NHS Business Services Authority - Funding for Medicine students in Year 5

NHS Bursary for medical and dental students

From the 5th year of your medical or dental degree, you will receive a combination of grants that you will never have to repay. Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria will receive a flat-rate payment of £1,081 (about 1,250 EUR) for the year, regardless of their income. In addition, there is a means-tested grant, which depends on your personal circumstances:

• Up to £3,447 (about 3,980 EUR), if you’re studying in London and don’t live with your parents.
• Up to £2,855 (about 3,290 EUR) if you’re studying outside London.
• Up to £2,384 (about 2,750 EUR), if you’re still living with your parents.

Your tuition fees are also paid straight to your university: up to £9,790 (about 11,300 EUR) on a 5- or 6-year degree, or up to £3,930 (about 4,540 EUR) on a 3- or 4-year graduate-entry course. You can add extra allowances if you have a partner or children, pay for childcare, travel to clinical placements, or have a disability. The scheme is run by the health service and covers the 2026/27 academic year.

Who can apply

• Course: You study medicine or dentistry, either on a 5- or 6-year undergraduate degree or a 3- or 4-year graduate-entry course. A medical or dental degree taken as your second degree also counts.
• Which year: You are in the 5 academic year of a standard Bachelor’s degree programme – the point at which funding begins.
• Already a bursary holder: You have already received this scholarship in a previous academic year. The first year of funding is not available to new applicants.
• Recognised place: Your course takes place at a state-recognised medical or dental training centre.
• Where you live: You normally live in England and were living there on the first day of your first year of study. If you have only moved to England from another part of the United Kingdom to study, you do not meet the requirements.
• Income: Everyone gets the flat £1,081. The larger needs-based part depends on your own, your parents' or your partner's income. Money from part-time or casual work does not count.

How to apply

Applications are made via the NHS Scholarship online portal. If you are already in receipt of the scholarship, you will receive an email asking you to reapply. You must apply within 9 months of the start of your academic year.

How realistic are your chances?

This is an entitlement, not a contest. If you meet the fixed conditions (an approved medical or dental course, English residency, and having held the bursary in a previous year), the funding is yours, and there is no selection panel to convince. The main risk is missing the 9-month deadline or not qualifying on residency. Apply as soon as your invitation arrives.