Prospective Students

Funding and Scholarships

When applying for a course or module you will be asked to specify how it will be funded. The University of Essex offers a range of advice and information in relation to student finances, including sources for funding and scholarships on the webpage below: http://www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance/

There are also a number of other ways in which you can obtain funding for your studies here in the School of Health and Human Sciences. In the first instance you need to consider what are you aiming to achieve as an outcome from your study as this may affect which would be the best place to seek funding.

Undergraduate Students

The Canadian Memorial Foundation is offering scholarships in memory of the one million Canadians who served with Great Britain during the First and Second World Wars. The awards are intended for persons of high academic promise and leadership potential who will play a full part in the life of the Canadian community which they visit and who will return to contribute fully to UK society. The ACU administers the awards on behalf of the Canada Memorial Foundation.

These awards are offered for postgraduate study leading to a university degree.

For further details on this, please go to: http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/canada_memorial_foundation_scholarships

 

Pre-Registration Training

Are you looking to undertake a course leading to recognition or registration as a health professional, (for example nurse, physiotherapist, clinical psychologist)? Commissioning bodies for the NHS fund a number of places (for EU and UK citizens) on such courses by providing payment of tuition fees and may also provide access to a bursary, (to help pay for living costs etc).

The link below gives you further information on careers in the NHS and potential funding arrangements. (Click on the career you are interested in by searching through the career A-Z.): http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

Further information on fees can be found here.

To apply for an NHS bursary you will need to visit the link below, they can also give you further information on how particular circumstances may affect the grants available to you: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students.
The current rules and regulations for the NHS bursary has changed for those students entering a medically related degree in 2012. There is now a £1000 Grant, up to £4395 Means Tested Bursary and £2324 repayable Student Loan - these figures are all dependant on your personal circumstances. For full information, please go the NHS Bursary website.

For such courses you can find out further information on funding arrangements by contacting the relevant administration team or programme leader. Take a look on our website to find out more about our pre-registration training and contact information. http://www.essex.ac.uk/hhs/prospective/what_we_do.aspx

Nursing Scholarships

Margaret Parkinson Scholarships from the RCN Foundation.  These scholarships are aimed at graduates who would like to take up nurse training in 2012 but could do with some extra financial support. I have attached a flyer and a copy of the application form.

The closing date for applications is 1 December 2011.  This date enables us  to make the award presentations at the annual RCN Congress in the Spring.

Please can I stress that these scholarships are not available for students who have already started their nursing studies and that the closing date is strictly 1st December 2011.

http://www.rcnfoundation.org.uk/bursary_scheme#current

Please note: MSc Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy for International Students

We are currently looking at opening our applications for MSc Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy to self-funding international students.

If you are an international student (not EU or UK) please contact us directly for further information: ipl@essex.ac.uk.

Continuing Professional Development

Once you have qualified as a health care professional it is expected by most employers, employees and professional bodies that you will continue to develop your knowledge, expertise, responsibilities and career in your chosen field. We offer a range of continuing professional development (CPD) courses to help you develop and provide evidence of your learning. To find out more about the courses we offer go to: http://www.essex.ac.uk/hhs/prospective/cpd_default.aspx

If you are undertaking a CPD module or pathway there are a number of sources to consider for funding:

Employer funding

Some funding for courses related to professional development may be made available through your employer.

It is common place and good practice to have a regular review of your progress through appraisal or personal development reviews with your employer. This is usually an ideal opportunity to identify areas for development and discuss actions that will enable you to achieve your goals. We therefore recommend that you utilise this time to discuss and identify potential courses that will aid you in your professional development.

If you are working in the NHS you may find the link below helpful to understand how the Knowledge Skills Framework can impact and structure your appraisals, career and professional development: http://www.nhsemployers.org/PayAndContracts/AgendaForChange/KSF/Pages/Appraisal-and-simplified-KSF.aspx

Many of our CPD programmes are offered on a modular basis (i.e. individual units of learning that can either be taken as standalone courses or can build into a larger programme). It may be that your employer will offer funding for some but not all of your intended programme; you will need to discuss this with them so that you can identify alternative sources of funding if you are planning to complete a whole programme.

Your line manager should be able to advise you how to apply for funding (if it is available) through your employer. The education lead within your organisation should also be able to give you further information on what funding is available.

Professional Organisation Funding

Some of the health professional bodies have specific and special access to sources of funding for professional development. It is worthwhile checking out your professional body information pages to see if there are particular scholarships, grants or bursaries available to you as a health professional working in a specific field.

Be sure to check not just the professional regulatory body for information but also relevant unions, chartered societies, royal colleges and charitable organisations related to your field of work. Here are a few examples:

Nursing
 http://www.rcn.org.uk/membership/scholarshipsawards

http://www.nurses.info/scholarships_uk_map.htm

http://www.qni.org.uk/for_nurses/queens_nurses/qn_bursaries

Physiotherapy
 http://www.csp.org.uk/professional-union/careers-development/funding

Charitable Organisations

As noted above there may be some charitable organisations specifically set up to support a particular professional group. However there are also a wide range of charities that may offer some funding for further research or training in relation to a particular field or service user population. Here are a few examples:

Vascular Care
http://www.svn.org.uk/awards.php

Orthotics
 http://www.oett.org.uk/index.asp?pge=3

Diabetes
 http://www.novonordiskfoundation.org.uk/documents/article_page/document/the_fund.asp

Manipulation (Neuromusculoskeletal physiotherapy)http://www.macpweb.org/home/index.php?p=387

Public Health or Health Studies Research
 http://www.essex.ac.uk/hhs/prospective/scholarships_taught.aspx

You can also visit the link below to search for funding opportunities. Although many of these will be specifically for funding research there are some training grants/ bursaries available. Use the ‘funding by type’ search facility and be sure to check out the eligibility criteria before applying.

http://www.rdfunding.org.uk/

A word of caution…

We (the University of Essex) do not have control over who is awarded funding by the above organisations (employers, professional bodies, charitable organisations).Make sure when applying that you fulfil their eligibility criteria and follow the instructions and advice they give to ensure you have the best chance of getting funding. Although we hope this never happens, you should also discuss with your sponsor what would happen if you failed or had to leave the course. It maybe that they have specific expectations, limitations or requirements that may affect whether they will continue to fund your studies. Be sure to establish what these are at the outset and discuss with them any changes to circumstances that may affect your funding.

In our experience we have found they have a vested interest in your success, so are keen to support you in your studies. An open dialogue about any difficulties you may be having in completing the course to the level required is best done early so that further support can be put in place in time to allow you to achieve your goals.

Self Funding

You can also self fund your course. When self-funding you will also need to consider the costs that may be incurred by travelling to taught sessions, parking, printing, book/ journal purchase, IT and subsistence during your study time. Depending on the type and requirements of the course you are studying, your opportunities for paid work may be reduced. The University of Essex careers centre offers advice on work during your studies and also has details of job vacancies.

http://www.essex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/vacancies/job_hunting.shtm

You may also be eligible for a career development loan or maybe able to make finance arrangements through your bank or building society. Further information on sources for professional and career development loans is available at:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm

Postgraduate Research and Doctoral Funding and Scholarships

Alumni Loyalty Discount

The University of Essex is proud to now offer its graduates a ten per cent discount on the first year of their tuition fee for postgraduate study.

Rated ninth nationally for research excellence in the last Research Assessment Exercise (December 2008), Essex is a great choice for postgraduate study. If you enjoyed your undergraduate studies here, then why not undertake a postgraduate qualification too?

Our Alumni Loyalty Discount is awarded to holders of a University of Essex Bachelors degree. You must be registering for your first postgraduate study period at Essex, following completion of your Bachelors, whether it is a taught course or a research degree. Our Alumni Loyalty Discount is only available for the first year of your study and if you are wholly self funding your tuition fee. Further information, including terms and conditions, is at: www.essex.ac.uk/loyalty.

Support in difficult times:

As a student at the University of Essex you can also access Student Support Services. They will be able to advise you if you are struggling with your finances during your studies and you may be eligible to apply for the Student Hardship fund. Please take a look at the link below for further information:

http://www2.essex.ac.uk/stdsup/

http://www2.essex.ac.uk/stdsup/funding/fundingintro.shtm

However you are funded for your course the team in the School of Health and Human Sciences wish you every success and will give you support to achieve your goals. Please speak to a member of staff if you find you need further advice or information E cpd@essex.ac.uk.

For a downloadable PDF summary of this information, please go to our Flyer Page.