Scholarships and funding

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and bursaries are sources of funding for students across all degrees and disciplines.

Scholarships

The University has a range of scholarships and bursaries to support talented students, ensuring that we remain accessible to all with the potential to succeed, regardless of financial circumstances.

• See all undergraduate scholarships
• See all postgraduate taught scholarships
• See all postgraduate research scholarships

Alternatively search our scholarship finder to see the funding we have for you.

Bursaries

There are charities, trusts and other organisations that offer financial support and support-in-kind to students on both Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught courses. These may change on a regular basis, so we recommend going directly to their websites.

If you are interested in training as a nurse, midwife or healthcare assistant, or are already working in one of these roles, you may be eligible for support through the RCN Foundation.

NHS Learning Support Fund

Applications for the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) open on 1 July 2021 for students undertaking an eligible healthcare course in autumn 2021. LSF is independent from all other student funding you may receive and needs to be applied for separately.

Learning Support Fund FAQ’s

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for this funding you must:

• Be applying for an eligible course in England
• Still be enrolled and attending your course on 1 November 2021
• Be able to prove your identity (photo ID) and residency status.

The Essex courses that meet the current eligibility criteria include Adult Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Oral Health Science Occupational therapy, Speech and language therapy and Physiotherapy.

How much will I get?

The minimum amount you will receive is £5000 each academic year and you do not need to pay this back unless you withdraw from the course or have received an over payment. An additional payment of up to £3000 may be awarded to students who are focusing on a particular healthcare specialism or region that struggles to recruit, or who need assistance for childcare costs. You do not need to apply for a funding uplift on the basis of specialism or region as LSF will calculate this automatically depending on the information you provide when you make your application. If you intend on applying for support with childcare costs you must do this separately after you have completed your initial funding application.

When will I get paid?

Payments are broken down into three instalments. The first instalment will be paid in November 2020 after LSF have confirmation that you are still in attendance on 1 November 2021. All further payment schedules can be accessed on your online account.

How do I apply?

You can’t apply until 1 July 2021 but there are a few things you can do to prepare for your application to help things run as smoothly as possible. If you are intending to apply for a student loan and have not yet done so, do this immediately as you can use your award notice as evidence of your identity and residency status. If you are not intending on applying for a student loan, you will need to provide photo ID and proof of your residency status so it’s a good idea to start getting those documents together. You will not need to post your documents as the new LSF system allows you to upload your documents as images from your phone. 

On 1 July 2021 you should visit the LSF main web page to create an account. You will be issued with an activation code that is valid for 72 hours. If you do not activate your account in this time, your account will be suspended. 

Once you have created an account, you will be asked to create an ‘academic year’ where you will enter your course and university details. It is essential that you input the correct information as this will be used to verify your attendance. Incorrect information may result in delayed payments. 

To avoid delays in processing your application and payment it is important that:

• Your personal details in the application EXACTLY MATCH the details you have written on your application to the University of Essex
• You write the correct name of your course and the University of Essex eg. BSc Occupational Therapy University of Essex.
• You state that the start date in Oct-2021, not Sept-2021

Once you have submitted your application, you can track the progress and respond to any requests from LSF from your online account. 

Most questions can be answered by looking in the LSF handbook (.PDF), but LSF advisers are typically available for live chat on Facebook and Twitter between 10am-4pm Monday-Friday to assist you.

Social Work Bursaries

Undergraduate Students

Social Work students entering the second year of their undergraduate programme may be eligible to apply to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for help with costs related to placement. This allowance is called the Placement Travel Allowance, and is a one-off payment of £862.50 that is paid into your account during the first term of your second year. There is strict eligibility criteria, so it is important that you check that you are eligible before applying.

Every year we are allocated a number of Social Work bursaries from the NHSBSA. As there is a cap on the number of bursaries available we cannot guarantee that you will be nominated for, or awarded one of these bursaries, so it is important that you make additional plans to cover the cost of your tuition fees and living expenses. We nominate students based on their interview scores and will be in touch to let you know if you have been successful.

The full amount is £4862.50 and includes the Placement Travel Allowance. Whilst we cannot guarantee that you will be nominated for this bursary, we recommend that you make an application to the NHSBSA before the end of your first year to ensure that there is no delay in payment should you be nominated.

Postgraduate Students

Social Work students entering the first year of their postgraduate programme may be eligible to apply to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for help with costs related to placement. This allowance is called the Placement Travel Allowance, and is a one-off payment of £862.50 that is paid into your account during the first term of each year of your course. There is strict eligibility criteria, so it is important that you check that you are eligible before applying.

Other additional allowances may be available depending on your personal circumstances, these include an Adult Dependants Allowance, Childcare Allowance, Parent's Learning Allowance and Disabled Student Allowance. These additional grants are means-tested, and do not impact upon your eligibility for the Social Work Bursary.

Every year we are allocated a number of Social Work bursaries from the NHSBSA. As there is a cap on the number of bursaries available we cannot guarantee that you will be nominated for, or awarded one of these bursaries, so it is important that you make additional plans to cover the cost of your tuition fees and living expenses. We nominate students based on their interview scores and will be in touch to let you know if you have been successful.

The Postgraduate Bursary includes a contribution of £4052 towards your tuition fees as well as a grant towards your living costs. Whilst we cannot guarantee that you will be nominated for this bursary, we recommend that you make an application to the NHSBSA in advance to ensure that there is no delay in payment should you be nominated.

The answers to most undergraduate and postgraduate social work bursary questions can be found in the NHSBSA guidance document (.PDF). If you require further assistance you can email hsc@essex.ac.uk and one of our administrators will be able to help.