The NHS Learning Support Fund (NHSLSF) for the 2021/22 academic year is now open for applications.
If you're continuing your healthcare studies in September 2021 you’ll receive an email from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) inviting you to apply for the fund. Don’t worry if you don’t get yours straight away, this email is being sent in stages to give NHSBSA Student Services enough time to process all your applications for the new academic year. Please wait for this email before you apply.
If you are due to continue your studies in January, February, March, April etc. you will be written to later in the year. This allows the NHS to process applications for students starting in September/October first.
What is the NHS Learning Support Fund?
The NHS Learning Support Fund (NHSLSF) is available to eligible students studying one of the following courses at a university in England as either an undergraduate or postgraduate:
- dietetics
- dental hygiene / dental therapy (level 5 and level 6 courses)
- midwifery
- nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning disability, joint nursing / social work)
- occupational therapy
- operating department practitioner (level 5 and level 6 courses)
- orthoptics
- orthotics and prosthetics
- paramedicine (including nurse paramedicine)
- physiotherapy (including MPhysio)
- podiatry / chiropody
- radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic)
- speech and language therapy
NHSLSF is made up of the following elements:
- Training Grant: a non-means tested grant of £5,000 each academic
- Parental Support: formerly known as Child Dependants Allowance, you can apply for £2,000 each academic year if you have parental responsibility for a child under 15 years old, or under 17 years if they’re registered with special educational needs. This is a set amount and is per student, not per child.
- Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE): you can claim reimbursement of any additional travel and temporary accommodation costs incurred as part of attending your practice placements.
- Exceptional Support Fund (ESF): a grant of up to £3,000 each academic year for students who find themselves in unforeseen financial hardship.
Am I eligible to apply?
To be eligible for NHSLSF you must be in receipt of, or at least eligible for, the full tuition fee and maintenance loan package from the Student Loan Company. If you are eligible but have chosen to not take out the full loan, we ask you for some extra details when you apply for NHSLSF. You will also be studying at a university in England and be in attendance at a specified date, this will depend on when you started your course.
When will I receive my first payment?
NHSLSF payments are staggered across three terms in-between your student finance payments. This allows you to receive a steady stream on funding throughout the academic year.
For students starting/resuming their course in September/October, the NHSBSA Student Services opens up invites to allow us to confirm your attendance from 1 November. Once we have done this your payments will be scheduled. You may notice an expected payment date in your account. This is an approximate date; depending on when we confirm your attendance you may receive your first payment earlier or later than this date.
More information
A frequently asked questions document is available from the NHS Business Services Authority to answer any questions you have about the fund. You can also find out more on the NHSBSA Student Services website and the latest updates on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
