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.
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 2020-2021 a DoH bursary will become payable from 2024-2025 or if you started in 2021-2022 a DoH bursary will become payable from 2025-2026.
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
From academic year 2025/ 26, if you are planning on undertaking a Graduate Entry Medicine Course in Northern Ireland, you can apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the cost of your fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan to help with living costs however, you will not be eligible to receive a Maintenance Grant.
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.