Funding for students on healthcare courses

We have tried to cover as much information as possible here but eligibility rules for funding can be complex. If you want to speak to a member of the Money Advice Team please do get in touch with us.

This information about healthcare courses at LJMU relate specifically to the following courses:

• Nursing – Mental Health, Child and Adult

• Midwifery

• Paramedic Science Degree (not the one year top up course)

In these webpages we have information on: 

• The tuition fees for your full time undergraduate course

• Any financial support which might be available from the government

• Grants for childcare and your dependants

• How and when to apply for student finance

• How to repay your loans

• NHS Learning Support Fund

The financial support you might be eligible to receive varies depending on where in the UK you normally live and your individual circumstances.

For students studying on healthcare courses, you are eligible for the same government funding as students on ‘standard’ undergraduate courses. In addition you can also apply for additional non-repayable funding in the form of the NHS Learning Support Fund. Read on for more information. 

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Tuition fees

As an undergraduate student, you will be charged a tuition fee for each year of your course. A different (reduced) fee will be charged in any sandwich years or years abroad. The majority of students will opt to pay for their fees via a tuition fee loan from the government.

For applicants to LJMU, information regarding tuition fee charges can be found on the specific course information. Once you've found a course that you’re interested in, you'll find all the information about fees and funding on the course information page.

If you need to check the information or are unsure of any aspect of your tuition fees, please contact Registry Services.

Tuition fee loans

Eligible students will be able to borrow the full cost of your tuition fee from the government in the form of a tuition fee loan (subject to eligibility). This loan will be paid to LJMU in instalments once we have confirmed you have started your course. 

Money for your maintenance (living costs)

In addition to a tuition fee loan, eligible students can also access money for living costs. The amount you will receive depends on where in the UK you normally live and the household income of your family.

This maintenance funding is paid to you in three large instalments over the year so it is up to you to draw up a budget to manage this money.

The websites all have calculators on them and you can put in your income and receive an estimate of how much you will receive per year.

For more information on how much you will receive and how to apply click on the relevant link below:

Apply as an English applicant
Apply as a Welsh applicant
Apply as a Northern Irish applicant
Apply as a Scottish applicant

Grants for your dependants

UK students with dependants can also apply for additional financial support such as Adult Dependants’ Grant, Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.

• Adult Dependants’ Grant – This is a means-tested grant of up to £3,438 (2024 rate) a year if you have to care for an adult dependant, who is not your grown-up child, while studying (subject to eligibility)
• Childcare Grant – This grant is to help you if you have children that you need to pay childcare for, you can apply for means-tested support to help with the cost of this. Childcare Grants for academic year 2024/25 are up to a maximum of £195.50 per week for one child only or up to £331.95 per week for two or more children (subject to eligibility)
• Parents’ Learning Allowance – This is a means-tested grant of up to £1,963 (2024 rate) a year if you have children who are wholly or mainly financially dependent on you.

Repaying your loans

Any loans you take out for tuition fees or living costs will be added together into one loan account. You do not have to start repaying your loans until you have completed your course and are earning over the specified threshold.

This is currently £25,000 per year if you are from England. The other Devolved UK Governments have different repayment schemes.

Once you are earning over the threshold you will repay at a rate of 9% of anything above the threshold. This table below gives you an indicator of how much your repayments will be based on a student from England only:

Monthly repayments

• £25,000: 0
• £30,000: £37.50
• £35,000: £75.00
• £40,000: £112.50
• £50,000: £187.50

For other Devolved Nation repayment thresholds are:

Northern Ireland: £22,015 / Balance written off after 25 years

Wales: £27,295 / Balance written off after 30 years

Scotland: £27,660 / Balance written off after 30 years

Any money you still owe after these repayment periods is written off. This means you won’t need to continue repaying the loan beyond that. For more information see the Student Loans Company website.

How and when to apply for your funding

You should apply for your funding as early as possible; you do not need to have a confirmed place to submit an application for funding. The application cycle for funding generally opens around the February or March before your course starts in the September. Don’t worry about changing your mind about the course or university, as once you have submitted your application, you can manage it online and even cancel it if you want to.

In order to be sure of getting your money for the start of term you should apply by the end of May. You can apply after this but you are not guaranteed the payment at the start of term if you apply later.

Don’t forget you need to reapply for your funding in your second and/or third year of study. 

NHS Learning Support Fund 

In addition to funding from student finance, healthcare students studying in England can also apply for additional non-repayable funding from the NHS which will include:

• A training grant of £5,000 per year: this grant is not means tested

• Parental support of £2,000 per year: this grant is not means tested. However, you must have parental responsibility for one or more children

• A specialist subject payment of £1,000 per year: this is for students studying on courses where the government have shortages. At LJMU for 2024/25 Academic Year this will be for those on mental health nursing

• Travel and dual accommodation: this is to help with additional costs of traveling to and remaining in placement

• Exceptional hardship fund: this is for students who find themselves in exceptional hardship

Payments will be made over the year with the first payment being made in November (for autumn start courses).

Access more information and learn how to set up a Learning Support Fund account.

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Read the Data Privacy and Confidentiality Statement.