Placement Opportunity Fund

If you're worried about the cost of going on a placement, you should check whether you are eligible for some additional financial support. BU offers funding to eligible students through the Placement Opportunity Fund.
The fund can help with expenses such as travel and clothing for interviews, travel to start placement, essential uniform and tools, as well as Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, visas and inoculations costs.

IMPORTANT - Make sure you meet the criteria listed below BEFORE applying for the fund. Also ensure you have all required evidence ready to be uploaded to the form.

Placement Opportunity Fund 2022-23

Standard eligibility

Applicants must be UK Home students enrolled on a full-time undergraduate BU course and meet the following criteria:

Household income of £25,000 or below (as calculated by Student Finance England/Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

Household income over £25,000 (as calculated by Student Finance England/Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland) and one or more of the following:
- Mature students - HESA benchmark 21 or over at start of course
- Additional learning needs/disability
- Care leaver
- Students from low participation neighbourhoods
- Black Asian or Minority Ethnic
- Female students taking STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Placements must be recorded in MyCareerHub/MyHub and approved by Faculty Placement Coordinators
Students on the following courses are not eligible to apply for this fund for UK based placements:
- BSc Nursing (all branches)
- BSc Midwifery
- BSc Occupational Therapy
- BSc Physiotherapy
- BSc Operating Department Practice
- BSc Paramedic Science
- BA Social Work

However, students on the above courses who undertake an official placement abroad (up to 4 weeks) may apply for support from this fund for costs relating to their placement abroad, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.

Channel Islands/EU/International students are not eligible to apply for this fund
Postgraduate students are not eligible to apply for this fund.

Placements abroad

Prior to applying to the Placement Opportunity Fund, students going on an official placement abroad should check whether they are eligible for funding through the Turing Scheme, as placements abroad funding should be accessed from the Turing Scheme in the first instance.

Any funding that cannot be covered through the Turing Scheme can then be considered through the Placement Opportunity Fund.

Students cannot be funded through the Turing Scheme and the Placement Opportunity Fund for the same specific costs.

How to apply

Awards from the fund will be made on a first-come, first-served basis to those meeting the standard eligibility criteria listed above. Visit MyCareerHub to complete the online form.

If you have already made an application to the Placement Opportunity Fund in this current academic year and you require further support or have additional evidence, please do not complete a further application, but email the Student Money Advice Team at [email protected] with your name and ‘Placement Opportunity Fund’ in the subject field.

When to apply?

What will be covered?

The Placement Opportunity Fund will assist students meeting the eligibility criteria with the following costs up to a maximum award available to any individual student of £3,000.

All evidence must clearly show your name (where possible), payment date and amount, and items purchased.

Item	Maximum amount to be awarded
Interview(s) expenses (travel and accommodation if required) - UK or overseas You must apply within 6 months from the date of the interview It is expected for students to use public transport where possible For students using their own transport (in absence of public transport) we will use the BU mileage rate of 45p per mile to calculate the travel expenses for the shortest route between the candidate’s home and the place of interview	£1,000 maximum Evidence required: Invitation to interview(s) Travel receipt(s)
Clothing for interview	£100 maximum Evidence required: Proof of purchase (clearly listing the items bought) Invitation to interview(s)
Travel to commence placement and return at the end of placement - UK or overseas (excludes general commuting costs)	£1,500 maximum Evidence required: Travel receipt(s)
Commuting costs	£400 maximum Evidence required: Proof of travel costs or expected travel costs: train/bus tickets, fuel purchase (receipts or bank statements)
Essential clothing/uniform/tools/equipment or other related essential costs	£300 maximum Evidence required: Proof of requirement by the employer Proof of purchase (clearly listing the items bought)
Visas and inoculations	£500 maximum Evidence required: Proof of purchase
Travel insurance	£100 Maximum Evidence required: Proof of purchase
Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks	UK government fee only payable (£18-£38 at time of publication of this form) £100 maximum for international DBS checks (External agency checking of DBS application forms are NOT covered by the fund). Evidence required: Confirmation from the employer that DBS check is required but not covered by the employer Proof of purchase
Fee required by third party agency/company for placement	£500 maximum Evidence required: Confirmation from employer or third party agency/company that the fee is required

*The minimum payment amount will be £10 for those students meeting the eligibility criteria.

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Placement Opportunity Fund