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First aid for your purse
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You could be entitled to a range of grants, loans and other allowances while studying, as Teri Harman explains
From this month, it's all change for student funding in England. The new arrangements are the same for students on all approved NHS-funded courses, whether degree or diploma.
There are no tuition fees for NHS non-medical students, and all receive a grant of £1,000 a year. You can apply for a means-tested bursary of up to £3,351 if living with parents or up to £4,395 if studying away from home, rising to £5,460 in London. A student loan is worth up to £1,744 a year if living at home, £2,324 away and £3,263 in London. Repayments on a loan are not due until your salary tops £21,000.
Students may also be entitled to a means-tested allowance of up to £2,640 for a dependent spouse and first child, £539 for any other children and up to 85 per cent of the cost of childcare.
Parents should also be entitled to child tax credits and a parents' learning allowance. If your course is more than 45 weeks long, you may be entitled to an extra £106 a week for each additional week. Nurses can also claim some placement travel and accommodation costs - ask your university for advice.
Students do not pay council tax, and anyone facing real hardship can apply to their university for discretionary support through the access to learning fund.
The RCN has an interactive finance guide for students across the UK. Moneysmart provides advice on bursaries, budgeting, benefits and housing. Go to tinyurl.com/MoneySmart-RCN
Courses & Careers
This section offers practical and professional advice at every stage of your nursing career.
The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.