Scholarships and Financial Aid for Nursing Students in the UK
With the fees for college and universities continuing to rise throughout the UK, in the latter case rising to as much as £3,070 per year, together with the cost of living during the study period, an increasing number of student nurses have to seek some element of financial aid or even a scholarship to enable them to pay for nursing courses and degrees.
However, financial aid is readily available through a number of different formats. At the highest level of support comes the scholarship opportunity. The majority of further educational establishments offer students the opportunity to win a free scholarship. This will usually involve the successful student having to write an essay or paper that outlines their reason for wanting to take the course and what they feel they might gain from it for the future. The scholarship, non-repayable, will mean that the student will not be required to pay the normal tuition fees. Next on the list of non-repayable tuition aid is the bursary, which is a means-tested system. The purpose of a bursary is to provide students with financial assistance during their university years. The UK government has in fact ordered that all students who pay the maximum tuition fees must receive a bursary, which is currently around £300, although some universities will offer more. Similarly, a number of colleges and universities also offer access to learning funds, the amounts of which will also be dependent upon the individual financial circumstances.
In terms of repayable help with tuition costs, perhaps the best known of these is the student loan. If you qualify for such a loan, the money will be leant to you, but the lender will not require repayment to start until you have commenced full time employment. These loans can be applied for simply for the tuition costs or, alternatively, to include your living costs as well.
In terms of living costs for the period of your course at university, there are also grants available from your local authority, although these again will be subject to your individual financial circumstances. Furthermore, other costs, such as council tax may be discounted if you are a student living in or sharing a house.
Another avenue, which might be of help, although it is more likely to occur in the private nursing sector, is to seek assistance from your employer. Whilst this might be by way of a loan, at least you will not have to pay out the whole sum up front as the employer will arrange a suitable repayment plan for you.
Of course, in a number of cases the student's parent might have been wise enough to invest in an educational endowment for their child. If you are fortunate enough for this to be the case, most of the above will not apply.
