Learning Support Fund for new Health Science students

Additional non repayable funds are now available to new 1st year, full time, undergraduate, pre-registration Health Science students receiving the standard 2017 package of student support from Student Loans Company (comprising the Maintenance and Tuition Fee Loans + other supplementary grants (if applicable) assessed by SLC).

The additional funds come in the form of the Learning Support Fund, which is managed by the NHSBSA (National Health Service Business Services Authority), who also administer bursaries to students who started a Health Science course before August 2017.

The new Learning Support Fund comprises 3 elements, which are paid in addition to the full student finance package from SFE. They are:

→ Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE). This is how you claim reimbursement for your travel expenses to placement.

→ Child Dependants Allowance (CDA). This is for students who have a dependant child/children. You can claim £1000 (irrespective of the number of children you have) payable in 3 instalments across the academic year. This is not means tested, so is not dependant on any household income.

→ Exceptional Learning Support Fund (ELSF). This is for students who have unusual or exceptional financial circumstances, hence the title. It is an additional fund you can apply for once you have exhausted all means of funding, including having first made an application to the university’s Student Support Fund

We strongly recommend you look at the different embedded links within this message to learn more about element of the fund, and if you’re not sure about your general funding eligibility, this document here may be helpful in explaining the different routes and options.

We know that as at 10th January 2018, 46 new Health Science students across the University of Brighton campuses have created an account with the Learning Support Fund, hence sending this message out to all the relevant cohorts to ensure you are all aware of your full entitlement.

Regarding the Travel Expenses element, these must be signed off by your Personal Tutor before you submit them. The Tutor will check the details and then the School Admin team sends off all the claims on your behalf. All claims must be submitted to NHSBSA within 9 months of the last day of the placement period for which you are claiming. They will not process late claims in any instance.

If you experiencing any problems with your funding or you have any questions, the Student Advisers are here to help. The world of student finance can be a murky, confusing place, so let us help you find a clear path through it.

This is how and where to find us :