14th January 2020

Thanks to the recent announcement that brings back nursing bursaries, eligible student nurses and midwives – and many Allied Health Professionals – there is no better time to consider starting to study an access course at South Devon College.

Access to Higher Education Health Professionals is available as both an online or classroom based course and is a great step to get yourself on your way to a career in healthcare. The course starts on 24th January 2020 and, by the end, it will have prepared you to start your degree in September 2021 where you will be entitled to the NHS bursary.

Once you have finished the access course, you will be progressing onto your degree in September 2021 where you will be eligible for the bursary support the NHS are now offering. The support consists of an annual payment of £5,000 with additional grants of up to £3,000 available where there are shortages of staff, such as in certain regions or specialisms – or for students eligible for additional childcare support. These grants will not need to be paid back. The funding applies to current students, as well as new students (whether undergraduate or graduate).

Students will still need to apply to Student Finance England for loans to cover their tuition fees and living costs. These loans will need to be repaid once your course finishes and your earnings are above the repayment threshold. How much you can apply for will depend on your household income. As the teaching year is likely to be longer than normal university degrees, you may be eligible for a long course loan for extra living cost support.

Graduates can also apply for undergraduate student finance, if studying full-time on an eligible course lasting two years or more (not distance learning). This includes loans for their tuition fees.

Students on eligible healthcare courses get extra financial support from the NHS Learning Support Fund. This is in addition to the normal supplementary grants available through student finance. The Learning Support Fund includes Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses, Child Dependents Allowance and an Exceptional Support Fund.

If you’ve been thinking about a change of career or always dreamed of working in health and care, there is no better time to consider studying for it. You can apply for either the online or classroom based  Access to Higher Education Health Professionals to start your journey to becoming the healthcare professional you’ve always dreamed of.

If you have any questions or want any more information, our next Open Evening is on 22nd January 2020, but as that is close to the January start for this course, you can get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling the College on 08000 380 123.