Frequently asked questions

For all students

I am moving to England from another part of the UK to start my course. Am I eligible for a bursary?

No, you will not be eligible for a bursary if you have moved to England only to take up your position on a full-time course. Click here for information about other funding organisations.

Will the Social Work bursary have an impact on any other benefits I currently receive?

English LEA’s will not take the full-time social work bursary into account when assessing full-time students.
However, the bursary may affect your entitlement to other benefits and allowances. If you are awarded the social work bursary, it is your responsibility to inform any appropriate organisations from which you are receiving benefits and allowances. For example, if you are awarded a bursary, and you are receiving housing or council tax benefit, you must inform your Local Authority.

My circumstances have changed since I completed my application form. What should I do?

If your circumstances change at any time after you have submitted your application, you must tell us immediately. This includes:

• Change of name
• Change of address
• Change of course
• Change of HEI
• Change of main campus
• Change of course attendance pattern (full-time or part-time)
• Change of social care employment
• Withdrawal, suspension, deferral or interruption from your course, regardless of whether you intend to return
• Being unable to attend your course for any reason where it exceeds 15 calendar days
• Changes to your practice learning opportunity
• Changes to the account you want your payments made to
• Gaining support from your social care employer or another publicly funded body (excluding Student Finance Direct, Access to Learning Fund, Government benefit agencies and bursaries from your HEI)

Do I have to pay back the bursary?

You will not have to pay back the bursary unless you receive an overpayment. This can occur if you experience one of the changes of circumstances listed above. It is your responsibility to inform us immediately if you experience one of these changes.
An overpayment of the bursary is calculated by dividing the bursary awarded by 365 days. This figure is then multiplied by the number of days you were in attendance. This figure is then subtracted from any bursary payments received. The difference is the overpayment due.
Overpayments can occur with other elements of the bursary; however, these may vary depending on individual circumstances.
If you have an overpayment and you are entitled to further payments of the bursary, these will be used to offset the overpayment. You may still be required to pay back money if any further entitlement does not cover the overpayment.
The NHSBSA can only accept payment of an overpayment where it is made by cheque or BACS.

Am I entitled to a payment of the bursary if I stop my studies?

You will be entitled to a payment for the days you were in attendance on the course.

Full-time undergraduate students

Why do you need my original 2008-09 financial notification from my English LA?

You must apply to your English LA even if you choose not to take out a student loan. This is because your English LA will carry out your residency eligibility assessment and confirm your entitlement to tuition fee support.

I know I am not eligible for tuition fee support, as I have previously applied to my English LA. Do I still need to apply to them?

You should still approach your English LA, as their assessment process may have changed.
If your English LA completed your assessment in the academic year 2007-08 and they will not supply you with a further refusal letter, we will accept an original English LA financial notification, as your residency eligibility will not have changed.
If your English LA completed your assessment before the academic year 2007-08 you will need to apply again, as your residency eligibility may have changed.

Am I eligible for the income-assessed bursary?

If you are studying on a full or part-time undergraduate course you are not entitled to income-assessed elements as these are only available to students on a postgraduate course. However, you may be entitled to additional funding from your English LA.

I am a student with dependants. Will I receive more money?

No, the social work bursary is not income-assessed. This means we will not take into consideration such things as your earnings, savings, dependants, mortgage or rent payments, disability, special needs or any other similar factors.

Postgraduate students

I was awarded a bursary previously and I will be repeating all or part of my course in the academic year 2008-09. Am I eligible for funding?

We offer an allowance to students receiving the income-assessed bursary to help support them if they need to repeat academic modules.
Up to one year of repeat funding is available. It will be based on the income-assessed bursary and proportioned based on your repeat studies.
Where universities or colleges charge tuition fees for repeating, a maximum of one years tuition fee support is available under this allowance.
You will need to submit a 2008-09 application form to calculate any entitlement you may have to this allowance.

What do I do if my partners financial circumstances change?

If your partner’s income drops by more than 15 per cent during the current academic year, you may ask for a reassessment of your bursary.
You will be asked to give an estimate of your partner’s income for the 2008-09 tax year. We will calculate your entitlement based on this estimate.
Your third instalment will remain on hold until we receive evidence at the end of the tax year that your estimate was correct. Based on how accurate your estimate was, your third instalment may increase or decrease.

What is a civil partnership?

Civil partners are now treated in line with married couples for student support purposes. Cohabiting same sex partners who are not in a civil partnership will be treated in the same way as cohabiting opposite-sex partners.

Will the postgraduate bursary have an impact on any other benefits I currently receive?

The postgraduate bursary may affect your entitlement to other benefits and allowances. If you are awarded the bursary, it is your responsibility to inform any appropriate organisations from which you are receiving benefits and allowances. For example, if you receive housing or council tax benefit and you are awarded a bursary, you must inform your Local Authority.