-tested loan from Student Finance England. Some students will also be able to apply for a means tested bursary from the NHS based on household income. Different rates of means tested bursary and loan will apply according to where a student lives and studies, whether in London, outside of London, or with their parents.

  The maximum support available (based on a 30 week course) will be:

  Students studying outside of London and living in student/rented accommodation/your own home

  • • Non means-tested grant: £1,000
    • Maximum means-tested bursary: £2,591
    • Non means-tested maintenance loan: £2,324

  Students studying outside of London and living with parents

  • • Non means-tested grant: £1,000
    • Maximum means-tested bursary: £2,163
    • Non means-tested maintenance loan: £1,744

  For courses over 30 weeks and 3 days in duration an additional weekly allowance is paid of £82 a week for students living away from their parents and £54 a week for students living with parents. The additional weekly allowance will be paid up to a maximum of 45 weeks. For periods of study over 45 weeks payment is made for a full 52 weeks. Students are generally assessed on their parents' (or partners' if over 25) gross taxable income for the previous tax year. Some disregards of income for pension scheme contributions and financially dependent children are applied.

  Students can also claim help with travel costs to their placements, if they incur additional costs to those incurred when travelling to their university.

  Some additional grants are paid to students who have disabilities and or dependent children. These additional allowances will be assessed by the NHS Grants Unit when they calculate your bursary entitlement.

  For more information visit the NHS Bursaries pages.

  • Parents' Learning Allowance (income assessed)

    An allowance of up to £1,180 is payable to students with financially dependent children.

  • Dependants' Allowance (income assessed)

    These are payable if you have any adults or children who financially depend on you whilst you are studying. £2,400 is payable for a first child/dependent spouse and additional dependent children qualify for £539.

  • Childcare Grant (income assessed)

    This award will cover 85% of any registered or approved childcare you incur (for one child the maximum payable amount will be £126.65 a week, for two or more children the maximum payable will be £187.85).

  • Disabled Students' Allowance (non-income assessed)

    If you have a disability you may be entitled to a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), which is provided to help with any costs you may incur whilst attending your course and as a direct result of your disability. The DSA is divided into three seperate allowances, up to £5,162 once per course for equipment, up to £20,520 per year for non-medical helpers and up to £1,724 per year for general costs.

• Student Loans

  As well as the NHS bursaries, a reduced maintenance loan of £2,324 (or £1,744 if living in the parental home) is available for students undertaking NHS courses.

  You should apply online at Student Finance England and you are advised to apply as early as possible. When applying it is important that you read the questions carefully, and tick the box indicating that you are applying for a means-tested NHS bursary. You will need to supply evidence of your NHS bursary at a later stage but do not wait for this before you apply for the loan.

  For information about loan repayments visit our repaying your student loan page.

• How to apply

  If you accept an offer to study an NHS funded course your department will contact the NHS Grants Unit who will send you an invite to apply online for the NHS bursary and any additional allowances you may be entitled to. You can also register to apply online at the NHS Bursaries website. You should apply for your student loan online at Student Finance England.