Version 5 Funding your healthcare course 2018-19 with charts

Funding a healthcare course 2018/19

There are two routes of funding for healthcare students on the following courses at Cardiff University.
NHS funding for those committed to working in Wales for two years after qualifying, or full Student
Finance funding.

• Diagnostic Radiography and Imaging (BSc)
• Occupational Therapy (BSc/Postgraduate Diploma)
• Nursing (BN)
• Midwifery (BMid)
• Radiotherapy and Oncology (BSc)
• Physiotherapy (BSc)
• Dental Therapy and Hygiene (BSc)
• Dental Hygiene (DipHE)

• Operating Department Practice (BSc)

Key points: Tuition fees paid by the NHS. Less funding for living costs. Less borrowing.
Student Loan for tuition fees. More funding for living costs. More borrowing.
NHS funding route:
Student Finance route:

Working in Wales commitment

All home UK and EU applicants will need to consider the Working in Wales commitment when deciding
on the funding route for the course. A FAQ and terms & conditions about the Working in Wales
commitment is available on the ‘NHS Wales Student Awards Service’ (NHS SAS) website.

If you have any queries about the terms & conditions of this commitment please contact the NHS SAS
directly via - email: [email protected] OR telephone: 029 2090 5380.

Applying for funding

You can apply for funding when you have accepted an offer of a place to study. At the time you accept an
offer of a place you will receive guidance on how to register your decision on the Working in Wales
Commitment and how to apply for funding. You will be given time to make your decision about the
Working in Wales Commitment and to apply for funding.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are £9,000 per year for courses starting in 2018/19.

NHS funding covers tuition fees and is not income assessed.
The Student Finance route offers the option to cover tuition fees via a Tuition Fee Loan.

Previous Study and funding

NHS Funding route
Currently, previous study in higher education doesn’t affect eligibility for further funding via the NHS
route including the reduced rate of Maintenance Loan (Note: PG Diploma OT students are NOT eligible for
the reduced rate of Maintenance Loan).

Student Finance route
If you studied previously in higher education, this will affect your eligibility and entitlement for further
funding via Student Finance.

Currently, students from Wales with a first degree are not eligible to apply for further funding via Student
Finance Wales to study a healthcare course in the UK. Students from England with a first degree are not
eligible to apply for further funding via Student Finance England to study a healthcare course in Wales.

If you are from Northern Ireland or Scotland, please check with your funding authority about your

Funding for living costs

NHS Funding route
Funding consists of 3 basic elements. A non-income assessed NHS Grant of £1,000 per year. An
income assessed NHS Bursary which can vary for some courses based on the course you study and Year
of the course. A non-income assessed reduced rate of Maintenance Loan which can vary depending on
where you are from in the UK.

Student Finance route
Funding consists of a Maintenance Loan only if you are from England and a combination of Maintenance
Loan and non-repayable Grant for other home UK students.

Students with children
Extra income assessed support is available via both funding routes for students with children to help with
living costs and with registered childcare costs. Please see our separate guide for more details.

Living at home while studying

Funding is reduced if you live in the parental
home while studying in recognition that you
would not be expected to pay a commercial
rent.

This reduction to funding includes students
treated as independent.





How funding for living costs is income assessed

Funding for living costs via either funding route may be assessed on your parent’s income OR the
income of your partner or spouse. The assessment determines how funding for living costs is made up.

Your earnings prior to the course and during it, if applicable, are usually disregarded. Parental income
includes the income of a step-parent or partner of a natural parent. Parental income can be assessed if
you are single but this won’t be done if you are treated as an independent student.

An independent student is someone who: Has care of a dependent child OR has been married or has
entered into a civil partnership OR has no living parents/is estranged from parents OR has supported
themselves from their own resources for a total of 36 months before the start of the course. Time in full
-time education cannot count as a period of being financially self-supporting.

Under the full Student Finance route students aged 25 or over are treated as independent, this does not
apply to the NHS funding route.

Extra study weeks and funding

With the exception of Occupational Therapy all our
healthcare degree courses have extra study weeks
which extends each academic year beyond 9 months

Midwifery has 15 extra weeks each year,
Nursing 12 extra weeks each year and
ODP 10-12 extra weeks each year.
Other courses have between 5 and 12 extra weeks
depending on the Year of the course.

Under the NHS funding route £84 per extra week is added to the NHS Bursary. Under the Student
Finance route £120 per extra week is added to the Maintenance Loan for students from Wales and £84
per extra week for students from England. Funding for extra study weeks is part of the overall income
assessment. In most cases extra student weeks allowance is payable where income is under £45,000.

Help with placement costs

Home UK students funded via the NHS or Student Finance can apply for help with placement costs. EU
students who are funded for tuition fees only are NOT eligible for help with placement costs.

Help is based on the cost of a return journey from your home (term-time address) to the placement LESS
the cost of the return journey from your home (term-time address) to Cardiff University e.g. your normal
commute to attend university.

If you have to pay for accommodation at your placement location you can apply for help with this cost if
you also incur accommodation costs for your normal term-time address.

You apply for help for placement costs via the University and guidance on how to do this will be provided.

Learning Support

If you require learning support related to a disability,
long-term physical or mental health condition, or a
specific learning difficulty, there is a non-income
assessed allowance that may help with associated costs
of this support.

The allowance is called the Disabled Students Allowance
(DSA).

To find out more, please contact our Disability and
Dyslexia team at [email protected] or
[email protected].

You apply for the DSA via the NHS Wales Student Awards
Service or Student Finance according to how you are
funded for your course.

Students from N Ireland Students from Scotland

If you opt in to NHS funding you apply for funding via the NHS Wales Student Awards Service for tuition
fees support, the NHS Bursary and the NHS Grant. Students from N Ireland can also apply for a Reduced
Rate of Maintenance Loan. If you are from Scotland you will need to check with the Student Awards
Agency for Scotland (SAAS) about applicable additional support.

If you decide to opt out of NHS funding we recommend that you contact Student Finance N Ireland or the
SAAS directly to ascertain what support you can apply for.

EU Students

EU students starting a healthcare course in 2018/19 who commit to working in Wales for two years post
qualification can apply for help with tuition fees via the NHS Wales Student Awards Service (NHS SAS).

Subject to eligibility conditions EU students who
do not make this commitment can apply for help
with tuition fees via Student Finance.

Subject to residence conditions Non-UK EU
students who have lived in the UK prior to the
course may be eligible to apply for help with
living costs. For further advice about eligibility
and entitlement to funding as an EU student
contact us.