Update on funding arrangements and opportunities for eligible pre-registration occupational therapy programmes (ENGLAND only)

General guidance has been released by the NHS Business Services Authority about bursaries for continuing students (2017) and includes information about:

• Ongoing bursaries for healthcare students who began studying before 2017
• Guidance for completing your practice placement expenses claim
• Information on how to apply for Childcare allowances
• Information on disabled students allowance
• Tips to help you complete your bursary application.
   

It has been very difficult to secure any information about funding arrangements for pre-registration masters programmes, despite many attempts by RCOT and other AHP colleagues to elicit a response from the Departments of Education (DfE) and Health  (DH). This is having an impact on prospective students and HEIs who are unable to provide accurate details about how/if studies for Masters students might be supported in the academic years ahead – eg. from 2018/19 onwards. We have information from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) who have been able to confirm that they are also awaiting an announcement ‘imminently’, however the delay appears to be related to government procedures and therefore not within the gift of any external agency to make comment on. Hefce has advised however, that it is possible for HEIs to write to them with practical examples of how lack of clarity about future funding is impacting on their programmes – by comparing this year’s application numbers to last year’s for example. These examples can be anonymous.  See contact details for Hefce.  

Following the Government’s Healthcare Education Funding Reform consultation, new students on Nursing, Midwifery and some Allied Health Professional courses who started their course on or after 1 August 2017 should apply to the Student Loans Company for their tuition fees and maintenance loan. In addition to this, the Department of Health established a new Learning Support Fund to provide extra financial support to eligible students on these courses. Watch this helpful video which illustrates the availability of learning support for students. 

The LSF is made up of three allowances:

Child Dependants Allowance (CDA)

This provides eligible students who have one or more dependent children under 15 years, or under 17 years if registered with special educational needs, a grant of £1,000. This is paid in three termly installments and you need to reapply for this at the start of each academic year while in study. Please note, you must apply for this element within nine months of the first date of the current academic year otherwise it cannot be paid.

Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE)

A key part of your course is attending practice placements, and with this could be additional expenses relating to travel and possibly temporary accommodation while on placements. This element of LSF allows eligible students to claim back their expenses. Please note, you must apply for your expenses within nine months of the date they were incurred otherwise they cannot be paid.

Exceptional Support Fund (ESF)  

Time at university can bring financial worries, and some students may find themselves in severe and genuine unexpected financial hardship. If this occurs, this element of the LSF allows eligible students to apply for a grant of up to £3,000 per academic year to cover any shortfall between income and expenditure.

Where can I find more information?

Read the NHSBSA Student Services guidance booklet for LSF. You can find this on their website, together with information about eligibility and other materials.

EU students will continue to be eligible for undergraduate, masters, postgraduate and advanced learner financial support in academic year 2018 to 2019 as arrangements for BREXIT are confirmed.  See further details on this.