Training Grant
£5,000 a year, not means tested
Both are run by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). You apply through an online account and reapply each year.
Quick facts
- Training Grant
- £5,000 a year, not means tested
- Specialist subjects
- £1,000 extra
- Parental Support
- £2,000 a year
- Apply
- Within 6 months of your academic year starting
- Medics and dentists
- NHS Bursary, from £1,081 a year
Who can get the Learning Support Fund
You must be on an eligible pre-registration course at a university in England, such as nursing, midwifery, paramedics, physiotherapy, radiography, dietetics or occupational therapy. Foundation years do not count.
You must also be eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support from Student Finance England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. You can still apply if you have not taken a student loan. If you get the NHS Bursary, you cannot get the Learning Support Fund.
How much the Learning Support Fund pays
- Training Grant: £5,000 per academic year, or a pro rata amount if you study part time
- Specialist Subject Payment: an extra £1,000 a year for mental health nursing, learning disability nursing, radiography, prosthetics and orthotics, orthoptics and podiatry
- Parental Support: £2,000 a year if you have a child under 15, or under 17 with special educational needs
- Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses: some extra placement travel or accommodation costs back
- Exceptional Support Fund: help if you hit unexpected financial hardship
The NHS Bursary for medical and dental students
The NHS Bursary is for medical and dental students who normally live in England. If you moved to England from elsewhere in the UK to study, you are not eligible.
On a 5 or 6 year course, you can apply for years 5 and 6. On a 4 year graduate course, you can apply for years 2, 3 and 4. For 2026 to 2027, everyone gets a £1,081 grant. The means tested bursary is up to £3,447 in London, £2,855 elsewhere, or £2,384 if you live with your parents.
The NHSBSA also pays a tuition fee contribution to your university, up to £9,790 on a 5 or 6 year course or £3,930 on a 3 or 4 year graduate course.
How to apply
Check your course is on the eligible list
The NHSBSA lists the eligible courses on its Learning Support Fund and NHS Bursary pages.
Create your online account
You apply by creating an NHS Learning Support Fund account, or an NHS Bursary account if you study medicine or dentistry.
Upload your student finance letter or ID
If you took a student loan, upload your award letter, or else ID such as a passport or driving licence.
Apply before the deadline
Apply within 6 months of your academic year starting for the Learning Support Fund, or 9 months for the NHS Bursary.
Reapply every year
You keep the account and will need to reapply each year.
Things to watch
Do not apply on any other system, or your application will be rejected.
Undergraduate pharmacy and healthcare science students can only claim the travel and accommodation part. They cannot get the Training Grant or the other allowances.
For the NHS Bursary means test, you do not need to declare money from part time or casual work.
Phone, forms and how long it takes
- NHS Learning Support Fund
- 0300 330 0521
- NHS Bursaries (medical and dental students)
- 0300 330 1345
- Apply: NHS Learning Support Fund account
- NHSBSA: Sign in or register for an NHS LSF account
- Apply: NHS Bursary account
- NHSBSA: Register for an NHS Bursary account
- Ask for an LSF appeal by post
- The Review Section NHS Learning Support Fund Student Services Bickerstaffe House 1 Bickerstaffe Square Blackpool FY1 3AH
- If you disagree with an LSF decision
- You can ask for your application to be independently reviewed.
- If you disagree with an NHS Bursary decision
- You can ask NHSBSA to review its decision on your bursary application.
From the official pages (nhsbsa.nhs.uk), re-checked every night. Numbers and times can change, so check the official page before you send anything.
Common questions
How much is the NHS Learning Support Fund?
A £5,000 Training Grant each academic year, plus £1,000 on some courses and £2,000 if you have a young child.
Do I have to pay the Learning Support Fund back?
The Training Grant is a non-means-tested grant, not a loan.
Can I get the NHS Bursary as a medical student?
Yes, from year 5 of a 5 or 6 year course, or from year 2 of a graduate course, if you normally live in England.
When do I need to apply for the Learning Support Fund?
Within 6 months of the start of your academic year. You reapply each year.
Can Northern Ireland students get the Learning Support Fund?
Yes, if you study an eligible course at a university in England and qualify for Student Finance Northern Ireland.