NASMA: helping you stay finance savvy

Additional funding

Need help with getting through uni when it comes to finances? There are many resources in addition to a student loan you may not even know about, explains Claire Muffett-Reece

“If you excel at sport, music or other types of extracurricular activities you’ll also find that universities offer scholarships”

“Bursaries are all about your personal financial situation, providing a crucial boost on top of your student loan to help you get through your course”

“Grants are seen more as situational and funded to cover specific, extra costs created by your life circumstances, such as childcare or living with a disability”

Facts/stats

13% of students have received hardship Funds
(Save the Student)

Around two in five students aren’t aware of the funding available(Save the Student)

76% of students worry about making ends meet

(Save the Student)

Student loans are all well and good while you’re studying, but repaying after you’ve finished your course or degree isn’t. Depending on the plan chosen and what area of the UK you live in, when you hit a certain income threshold all plans require you to pay back nine per cent of your income – and for many that can take a good few years to give back in full. However, it isn’t all doom and gloom when it comes to how much impact these repayments can be, as you might not need to borrow as much as you thought. How? By seeing if you’re eligible or can apply for any of the following financial help.

SCHOLARSHIPS
Look at a scholarship as free money – that you never have to pay back! Usually awarded based on merit, they’re funded for in a variety of ways, including the university itself via their revenue, private donations, the government, commercial partnerships, international collaborations and more. These are broken in to three categories, with academic excellence as the most common. High achiever? Many universities will automatically hand you cash or a fee reduction. If you excel at sport, music or other types of extracurricular activities you’ll also find that universities offer scholarships, while various organisations offer dedicated funding to boost diversity in specific fields, such as women seeking careers in STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. However, there are terms and conditions to be aware of. If your grades drop your funding can be instantly paused or cancelled; or if you’ve received a scholarship via music or sports talent you’ll need to perform at a number of university events. It also depends where in the UK your university is. In Scotland, for one example, eligible Scottish students already get free tuition, so any scholarship they win is typically paid out as direct living-cost cash rather than a tuition fee waiver. While in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you often have the choice to use the money to lower your future student loan, or get paid in cash to help cover living costs.

BURSARIES

Want more money you don’t have to pay back? This is where a bursary comes into play. However, unlike merit-based scholarships, bursaries are all about your personal financial situation, providing a crucial boost on top of your student loan to help you get through your course. Because every university has completely different rules, rates, and criteria, your first step should be checking directly with where you’ve chosen to study. Again, where you live comes in to play, as there is no universal bursary available to all students in the UK. Instead, the system is highly fragmented, with funding varying depending on your age, the nation you live in (England, Scotland, Wales, or NI), your household income, and your chosen subject. Take England and the NHS Bursary, providing funding for medical or dental students who normally live in England. To be eligible, you need to normally live in England and be an English resident on the first day of your first academic year, whereas if you moved to England from somewhere else in the UK for your studies, you won’t be. Unique to Wales, meanwhile, is the Social Care Wales Social Work Bursary: with 224 different bursaries available, to qualify you must live in Wales, not be in receipt of any other financial support from an employer to train, and must be studying an approved social work degree or Masters degree in Wales itself. In Scotland there’s plenty of unique ones, too. Take the Young Students’ Bursary, eligible to those under 25 and dependent on parents, subject to factors including Scotland being your permanent home, plus you must be single and with no dependant children.

GRANTS

Moving on to grants; again, a financial aid that doesn’t need to be reimbursed. Their difference from a bursary? While both provide a welcome, debt-free boost to your university budget, they differ in how you qualify. Think of a bursary as a needs-based award tailored to your personal background – your household income, being a care leaver, or studying a specific course like nursing. Grants, on the other hand, are seen more as situational and funded to cover specific, extra costs created by your life circumstances, such as childcare or living with a disability. In short: bursaries support who you are, while grants fund the extra costs of your situation.

Disabled Students’ Allowance

Across the entirely of the UK is the Disabled Students’ Allowance, a government grant for students facing physical disabilities, mental health challenges, or learning differences, including ADHD, depression, chronic illness, or mobility needs. Because it is entirely based on your individual needs rather than your bank account, the support is uniquely customised to you, stepping in to cover practical, study-related extras like assistive software or a specialist interpreter. While you do need to undergo a professional needs assessment to apply, successful applicants can unlock up to £27,783 worth of tailored support each year.

Charitable funding
You’ll also find that nationwide a wide variety of independent charities offer funding to support medical students, individuals from under-represented backgrounds, or anyone experiencing severe financial difficulties.

The Scotland Lone Parents’ Grant

When it comes to those relevant to certain countries within the UK, you again need to do a little online research. The Scotland Lone Parents’ Grant is there to provide help up to £1,305 if you are a full-time student in higher education; are single, separated, divorced or widowed; your civil partnership has dissolved or you no longer live with your partner; or you have a dependent child who lives with you the majority of the time.

NHS Learning Support Fund

In England, there’s the NHS Learning Support Fund, available on a number of undergraduate or postgraduate courses such as paramedics or physiotherapy. Although not unique to England there are still stipulations, including that you must be on an eligible course at a university in England and ordinarily reside in the UK.

Welsh Government Learning Grant

Wales, meanwhile, offer a Welsh Government Learning Grant, applicable to those age 19 or over on 1 September 2026. Exclusively for those studying a course in further education, you can apply if you’re a UK national, Irish Citizen or have settled status; will be living in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of your course; and you’ve been living in the UK and Islands for three years before starting.

Maintenance or Special Support Grant

Then there’s Northern Ireland and its Maintenance or Special Support Grant, applicable to those in full-time higher education. How much you get depends on your household income – it could be up to £3,569 in 2026-27 through the Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant, if your household income is £19,203 or less; if your household income falls between £19,203 and £41,065 you may be eligible to receive a partial grant – where as if your household income is more than £41,065 you will not be eligible to receive either.

HARDSHIP FUNDS

You may be eligible for a hardship fund from your university. Aimed at those experiencing financial hardship, from single parents to a mature student with financial commitments, you rarely have to pay this money back, unless it is specifically offered as a loan.

WHO TO TURN TO
Still unsure if you’re eligible or how to apply if you think you are? As well as advice from your actual university, here are some other organisations that can help:

UCAS – https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/money/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries