Support for nursing and midwifery students in Scotland 2017-2018

Eligibility

Students' eligibility is governed by the Nursing and Midwifery Student Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007. This booklet is only intended to guide students to the main eligibility criteria set out in these regulations, but it is not intended to be exhaustive.

Students undertaking courses in pre-registration nursing and midwifery leading to the award of a degree may be eligible for a bursary under the NMSB scheme. Eligibility for support depends on three conditions - that your course is eligible; that you have not had previous NMSB funding; and that you meet the residence criteria.

Course Eligibility

Bursaries are for eligible students attending courses which:

• lead to registration on the Professional Register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council ( NMC), which may include degree, honours and masters levels; and
• are partly or wholly funded by the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates ( SGHSCD).

Funding Eligibility

You may not be eligible for a bursary if you have been in receipt of NMSB funding in the past for a pre-registration nursing course; eligibility will depend on the type and level of funding previously received.

Students Resident In UK Countries - Reciprocal Arrangement

• Following the decision of the UK Government to remove the health bursary and move to a loans-based support package for nursing and midwifery students from academic year 2017/18, we have reviewed the reciprocal arrangement and decided that it should come to an end for new students.
• This means that from academic year 2017/18 new students from England, Wales or Northern Ireland, who choose to study in Scotland should apply to their home country for fee and living cost support.
• New Scottish students who choose to study in another part of the UK will not be able to access the non-repayable, non-income-assessed nursing and midwifery bursary package. Instead students should apply to SAAS for the standard undergraduate package while studying nursing and midwifery in other UK countries.
• For continuing students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who are already receiving support under the reciprocal arrangement, you will continue to be entitled to the bursary and have your tuition fees paid. These funding arrangements for 2016/17 will continue until you complete your studies.

Residence Eligibility

To be eligible for the NMSB you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years immediately before the relevant date (the first day of the first academic year of the course), and ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date. This date will be 1 August 2017. You must also be on a course that leads to registration on the Professional Register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council ( NMC).

Generally to qualify for support you must be:

• ordinarily resident (see Note 1 below) in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man (domiciled in Scotland), for three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of the course;
• settled in the UK as described in the Immigration Act 1971;
• ordinarily resident in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of the course; and
• studying full-time in higher education.

If you don't meet the general residence conditions above, you may still be eligible to apply to SAAS for funding in certain circumstances.

The residence eligibility conditions can be complicated. If you are in any doubt about your residence status, you should contact SAAS for advice or visit their website for more information.

Note 1.
Ordinarily resident has been defined in the courts as 'habitual and normal residence in one place'. It basically means that you live in a country year after year by choice through a set period, apart from temporary or occasional absences such as holidays or business trips. Living here totally or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education does not count as being ordinarily resident.

Students From The European Union

You will be eligible to apply to have your tuition fees paid if you meet all of the following conditions:

• you are an EU national, or a family member of an EU national;
• you have been ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU or elsewhere in the EEA or Switzerland for the three years immediately before the relevant date; and
• you are taking a full-time course in pre-registration nursing or midwifery leading to entry in the Register of nurses maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

If you are applying to SAAS for the first time, you will need to send them a copy of your passport.

If you are an EU national and you have lived in the UK and Islands (apart from temporary absences) for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course (1 August 2017), you may be eligible for the bursary.

If you do not meet the conditions above, you may still be eligible to apply to us for funding in certain circumstances. If you are in any doubt about your residence status, you should contact SAAS for advice or visit their website for more information.