The NHS Learner Support Fund is commonly searched under that name, although its official title is the NHS Learning Support Fund, often shortened to NHS LSF.
It provides additional, non-repayable financial support to eligible students studying certain nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare courses at universities in England. Depending on the course and personal circumstances, a student could receive a £5,000 Training Grant, an additional £1,000 specialist payment, £2,000 of Parental Support, help with placement expenses and up to £3,000 for exceptional financial hardship.
The fund is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority, known as NHSBSA. It is separate from ordinary undergraduate student finance and is intended to supplement, rather than replace, tuition fee and maintenance support.
What Is the NHS Learner Support Fund?
The official NHS Learning Support Fund is a package of allowances for students completing eligible pre-registration healthcare courses.
“Pre-registration” generally means that successful completion of the course leads to first-time professional registration in the relevant healthcare profession.
The support available may include:
| Type of support | Potential amount | Main purpose |
| Training Grant | £5,000 per academic year | General help with study and living costs |
| Specialist Subject Payment | £1,000 per academic year | Additional support for certain shortage-related subjects |
| Parental Support | £2,000 per academic year | Support for students with eligible dependent children |
| Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses | Based on eligible expenditure | Reimbursement of certain placement costs |
| Exceptional Support Fund | Up to £3,000 per academic year | Help with unexpected and serious financial hardship |
Full-time students can normally receive the stated annual amounts where they satisfy the relevant conditions. Students on designated part-time courses generally receive a proportionate amount based on the length and intensity of the programme.
Who Is Eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund?
A student will normally need to meet all the main eligibility conditions rather than qualifying solely because the course is connected to the NHS.
Applicants generally need to:
- Study an eligible pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate healthcare course
- Attend a university in England
- Be actively studying, either through academic learning or practice placements
- Meet the relevant residence and student-finance conditions
- Be eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support from the appropriate UK student finance authority
The relevant finance organisation may be Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, the Student Awards Agency Scotland or Student Finance Northern Ireland. The university itself must still be in England.
A student does not necessarily have to take the maximum student loan available. However, someone who chooses not to apply for a loan may be asked to provide evidence showing that they would otherwise satisfy the relevant student-finance eligibility rules.
Students already receiving an NHS Bursary are not normally eligible to receive NHS LSF for the same period. Medical and dental students should therefore check the separate NHS Bursary rules rather than assuming that the Learning Support Fund applies to them.
Which Courses Qualify for the NHS Learner Support Fund?
Eligible courses normally need to lead to professional registration in one of the recognised healthcare professions covered by the scheme.
Current qualifying subjects include:
- Adult nursing
- Children’s nursing
- Mental health nursing
- Learning disability nursing
- Joint nursing and social work
- Midwifery
- Dietetics
- Dental therapy or dental hygiene at Levels 5 and 6
- Occupational therapy
- Operating department practice
- Orthoptics
- Orthotics and prosthetics
- Paramedicine, except certain DipHE and foundation degree courses
- Physiotherapy
- Podiatry or chiropody
- Diagnostic radiography
- Therapeutic radiography
- Speech and language therapy
Foundation years are not normally funded through NHS LSF. A course containing the words “health”, “medical” or “care” in its title does not automatically qualify. The applicant should check the exact course, qualification level, professional registration outcome and university before making financial commitments.
Can Students on Pharmacy and Healthcare Science Courses Apply?
From 1 September 2025, eligible undergraduate pharmacy students and students on pre-registration healthcare science courses became able to claim certain practice-placement expenses through Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses.
However, these students are not normally entitled to the other NHS LSF elements, including:
- The £5,000 Training Grant
- Specialist Subject Payment
- Parental Support
- Exceptional Support Fund
They must create an NHS LSF account and have their eligibility application approved before submitting a placement-expense claim.
Can Someone Receive NHS LSF for a Second Degree?
Having a previous degree does not automatically prevent a student from receiving the NHS Learner Support Fund.
Second-degree students may qualify where they:
- Are eligible for tuition fee and maintenance support from the Student Loans Company
- Are not already professionally registered in the profession they are now studying
- Meet the remaining NHS LSF eligibility requirements
Some applications, particularly those involving paramedicine or circumstances where equivalent or lower qualification rules affect student finance, may be considered individually.
Applicants should obtain confirmation from NHSBSA rather than relying on a university advertisement or assuming that all second-degree healthcare courses receive identical treatment.
How Much Is the NHS Learning Support Fund?
The amount depends on the student’s course, study intensity, parental responsibilities, placement expenditure and financial circumstances.
How Does the £5,000 Training Grant Work?
The Training Grant provides eligible students with £5,000 per academic year.
It is:
- Non-means-tested
- Non-repayable where the student remains entitled to it
- Available to eligible full-time students regardless of household income
- Normally paid in three instalments
- Reduced proportionately for eligible part-time courses
Because it is non-means-tested, a student does not lose the Training Grant simply because their parents, spouse or partner have a higher income. However, the student must continue to satisfy the course, attendance and general eligibility rules.
Who Receives the Additional £1,000 Specialist Subject Payment?
An additional £1,000 per academic year is available for certain eligible specialist subjects.
These currently include:
- Mental health nursing
- Learning disability nursing
- Diagnostic radiography
- Therapeutic radiography
- Prosthetics and orthotics
- Orthoptics
- Podiatry
The Specialist Subject Payment is not a separate competitive scholarship. Where the student and course qualify, it is normally added when the Training Grant application is processed.
An eligible full-time student studying one of these subjects could therefore receive £6,000 per academic year before any Parental Support, placement reimbursement or exceptional hardship payment is considered.
Who Can Receive £2,000 of Parental Support?
Eligible full-time students with parental responsibility for a qualifying child may receive £2,000 per academic year.
The child must normally be:
- Under 15 years old; or
- Under 17 years old and registered as having special educational needs
The payment does not increase according to the number of children. An eligible student with three qualifying children normally receives the same annual amount as an eligible student with one qualifying child.
Part-time students receive a proportionate amount. Where a child is born during the academic year, the award may be calculated from the month in which the student becomes eligible.
What Placement Expenses Can Students Claim?
Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses, or TDAE, can reimburse certain additional costs incurred while attending an approved practice placement.
The scheme is not intended to pay every journey made during a healthcare course. It generally covers the excess placement cost compared with the student’s normal daily journey to university.
Current rates include:
- 30p per mile for cycling
- 42p per mile for travel by motor vehicle
- Up to £82.50 per night for eligible commercial accommodation
- Up to £37.50 per night for eligible non-commercial accommodation, such as staying with a friend or relative other than a parent
Public transport can also be claimed subject to the relevant rules and evidence. Taxi costs are generally considered only in exceptional circumstances.
Most students must first have their Training Grant approved before making a TDAE claim. Pharmacy and healthcare science students follow a separate eligibility-application process because they do not receive the Training Grant.
Claims must normally be submitted within six months of the final date of the placement period being claimed. Receipts, placement details, mileage records and accommodation evidence should be retained.
What Is the Exceptional Support Fund?
The Exceptional Support Fund can provide up to £3,000 per academic year to eligible students experiencing serious and unexpected financial hardship.
It is not an automatic cost-of-living payment. Applicants normally need to show:
- A genuine shortfall between available income and reasonable essential expenditure
- That other available funding has been exhausted
- That they have already applied to their university for hardship support
- What steps they have taken to reduce or manage the financial problem
- Evidence supporting their income, expenses and circumstances
An applicant must normally have an approved Training Grant and confirmed attendance before applying.
General price increases alone are not treated as sufficient grounds. NHSBSA assesses each application individually, and an award may be lower than the £3,000 maximum.
How Can Students Apply for the NHS Learner Support Fund?
Applications are made directly through the NHS Learning Support Fund account service.
A typical application involves the following steps:
- Create an NHS LSF online account.
- Activate the account using the email link sent by NHSBSA.
- Select the relevant academic year.
- Enter the university and course details accurately.
- Apply for the Training Grant.
- Apply for Parental Support where applicable.
- Upload the required evidence.
- Wait for the university to confirm enrolment and attendance.
- Check the account regularly for messages, requests or payment updates.
Students must reapply for each academic year. A successful application in the first year does not automatically continue until graduation.
The application should be submitted within six months of the beginning of the academic year. Waiting until the deadline can delay assessment or create problems if evidence is missing, so applying soon after enrolment is normally safer.
What Evidence May Be Required?
The evidence required depends on whether the student has applied for mainstream student finance and which NHS LSF elements are being claimed.
Applicants may be asked to provide:
- A Student Finance award notification
- Passport, driving licence or other identity evidence
- Proof of the child’s identity and date of birth
- Evidence of parental responsibility
- Evidence of special educational needs where the child is aged 15 or 16
- Placement dates and authorised placement information
- Travel receipts, mileage records or public transport tickets
- Temporary accommodation receipts
- Bank statements and household expenditure evidence for an Exceptional Support Fund claim
- An employment contract for certain employment-based Open University nursing courses
Documents should clearly show the applicant’s name, relevant dates and the information NHSBSA needs to verify the claim.
When Will NHS LSF Be Paid in 2026–27?
For students beginning their course or next academic year in September or October 2026, the main scheduled NHS LSF payment dates are:
| Instalment | Scheduled payment date |
| Term 1 | 17 November 2026 |
| Term 2 | 16 March 2027 |
| Term 3 | 20 July 2027 |
These dates apply to the main termly allowances, subject to approval and attendance confirmation. Students whose academic year begins at another time will have different dates.
The first payment normally depends on the university confirming attendance. Students may also need to confirm their continued attendance through their NHS LSF account before later payments can be authorised.
Does the NHS Learner Support Fund Have to Be Repaid?
Funding that a student was correctly entitled to receive does not normally need to be repaid after the course is completed.
Repayment may be required where:
- The student received money they were not entitled to
- Attendance ended earlier than reported
- The student withdrew or interrupted the course
- A change of circumstances created an overpayment
- Incorrect information affected the award
A grant being described as non-repayable does not mean an overpayment can always be kept. Students should notify both their university and NHSBSA promptly when their course, attendance, personal circumstances or parental eligibility changes.
What Happens If a Student Withdraws or Takes a Break?
The university reports the student’s final date of attendance and the reason for the interruption or withdrawal.
NHSBSA then recalculates entitlement for the period during which the student was actively enrolled. Further payments may be stopped, and money paid for a period after entitlement ended may become recoverable.
A student returning within the same academic year may not need to make an entirely new application. Someone returning during a later academic year will normally need to reapply.
Different protections can apply during authorised maternity or adoption leave. In some circumstances, existing NHS LSF payments may continue for up to 52 weeks, provided the leave is authorised and properly reported.
Can NHS Students Work While Receiving the Fund?
The Training Grant and Specialist Subject Payment are not means-tested, so employment income does not automatically remove eligibility for those elements.
However, healthcare courses often include long placements, irregular shifts, assessments and professional fitness requirements. Paid work should not prevent attendance or create unsafe levels of fatigue.
Students considering flexible work alongside training may find that tutoring, writing, weekend administration or other non-clinical options are easier to manage than fixed shifts. The practical and professional considerations are covered in more detail among these flexible side hustles for NHS nurses.
Income from self-employment is subject to separate HMRC rules. Someone being paid for tutoring, freelance writing, selling products or providing services should understand when side-hustle income must be declared to HMRC and how the £1,000 trading allowance works.
The allowance relates to tax reporting and does not automatically determine how income is treated by student finance, Universal Credit, university hardship schemes or the Exceptional Support Fund.
What Common NHS LSF Application Mistakes Should Be Avoided?
Common problems include:
- Searching only for “NHS Learner Support Fund” and applying through an unofficial website
- Selecting the wrong university, course or academic year
- Assuming that every healthcare-related degree qualifies
- Missing the six-month application deadline
- Failing to reapply at the start of a new academic year
- Uploading an incomplete Student Finance letter
- Claiming normal university commuting through TDAE
- Losing placement travel or accommodation receipts
- Failing to confirm attendance for later instalments
- Not reporting a withdrawal, interruption or course transfer
- Assuming the Exceptional Support Fund is automatically paid to everyone facing higher living costs
Applicants should use the official NHSBSA account and respond promptly to requests for further evidence.
Final Summary
The NHS Learner Support Fund can provide substantial additional financial support to eligible healthcare students studying in England.
The main Training Grant is £5,000 per academic year, while some students may also receive a £1,000 specialist payment, £2,000 of Parental Support, reimbursement of qualifying placement costs or up to £3,000 through the Exceptional Support Fund.
Eligibility is determined by the exact course, university, student-finance position, residence status and continued attendance. Applicants should confirm the current rules through NHSBSA, create the correct online account, apply early, retain placement receipts and reapply at the beginning of every academic year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Nhs Learner Support Fund the Same as the Nhs Learning Support Fund?
Yes. “NHS Learner Support Fund” is a common search term, but NHS Learning Support Fund is the official name used by NHSBSA and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Can Every Nursing Student Receive £5,000?
Eligible students on approved pre-registration nursing courses at universities in England may receive the £5,000 Training Grant. Course, residence, student-finance and active-study conditions still apply.
Is the Nhs Learning Support Fund Means-tested?
The Training Grant, Specialist Subject Payment and Parental Support are not means-tested. Exceptional Support Fund applications are assessed using the applicant’s individual income and expenditure.
Can a Student Receive Nhs Lsf and a Maintenance Loan?
Yes. NHS LSF is designed to supplement mainstream student finance. Eligibility for tuition fee and maintenance support is normally one of the scheme’s main conditions.
Can International Students Apply?
International fee status or studying in England does not by itself create eligibility. Residence status and eligibility for support through the relevant UK student-finance system are important factors.
Do Students Apply Through Their University?
No. The application is submitted through the NHSBSA NHS LSF account. The university confirms course and attendance information as part of the process.
Is the £5,000 Training Grant Paid Every Year?
Eligible students must reapply for each academic year. Continued payment depends on the student remaining on an eligible course and meeting the relevant attendance and eligibility conditions.
Can Pharmacy Students Receive the £5,000 Grant?
Under the current rules, eligible undergraduate pharmacy students can claim qualifying placement travel and accommodation expenses through TDAE but are not entitled to the £5,000 Training Grant or the other main NHS LSF allowances.
Can Nhs Lsf Be Claimed After the Academic Year Starts?
Yes, but the application must normally be submitted within six months of the start of the student’s academic year. Applying early reduces the risk of delayed payments.
Who Should a Student Contact if an Application is Rejected?
The applicant should first check the reason shown in the NHS LSF account and provide any requested evidence. Further assistance is available through the official NHS Learning Support Fund contact service.
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