Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Higher education
  4. Student finance
  5. Types of student finance available

Health professional courses

If you are planning a degree course in Allied Health Professional nursing, midwifery or dental hygiene and therapy, you will have different funding arrangements from other higher education students.

Studying a Health Professional course

If you've lived in Northern Ireland for the last three years, you can apply for an income-assessed bursary to help with living costs. You may also be eligible to apply for a reduced rate non-income assessed loan. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland (DoH) will pay your tuition fees directly to the university.

Students from EU countries who are ordinarily resident and studying in Northern Ireland may also qualify for financial support.

The amount of bursary you may receive will depend on your own and your family's income. You may also get extra allowances, for example, if you're disabled or have dependants. Your local Student Finance NI office will be able to advise you.

How to apply

If you're a Northern Ireland student you should apply to your Student Finance NI office. They will assess your bursary entitlement using the information provided on the application form for student finance, that is PN1 or PR1 form.

  • Completing your student finance application

Nursing and midwifery courses

If you're from Northern Ireland, you can apply for a non-income-assessed bursary to help with living costs.

You'll not be eligible to apply for a maintenance loan.

DoH will pay your tuition fees directly to the university.

Students from EU countries who are studying in Northern Ireland may also qualify for financial help.

The amount of bursary you may receive will depend on your own and your family's income. You may also get extra allowances, for example, if you’re disabled or have dependants. The bursaries unit in the regional Business Services Organisation (BSO) will be able to advise you.

All applications should be submitted to the BSO. Contact your university for the relevant details.

If you plan to enter a degree in nursing or midwifery in England, Wales or Scotland, you should apply for tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and grant to your Student Finance NI office using a PN1 or PR1 form.

Medical and dental courses

If you're a pre-registration student of medicine or dentistry from Northern Ireland, DoH will give you a bursary in your fifth and later years of study, regardless of where you study in the UK.

Support for your first four years of study will be on the same basis as for other higher education students, so if you started in 2018-2019 a DoH bursary will become payable from 2022-2023.

During the period for which the bursary is payable, the DoH will pay your tuition fee contribution in full. No contribution will be required from you or your family towards your fees.

The bursary is administered and paid by your local Student Finance NI office on behalf of the DoH and how much you get depends on your income. You will also be able to get a reduced rate, non-income assessed loan for the balance of your maintenance support. Student Finance will also pay your tuition fees to your university on behalf of DoH.

Graduate-entry medical courses

If you're doing a four year graduate-entry medical course (fast-track course) in England, Wales or Scotland you're not eligible for a Health Service bursary or tuition fee support or a Higher Education bursary.

You may however apply to your local Student Finance NI office for support for living costs through student loans and certain extra grants for your entire course.

If you're from England, Scotland or Wales and are studying in Northern Ireland, you should apply for financial support, including tuition fee loans and maintenance loans, from your own jurisdiction.

More useful links

  • Get facts and figures on universities, colleges and courses
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Types of student finance available

  • All Ireland Scholarships
  • Bursaries, scholarships and awards
  • Extra financial help for students
  • Extra help for students with children
  • Financial support for students from outside Northern Ireland
  • Health professional courses
  • Initial Teacher Training
  • Maintenance Grant
  • Postgraduate awards
  • Student Loans
  • Support for part-time students
  • Support Funds
  • University and college bursaries

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS