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 uniforms and tools, as well as Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, visas and inoculation costs.

Placement Opportunity Fund 2019-20

Eligibility

The money available is specifically for UK Home students enrolled on a full time, BU undergraduate course and who meet the following criteria:

Either household income of £25,000 per year or less

OR

Household income of £40,000 per year or less together with at least one of the following:
- Mature students - HESA benchmark 21 or over
- Additional learning needs/disability
- Care leaver
- Students from low participation neighbourhoods
- Black Minority Ethnic
- First in family to attend university
- Female students taking STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)

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

How to apply

Awards from the fund will be made on a first-come, first-served basis to those meeting the eligibility criteria. Visit MyCareerHub to find out more about who can apply for this support and to complete the online form.

When to apply

You must apply to this fund prior to your placement commencing (e.g. if support is needed for interview) or during the placement itself. You cannot apply after your placement has finished.

Please note: It can take up to 20 working days to process your application.

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.

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 25p 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)
Travel to commence placement and return at the end of placement - UK or overseas (excludes general commuting costs)	£1,000 Maximum Evidence required: Travel receipt(s)
Clothing for interview	£100 Maximum Evidence required: Proof of purchase Invitation to interview(s)
Essential clothing/uniform/tools/equipment or other related essential costs	£300 Maximum Evidence required: Proof of requirement Proof of purchase
Visas and inoculations	£500 Maximum Evidence required: Proof of purchase
Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks	Government fee only payable (£26-£44 at time of publication of this form). We will not pay for external agency checking of DBS application forms. Evidence required: Confirmation from employer that DBS check is required and employer does not cover this cost Proof of purchase
Fee required by third party agency/company for placement	£500 Maximum Evidence required: Confirmation from employer that fee is required
Commuting cost (whilst on unpaid or expenses only placement)	£20/week up to 15 weeks Evidence required: Proof of travel costs: train/bus tickets, fuel purchase (receipts or bank statements)