Student Grants, Bursaries & Scholarships

Types of student funding

• Maintenance grant
• Special Support Grant
• Travel Grant
• Disabled students grant
• NHS grants and funding
• Teaching grants and finance
• Access to Learning fund (for help whilst at uni)
• National Scholarship Programme (new from 2012)
• Bursaries Scholarships and awards

Maintenance Grant

The maintenance grant is one of the most common sources of student funding whilst at university. It is offered to students to help them to subsidise their living costs whilst at university.

You are eligible if:

• Your household income is below £42,611 for the year (£42,600 in 2012). This is your parents + your income. It applies even if you are living away from home.
• You have been a UK citizen for the past 3 years
• Your course leads to a recognised qualification (check with your university/college).

How much money can you get?

Below is a table of what you will be eligible for in maintenance grant dependent on household income.

The DirectGov website states that your student maintenance loan may be cut if you receive a grant. You will lose 50p of your maintenance loan for every £1 you receive as a grant.

How to apply

Simply choose to be income assessed when you apply for student finance here.

Special Support Grant

The special support grant is what you are eligible instead of a maintenance grant if you are on income or housing support. The main difference is that you are still able to claim the whole amount of your maintenance grant as opposed to it getting cut 50p for every £1.

You are eligible if:

• You are a single parent
• Your partner is also at university
• You have a disability
• You claim or are eligible for Income support or Housing benefit.

How much money can you get?

You could receive up to £3,345 for this student grant as the value is closely related to the maintenance grant values. What’s more, the special support grant does not count as an income so you will still be eligible for other benefits.

How to apply

Apply at the same time as applying for student finance here.

Travel Grant

Whilst you are at university (dependent on your course and location) you will have to do a lot of travelling. This student grant is quite selective but is there to help those that need it. Every little counts!

You are eligible if:

• You travel to a hospital as part of your medical, nursing etc. course
• You travel abroad to study for at least 50% of the term
• You are in full-time university education and
• You are receiving income based support.

How much money can you get?

Travel costs minus £303. You must use the cheapest form of transport in every situation which means taking the bus as opposed to a taxi.

How to apply

If you are on a medical placement then you will need to complete the SFE Clinical Study Travel Expenses Form. If you are study abroad then you will need to fill in SFE Course Abroad Form and SFE Travel Abroad Expenses Form.

Disabled Student Grant

If you have a disability then you may be eligible for extra funding whilst studying at university. There are a large number of disabilities covered. Mental-Health conditions and dyslexia are included.

You are eligible if:

• You are studying for a full time undergraduate or postgraduate course either at university or Open university and distance learning
• You suffer from a disability that affects your ability to work.

How much money can you get?

Depending on your situation the amount of money you will be eligible for from a student disabled grant greatly differs. You may be able to claim for specialist equipment (up to £5,161) a non-medical helper (up to £20,520) a general allowance (up to £1,724 a year) and travel allowances.

How to apply

In each case there will be different allowances so it’s best to check with student finance and take a look here.

NHS Bursary, Grant and Funding

If you are studying towards a medical degree or something similar then you may be able to claim a bursary through the NHS. It applies for social work, medicine, dentistry, or healthcare like nursing.

You are eligible if:

• You are studying towards a degree in social work, medicine, dentistry, or healthcare like nursing

How much money can you get?

£1,000 from the NHS grant, £3,263 maintenance loan from student finance, £5,460 bursary from the NHS The size of the bursary depends on a few factors that include: where you live, where you study, whether you live with your parents, how many hours you study a week & household income.

How to apply

You can apply for NHS student bursary and find more information here.

Teaching grants and finance

If you are looking into becoming a teacher then you can apply for the same grants, bursaries and funding as everyone else. However, you may also be eligible for some student finance through a teacher training course.

You are eligible if:

• You are on a full-time or part-time initial teacher training degree course such as a BEd, BSc or BA.
• You are studying for a full-time or part-time PGCE

How much money can you get?

You are able to apply for other finance sources on offer and the amount you could get depends on a wide variety of things.

How to apply

For more information on applying and for more information see here.

Access to Learning Fund

If you run into money and finance troubles while you are at university then there is an access to learning fund that you can apply for through all universities and colleges in England. The fund is there to help students who are in a bad debt situation and need money to help them carry on their studies to the end.

You are eligible if:

• You are a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate.

How much can you get?

There is no exact amount paid out for the access to learning fund and each case is individually looked at. The money is there to cover costs that you are struggling to pay that are not covered by other forms of finance.

How to apply

You will need to supply through student services at your university. If you are looking to apply for this type of funding then you need to make sure you are ready to let the student services scrutinise your bank statements and spending.

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme or (NSP) is set to be introduced in 2012/13 to encourage students from poorer backgrounds to still go to university despite the huge rise in fees. It won’t affect any of your other student loan or student grant entitlements.

You are eligible if:

• Your families income is below £25,000 a year
• You go to a participating university (check here).

How much can you get?

Each university receives a certain number of £3,000 contributions from the government and they have to match that which means each student is entitled to a £6,000 scholarship.

Each university will decide how the money is distributed and it could be anything from help with paying for accommodation to a £1,000 cash bursary.

How to apply

If your university is one of the participating institutions of the National Scholarship Programme then you will need to contact them directly to find out if you are fully eligible.

Bursaries, Scholarships & Awards

These forms of funding are given by universities, colleges, local charities and educational trusts. We have already seen two similar funding sources to this which are the National Scholarship Programme and the access to learning fund. It is paid in addition to your other loans and you do not have to pay it back at any point.

You are eligible if:

• You fit the criteria of the charity or university for a particular bursary or scholarship
• It is potentially open to everyone.

How much can you get?

It varies hugely in how much you can get from a bursary or scholarship.

How to apply

It is very tricky to look for and apply for bursaries and scholarships. There are a wide number of charities and universities that offer niche bursaries or scholarships that are right for you.

We have compiled a list of bursaries and scholarships on offer for you. You can look at student bursaries and student scholarships UK in our dedicated review. Read here.