Question reference: S5W-36186
- Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 11 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 May 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much bursary is available to nursing and midwifery students for the 2021-22 academic year in Scotland, and what information it has on how this compares with (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answer
Scottish domiciled students receive a non-means tested, non-repayable nursing and midwifery student bursary of £10,000 per year to eligible students. Eligible students may also be entitled to additional allowances for dependents, single parents and childcare costs and Eligible undergraduate students also receive free tuition.
From September 2020 students undertaking a nursing and midwifery course in England will receive a non-means tested, non-repayable bursary of £5,000 a year, in addition to the existing mainstream student loan support. Additional funding is also available for childcare and to support regional vulnerabilities which could add an additional £3,000 per year for some students. Nursing and midwifery students will continue to pay tuition fees of £9,250 per year.
Welsh domiciled students who commit to working in Wales for two years after graduation are eligible for an NHS bursary which covers the cost of tuition fees, a non-means tested, non-repayable annual bursary of £1,000 and a means-tested bursary up to £2,207 if a student is living in their parental home and up to £2,643 if living elsewhere.
For Northern Irish domiciled students, financial support covers tuition fees and a non-means tested and non-repayable annual bursary of £5,165.04 per year. This bursary is supplemented by a means-tested dependants allowance based on individual circumstances.