Support for Nursing and Midwifery Students in Scotland 2012/13

The bursary for new and continuing students

The bursary is for the normal duration of the course that you are undertaking. If you are taking the four-year honours degree course and you are eligible for a bursary, you will receive the full bursary rate for years 1-3 and a 75% bursary for year 4.

The bursary covers the whole year and is made up of two elements.

A non-income-assessed personal allowance

For 2012/13, the rate is:

• £6,578 for students at the start of the course.

An income-assessed dependant's allowance, where appropriate

The maximum amounts you can receive through this allowance are:

• £2,640 for a spouse or cohabiting partner or, if you are single, one adult you have a legal responsibility for with little or no income from any sources.
• £2,640 for the first child where there is no dependent husband or wife, or other dependent adult.
• £557 for each other dependent child.

You may claim this allowance for your spouse or cohabiting partner, dependent children and any younger brothers or sisters for whom you have a legal responsibility. If any of these dependants have income of their own, the total amount will be taken into account, but £1,160 will be allowed against the income your dependants have.

For example, if you are married with 2 children and your spouse has income, 3 x £1,160 = £3,480 will be deducted from your spouse's income when calculating the Dependant's Allowance you should receive. What is left of your spouse's income following the deduction of £3,480 will reduce the amount payable pound for pound.

Dependant's Allowance is paid provisionally and SAAS will reassess your allowance at the end of your year of study when they receive confirmation of the actual income that your dependants received. If SAAS reduce the Dependant's Allowance as a result, you will have to repay the amount you received over your entitlement. The Dependant's Allowance will be paid with your bursary.

Dependant's Allowance - Continuing Students

Income assessments will include the income of cohabiting partners.

If you notice a reduction in the level of your Dependant's Allowance for 2012/13, because of these arrangements, then the arrangements detailed below will be applied. This will maintain your funding at its current level while you complete your degree or diploma.

• Once you apply for support in 2012/13, you will receive your award notice as normal. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will compare your 2012/13 award with your 2011/12 award and contact you if you are eligible for the additional support;
• If SAAS calculate that you are eligible for the additional support then they will arrange for this sum to be paid monthly along with your original award.

Other allowances you may be eligible for are:

• £60 Initial Expenses Allowance. This will be included in the first instalment of the bursary.
• £1,303 Lone Parent allowance.
• Up to £1,216 for formal childcare costs.

This grant is available to students who have children and have expenses for registered or formal childcare, you can receive up to £1,216 a year, depending on the cost of childcare. 'Formal' childcare includes childminders, after-school clubs and providers of day-care and education. If you are getting your full childcare costs paid from other sources (for example, your institution) you should not apply for this grant. You should contact SAAS first for help with your childcare costs before you ask for help from any other source. When you fill in your application form you should tell SAAS if you think you may be entitled to this support. They will ask you for details about your childcare provider and confirmation of the amounts you will pay.

• Disabled Students Allowance

If you have a disability you may apply to SAAS for certain extra expenses which arise because you are on the course. They will consider paying the following amounts:

• Up to £1,725 for any qualifying cost during the academic year.
• Up to £20,520 a year for non-medical personal help.
• Up to £5,160 for major items of specialist equipment (this is a total amount for the course, not for each year of the course).
• A Maternity Allowance is available if a student wishes to withdraw from her course, temporarily, because of pregnancy and/or childbirth. The student will continue to receive her bursary support during the absence. In order to do so, the student must discuss her circumstances with the course leader at the HEI and agree start and end dates for the period of absence. The earliest date for maternity leave to begin would normally be 11 weeks before the expected date of confinement. It is for students and HEIs to agree when the student will return, but this continued support will only be available for a maximum of 45 weeks. HEIs will advise the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) of the agreed leave start and return dates. When a student begins her period of approved absence, she will then continue to receive the support that she would have received if she had continued on the course. However, childcare allowance will normally cease once the authorised absence formally starts, unless the student is contractually committed beyond that date.