Check upcoming open days and book your place

What’s the NHS midwifery bursary? 

To encourage more students to go into healthcare professions, the NHS offers extra funding and support for students on certain courses. These include nursing, medicine and dentistry courses, but also covers a lot of other healthcare roles including midwifery. The support you get depends on which country you live in, where you want to study and what course you’re studying. This guide is focusing only on support available to midwifery students. 

Who’s eligible for the NHS midwifery bursary? 

The funding is for UK residents and is based on you studying in the country you usually live in. Funding available is different in each country. You may be able to get funding if you study in a different UK country to your normal home, however. If you’re from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and looking to study in England, you may be able to access the English bursary. 

If you want to study in Wales, you may be able to access the support on the condition that you work for NHS Wales for two years after your course ends. 

Additional funding in Scotland and Northern Ireland is only available to students who are residents of that country. In Northern Ireland, you must’ve been a resident for three years prior to your course starting. 

You may be eligible for support even if it’s not your first degree, but support is more limited and will depend on where you’re studying and what your first degree was in. 

How much is the NHS midwifery bursary? 

Studying in England

The Learning Support Fund offers a range of different support. You may be eligible for some, but not all, of the support. 

Training fund 

All midwifery students eligible for the Learning Support Fund will receive a grant of £5,000 for each year of study. You’ll have to reapply each year. 

Parental support 

Students with children can apply for an annual grant of £2,000. This is pro-rata if you’re studying part-time and doesn’t affect your entitlement for childcare allowance. 

Travel and dual accommodation expenses 

If you’re undergoing a clinical practice placement that incurs higher travel costs than your normal expenses for travelling to uni, you can be reimbursed. You’ll be expected to use the cheapest transport and you’ll only receive reimbursement for costs on top of your normal commute costs. 

You can also claim for overnight accommodation if you have to live somewhere other than your normal termly accommodation to attend your placement. There’s a daily cap on the amount you can claim, and you can’t claim this if you’re staying with your parents. 

To claim expenses, you’ll need to submit your receipts within nine months. Your university must approve your form. 

Exceptional support fund 

This is means-tested support for students whose income doesn’t meet their expenses. You must’ve exhausted other options first, for example savings, money from part-time work and university hardship funds. 

You can get up to £3,000 per academic year from the exceptional support fund. You’ll have to submit bank statements and evidence to apply, and your university will need to authorise your application. You may apply multiple times in an academic year, and you can apply at any point within the year. 

Studying in Scotland

In Scotland, you’ll be eligible for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary scheme rather than the NHS bursary scheme provided your course leads to registration as a midwife, you haven’t received funding from the scheme before and you meet residency requirements. 

Tuition fees 

Your tuition fees will be paid for by the Scottish government if you’re on pre-registration courses. 

Bursary 

You’ll receive a bursary of £10,000 per year. This isn’t means-tested and covers the entire year. You may also be able to apply for the Dependents Allowances, Single Parents’ Allowance and Child Care Allowance.

Discretionary funding 

Extra funding for students facing hardships is available. You’ll apply for this through your university and this support will be means-tested. 

Studying in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has commissioned places on midwifery first-degree courses. These are only for Northern Ireland residents. You’ll be classed as a resident if you’ve lived in Northern Ireland for at least three consecutive years before your course starts. 

Tuition fees 

You’ll have your tuition fees paid for by the Northern Ireland Department of Health. 

Bursary 

The personal element of the bursary is not means-tested. The Department of Health keeps the amount under review, and for 2024 the value of the bursary is £5,165 per year. You may also be able to apply for a dependents’ element of the bursary, which may be means-tested. 

Hardship funding 

You can apply for extra support from the Student Support Fund if you’re facing financial hardship. 

Studying in Wales

To access support from NHS Wales, you’ll have to commit to working for NHS Wales for two years after your course ends. Only NHS Wales-approved courses are eligible for funding. 

Tuition fees 

Your tuition fees will be paid for by NHS Wales. 

Bursary 

All students will receive a £1,000 grant. You’ll also receive a means-tested bursary of up to £2,643. You’ll get a larger bursary if you live independently than if you live with your parents. You can also get extra support if your course lasts more than 30 weeks of the year. 

Student loan 

You may be eligible for a reduced student loan even if you’re in receipt of the NHS Wales bursary. You should apply via the student finance body for your home nation. If you‘re a graduate, you won’t be eligible for a student loan even if you get the NHS Wales bursary. 

How do you apply for the NHS midwifery bursary? 

How you apply will depend on where you study and what your home nation is. You should apply for your tuition loan and student loan through the student finance body for your home nation if you’re eligible for these loans.

For the additional NHS support, your application will depend on where you’re studying:

• If you’re studying in England, you’ll apply for the additional funding through the Learning Support Fund.
• If you’re studying in Scotland, you’ll apply through the Student Awards Agency Scotland in spring and no later than June.
• For students studying in Northern Ireland, your university will send you an application pack for the Bursary Administration Unit before your course starts.
• If you’re studying in Wales, you’ll need to apply to the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme as soon as you accept a place on an approved course as there are limited training places available.