You must meet both the residency criteria and the other eligibility criteria to be eligible for a bursary.

Residency Criteria

If you are studying on a full-time undergraduate course, you are required to apply to your Local Authority for funding. If you receive a financial notification from them, you have met the residency criteria for a bursary. The residency eligibility criteria are defined in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2008.

If you are studying a postgraduate course, or a part-time undergraduate course, you must be ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the academic year. For the purpose of residency conditions, the academic year starts on:

• 1st September for courses starting in the autumn term; or
• 1st January for courses starting in the spring term.

If you have moved to England just to start your course, you will be considered to be ordinarily resident in the country where you have moved from. You would therefore not be eligible for a bursary.

In addition, you must satisfy both UK residency rules or one of the non-UK residency rules.

UK Residency Rules

You must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the 3 years immediately before the start of the academic year. Note, you are not treated as living abroad if you are:
• A member of the armed forces (including your spouse and children)
• A student taking a gap year;
• Temporarily employed abroad

You must have settled status which means you must be settled in the UK within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971. This includes British Citizens and applicants with indefinite leave to remain or right of abode.

Non-UK Residency Rules

You must meet one of the following rules:

You, your spouse / civil partner or your parents are UK nationals who have returned from work in another member country of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland and have got a job in the UK, and you have been living in the EEA for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

You, your spouse / civil partner or your parents are from an EEA country or Switzerland and you can show that you, your spouse or either of your parents have migrant worker status and you have been living in the EEA or Switzerland for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.
You, your spouse or your parents are from an EEA country or Switzerland, work in England and return to a residence in the EEA or Switzerland at least once a week and you have been living in the EEA or Switzerland for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

You, your spouse / civil partner or your parents are recognised by the British Government as a refugee and have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man since you were informed of your refugee status.

You, your spouse / civil partner or your parents have been granted humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or exceptional leave to enter or remain in the UK by the Home Office and you have been living within the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course.

If you are applying for a bursary as the spouse or civil partner of someone who has been granted refugee status or leave to enter or remain, you must have been their spouse or civil partner at the time of their application for asylum.

From 1 September 2007, if your Home Office papers confirming your refugee status or leave to enter or remain has an expiry date, your eligibility for support will cease at the end of the academic year in which the relevant status expires; unless further status is granted.

Residency Rules for EU Nationals

To be eligible for a bursary, EU nationals must have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of the course and 51% of those three years must have been in England.

If you do not meet any of the other residency rules, we may still be able to help you with your tuition fees and you should complete the application form to have your eligibility assessed.

Other Eligibility Criteria

You must meet all of the following criteria.

You are entering or already studying on a social work course that has been approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC), the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Care Council for Wales or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC). You can find a list of GSCC approved courses here.

If you are studying a joint discipline course which includes social work, you should apply to the NHS Student Bursaries.

You must not already hold a higher education social work qualification, including the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW).
You are studying on a college based course and you are not receiving any of the following support from a social care employer:

• Any paid time off to allow you to attend your studies;
• Payment of all or part of your tuition fees;
• Your practice learning opportunity with pay or any other financial support;
• Funds through the Department of Health Training Support Grant;
• Any other form of support to assist with your social work training

You are studying on a college based course and you are not receiving a retainer from a social care employer or any publicly funded body.

You are studying on a college based course and you are not receiving funding from a publicly funded body. Note: funding through the Access to Learning Fund, Student Finance Direct, Government Benefit Agencies and bursaries from your HEI is excluded.

Employment Based Courses

You are not eligible for a bursary if you are studying on an employment based course, including direct Open University courses, regardless of whether your social care employer is supporting you.

Click here for a list of employment based courses.