Healthcare Fees and Funding
There are potentially two different funding options for Healthcare degrees offered by USW.
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Related healthcare courses
Eligible healthcare courses at the University of South Wales are listed below. These healthcare courses have been commissioned by Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) and are specifically designed to support individuals' progress to registration in their chosen healthcare profession and support the future needs of NHS services and patients in Wales.
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (Learning Disabilities) - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (Child) - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Midwifery - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice (ODP) - Full Time
- BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy - Part Time
- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy - Part Time
- Nursing (Adult) Flexible Learning BSc - Part Time, not eligible for NHS route option
- Nursing (Child): Flexible Learning – BSc - Part Time, not eligible for NHS route option
- Nursing (Learning Disabilities) Flexible Learning BSc - Part Time, not eligible for NHS route option
- Nursing (Mental Health) Flexible Learning BSc - Part Time, not eligible for NHS route option
- Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Adult) - Full Time, eligible for NHS route option only
- Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Learning Disabilities) - Full Time, eligible for NHS route option only
- Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Mental Health) - Full Time, eligible for NHS route option only
Funding options
The funding available will depend on your course choice.
If you have the option of both the NHS and standard funding, you will need to decide which funding route is best for you as you can only access one and you cannot usually change part way through your studies. You will need to decide if you wish to commit to working in Wales for two years after completing your Healthcare degree. If yes, you can choose between NHS funding OR standard student funding. If no, you can apply for standard student funding according to your domicile.
In order to help you to decide, NHS Wales have provided the following information about the NHS Bursary Scheme. It is important that students read the information on this website carefully as it details how the NHS scheme will work and the implications of choosing this scheme.
If you have any queries about the funding available to you, or are unsure which is best, you can contact the Student Money Advice Team for further guidance.
You may be eligible for support with:
- Tuition Fees, through a Tuition Fee Loan
- Loans and/or grants for Living Costs - up to £12,345 for Welsh Students and £10,544 for English Students starting from September 2025 entry
- Loans and/or grants for Living Costs - up to £12,150 Welsh Students and £10,227 for English Students starting in April 2025
- Dependents grants if applicable
- Special Support Element if applicable
- Extra Weeks support through the long courses loan
You would apply to the funding body where you are ordinarily resident prior to the start of the course.
Please note that you will not be eligible for means-tested allowances through the standard funding if you will be receiving an NHS Wales Bursary Support Package.
Welsh students may receive a loan up to £2,625 and English students a loan of up to £6,955 towards their fees, depending on their course intensity and fee charge.
Additional Support for Living Costs for Students Living in Wales
Eligible part time students living in Wales and commencing a course after 1 September 2022 will be eligible to apply for support for living costs via a Welsh Government Learning Grant and a Maintenance Loan. The level is based on the £1,000 minimum grant available to full-time students, so a part-time student studying at 50% of full-time hours would receive a minimum grant of £500. The level of further grants and loans are dependent on the number of hours (i.e. the intensity) of study and household income. The maximum amount of combined loan and grant available to a student studying 75% intensity is £6,829 or £4,553 to a student studying at 50% intensity.
Additional Support for Living Costs for Students Living in England
A part-time Maintenance Loan is available to those starting their course from September 2024 onwards, subject to intensity of study. The maximum amount available to a student studying at 75% intensity is £7,908 or £5,272 is available to a student studying at 50% intensity.
Applying for part-time grants (if applicable) and loans
Applications for Welsh residents will be available via Student Finance Wales.
Applications for English residents will be available via Student Finance England.
- The NHS pay all course fees
- A non-means tested grant of £1,000
- A means tested bursary of up to £3,651 (elsewhere rate) or up to £2,879 (parental home rate). These figures are based on full-time healthcare courses being 42 weeks in duration.
- In addition to the basic bursary, students can apply for a number of means tested additional allowances if they meet specific criteria. These allowances provide support to disabled students and additional support for students with dependent adults and children.
- A reduced rate maintenance loan of £11,150 (elsewhere rate) or £9,315 (parental home rate) for Welsh domiciled students whose course year begins in April 2025.
- A reduced rate maintenance loan of £2,670 (elsewhere rate) or £2,004 (parental home rate) for English domiciled students whose course year begins in April 2025.
- A maintenance loan of £11,345 (elsewhere rate) or £9,480 (parental home rate) for Welsh domiciled students whose course year begins after 1st September 2025.
- A reduced rate maintenance loan of £2,753 (elsewhere rate) or £2,066 (parental home rate) for English domiciled students whose course year begins after 1st September 2025.
Note: A lower rate of loan will apply in the final year of study for English students.
See NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) for further details.
If you are studying the postgraduate diploma in nursing, you would not be able to receive the reduced rate maintenance loan.
If you are studying the part time Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy course, you would be able to receive up to 75% of the non-means tested grant and means tested bursary as well as the additional means tested allowances. You would not be able to receive a maintenance loan.
Applying for Student Funding
All students need to register their funding choice with NHS Student Awards Service.
- Apply online
- Guidance and informationon the application process is available
- You must also make a separate application to SFW/SFE for your reduced rate maintenance loan
You should apply using a paper PN1 form from either SFW or SFE as if you apply online, you will only be assessed for the Reduced Rate Loan.
You should include a covering letter stating you have opted out of the NHS funding and provide your email confirmation of this with your application.
However, if you have previously started or completed any NHS funded course then this could have implications for your funding.
Please contact NHS Student Awards for more information on this.
Please note that if you already hold an honours degree, you will not be eligible to receive the full time standard funding package for a healthcare degree if applying to Student Finance Wales. Please find further information regarding previous study rules on our Previous Study page or Contact Us if you have any further queries.
If you are studying a part time course, you can still receive part time funding as subjects allied to medicine are exemption subjects.