The National College for Teaching and Leadership provide a bursary  - Funding for PGCE students

Funding for PGCE students at Nottingham

If you are training to become a teacher of certain subjects, you may be eligible for a tax-free grant of bursary of up to about EUR 34,000 (£29,000) for your one-year PGCE. A PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) is the qualification you need to be allowed to teach in England. The amount of the grant depends on your subject. If you start your course in September 2026, the grant for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science is £29,000.; for Engineering and Languages, £20,000.; and for Biology and Geography, £5,000.. You do not need to apply for the grant. If you are eligible, your training provider will pay the amount over a period of at least 10 months, and you will never have to repay it.

For the subjects of chemistry, computer science, physics and languages, you can instead apply for a scholarship from a subject-specific organisation, which is worth up to approximately 36,000 (£31,000) euros. A scholarship also includes mentoring (guidance from an experienced teacher), networking opportunities and membership of a professional association. You cannot receive both a study grant and a scholarship at the same time. Provided you meet the eligibility criteria, you can also apply to ‘Student Finance’ for loans to cover tuition fees and living costs.

Who can apply

• Course: You are starting a PGCE course leading to a teaching qualification in England.
• Subject: You are studying one of the supported subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, languages, design and technology, biology or geography.
• Nationality and residence: You are on the ‘Home’ fee band, normally live in England and are eligible for support from Student Finance England.
• Degree (for a bursary): You must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree with distinction (2:2), a Master’s degree or a PhD.
• Degree (for a scholarship): You must hold at least a 2:1 degree with distinction, a Master’s degree or a PhD. A 2:2 qualification may also be sufficient if you have sufficient relevant professional experience and specialist knowledge.
• Provider: The University of Nottingham is your main training provider. For SCITT courses where a school delivers the training, you should apply via that school instead.

How to apply

You do not need to apply for a scholarship separately. When you apply for a teacher training programme, your training provider will check your eligibility and confirm this in writing before you start your course. You apply for a scholarship directly to the relevant professional organisation, which sets its own deadlines and selects its candidates itself.

How realistic are your chances?

Scholarships are not awarded on a competitive basis. If you meet the requirements regarding your field of study, degree and funding of your studies, you will automatically receive a scholarship; it therefore depends on whether you clearly meet these criteria. Scholarships are more selective, as each organisation conducts its own selection process. The pool of eligible candidates is narrow (one field of study in each case), so a strong, well-suited applicant has good prospects.