Maintenance Grants & NHS Bursaries SCRAPPED
As if this summer hadn’t already been bad enough for students in Higher Education, August 1st revealed the news that maintenance grants had been officially scrapped. Whilst in discussion at top levels of government for around a year, I don’t think many of us actually believed that it would happen. What is even more of a kicker is that students on NHS-funded courses have also lost their bursaries so this blog is a two-pronged information post once again about money but this time instead of it being about tuition fees it’s about the other side – student finance.
What’s happened?
The government has chosen to scrap maintenance grants for students at university. Students will still be able to get the same amount of money they did before under the means tested system that Student Finance works on but now it will all be as a loan.
In the now old system, students from households with an annual income of £25,000 or less received the full maintenance grants of £3,387 a year which did not need to be paid back. The new changes mean that students will still receive the same amount of money but now they will have to pay that back once they are earning over £21,000.
What does it mean for me?
This will affect students whose household income is below £42,600. Student Finance England previously worked on a system of means-tested grants with students from households with earnings under £42,600 receiving more money on a sliding scale than those above £42,600 in the form of non-repayable grants.
If you are one of these students it means that once you have graduated and are earning over £21,000, you will be due to start paying back all the money that Student Finance England loaned you – tuition fees AND maintenance loans – as there are no longer any non-repayable grants.
Not only is this a fear for our current students but also for any potential future students in the whole Higher Education sector as many students see maintenance grants as making university accessible to those from lower income background. Much like my previous post this means that there are grave fears for students from widening participation backgrounds.
This does not affect bursaries and scholarships offered by the university itself however. The means-tested Core Bursary and the Nottingham Potential Bursary provided directly by the university both remain non-repayable. Beyond these two bursaries, the university also provides a number of other financial support packages which eligible students can access. Click here to find out more.
What’s happened?
As of August 2017, NHS bursaries will be scrapped for NHS-funded courses (Nursing, Midwifery, Dietetics and Physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham). Students on these particular vocational courses do not pay tuition fees, instead receiving a mixture of non means-tested bursaries, means-tested bursaries and a reduced-rate student loan to cover their day-to-day living costs. In these particular vocational courses, students usually undertake much on the job training: working long shifts, doing the exact job they are training to do and with very short holidays leaving little time for a part time job to supplement their finances.
What does it mean for me?
Without the bursaries, students will be able to apply for the student loans that Home and EU students are eligible for through Student Finance England. In theory, according to the Department of Health, this will free up roughly £800million each year to create more nursing roles by 2020 helping more students to enter the profession with 10,000 extra training places.
Much like the maintenance grant changes and the Higher Education Bill, this has potentially serious implications for widening participation too. Many news outlets have published statistics to suggest that many current nurses and nursing students would have been far less likely to study for a Nursing degree had the NHS bursaries not existed. In an article from The Telegraph, the Head of Health at Unison is quoted as saying that the decision to cut bursaries “is likely to mean 2,000 fewer graduates a year” which could damage our already struggling NHS.
What can I do about any of this?
The NUS has two campaigns running – one for each issue – that you can get involved with. For maintenance grant cuts, the #CutTheCosts campaign is a good first port of call. The NUS actively promotes and fights for free education. To this end, a demonstration is being held in London on the Saturday 19th November in conjunction with UCU against fees and cuts titled “United for Education”. Click here for more information about the demonstration and how to get involved. For the NHS bursary cuts, the Bursary or Bust campaign has been working very hard lobbying against the proposed changes.
Sign the ‘Don’t stop bursaries for NHS students!’ petition on Change.org With over 100,000 signatures already, this petition is really gaining some traction. Check out the link here for more information and to sign it.
But what can I do about my own situation?
If you would like to talk to someone about any specific monetary concerns or would like some financial advice, please get in contact with our Student Advice Centre. They can be reached by phone at 0115 846 8730, by email at [email protected] or in person on B Floor in the Portland Building.
If you are concerned about any of these changes and would like more information, please email me at [email protected] or come and see me in the Portland Building opposite the SU Box Office.
I’m very sorry that I don’t have any good news for you at present but in the meantime I will keep you as informed as I can on all changes as they happen with YOUR Higher Education. Together we can ensure that education is the top priority going forward.
Beth Massey, Education Officer
