Social Work Students

Various care councils in the UK offer support to students studying social work. The information on these pages applies to students who are resident and studying in England. Students from Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland should contact the Social Care Council in their own country for more information (see links at end of this web page).

Full time undergraduates - Tuition fees

Since September 2006 Social Work students are eligible to pay the full tuition fee charged by the University - £3,375 in 2011/12.

Student Finance England Funding

Full-time undergraduate students can apply to Student Finance England for:

· Tuition Fee Loan – to cover the cost of tuition fees (£3,375)

· Maintenance Loan – a repayable award to help cover living costs

· Maintenance Grant – a non-repayable award to cover living costs

The first £2,763 of the Maintenance Loan is not income assessed. You could get up to £3,838 if you live at home or £4,950 if you live away from home.

Students with household incomes of £25,000 or below will receive the full Maintenance Grant of £2,906. Those with incomes between £25,000 and £34,000 will receive part of the means tested element of the grant (on a sliding scale). Any student with a household income of £34,000 or above will receive only the £1,106 non-income assessed part of the grant .

To get an idea of how much money you could get use the Student Finance calculator .

Please note that if you have already have a first degree (meaning the Social Work degree will be the second degree you have studied) you will only be able to apply to Student Finance England for a Maintenance Loan under the equivalent or higher level qualification (ELQ) rules.

Social Work Bursary

Undergraduate Social Work students can apply for a non-income assessed Bursary which is paid by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) to help with living costs. In 2011/12 full-time students could receive a bursary of £4,575 (based on a 52 week period).

A fixed contribution of £575 towards travel to placement costs is included in this figure.

You must apply to Student Finance England before you apply for the Social Work Bursary – this is so Student Finance England can check you meet the eligibility criteria for the bursary.

Social work Bursary 12/13

The Social work bursary for 12/13 will remain the same as 11/12:
NHS Bursary

How to apply for the Bursary

For information on how to apply for the Social Work Bursary and how it is paid, please visit the Social Work Bursaries home page.

Scholarship & Bursary

Undergraduate full-time students may also be eligible for the Northumbria Scholarship and Bursary.

Part Time Undergraduates

Part time undergraduates may be eligible to apply for part-time student funding from Student Finance England. To get an idea of how much money you could get use the Student Finance Calculator

The Social work bursary is also available to part-time students, who will receive a reduced amount of the annual bursay based on the length of their course. For more information go to: Social Work bursaries

Postgraduate Students

Full time Postgraduate Students who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for a non-income assessed Social Work Bursary, as well as an income-assessed bursary, to help with living costs.

Part-time students can apply for a pro-rata amount of the above bursaries based on the length of their course.

For the academic year 2011/12, the NHSBSA will offer a non-income assessed bursary of £3362.50 (A fixed contribution of £862.50 towards travel to placement costs is included in this figure) and an income-assessed bursary of up to £2608 (based on a 52 week period).

Postgraduate students can also apply for extra help with costs relating to childcare and dependants – please see the Social Work Bursaries website for more details on all postgraduate funding for Social Work students.

Financial Support 2012/13
All Social Work Students

The funding for Social Work Students in 2012-13 has now been confirmed. Please see the "Social Work Fact Sheet 12-13" for more information on what you can apply for if you are starting a Social Work course in September 2012.

Additional financial support

Scholarships and Bursaries

Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)

Tax Credits