Medical Student Bursaries

[Lesstressy]

I'm trying to work out what financial support DC will receive in their final two years of medical school. Has anyone been through this very recently?
My understanding is that they will not be entitled to anything from the SLC but that they must apply for an NHS bursary instead.

The website is very poor -does anyone know:

Do ALL UK students get their tuition fees paid by the NHS in their last two years, or is this means tested?

For the maintenance element, and for that matter the tuition fee itself, what happens if my DH refuses to submit an earnings declaration? He feels very strongly that he does not want to be assessed for a (will be) 23/ 24 year old adult (he refused for the SLC application for DC's 1st year onwards so DC got minimum, but this made no material difference as he would have got the minimum anyway).

Although DH is theoretically a high(ish) earner, other big financial commitments ie other DC and their education mean we only just manage really so this is something we need to understand and plan for for next year.

My understanding is that the NHS bursary kicks in once they are no longer entitled to a student loan (after the fourth year). So depending on how long their course is, they get it for one or two years.

I'm not sure if the living expenses element is a fixed amount or variable depending on parental income. I know it is irksome for both parents & offspring if parents income is taken into account when they are already adults but you could argue the same applies when they are 18! I am resigned to supporting dd possibly even more as she goes through her course - eventually she won't be able to work in the holidays due to placements. And I know someone who still had to help out in the F1 & F2 years as their child was allocated hospitals in areas where rent & deposits were expensive

According to this
www.gov.uk/nhs-bursaries/what-youll-get

the tuition fees get paid directly to the uni for everyone. They get £1000 grant & may be eligible for a bursary depending on parents income & can also continue to get a reduced student loan. By my decking the £1000 grant plus student loan is equivalent to the minimum maintenance element of the student loan they currently get.

So on the whole it looks like they get the same amount but some of it comes from the NHS. It does say however that you have to apply for the bursary to get the grant (even if you believe you won't qualify for a bursary) do it may not be possible to avoid declaring parental income.

Thanks Decorate, that's really helpful. Your link made much more sense than the NHS bursary website.

At the moment my understanding is that the NHS bursary pays the tuition fees for year 5, (and year 6 for a 6 year course or if student intercalated). Minimum bursary is £1000, may be higher depending on parental income. This is paid in monthly instalments, not as lump sums at the beginning of each term. NHS bursaries require a lot of documentary evidence to be posted including student ID information and evidence of student finance support previously, and details of parental income if means tested bursary applied for. The website and forms are confusing, but there there is guidance on there is you look for it.
Student can also apply to student finance for a maintenance loan, if requesting minimum it is reduced by £1000 taking account of the bursary. This is based on my DC's experience, now going into year 6. It could change in the future. In the Autumn term the university sent my DC an email threatening to dismiss from the course due to non-payment of tuition fees last year, not sure if this was a university error or if NHS bursaries were late paying. It was sorted, but unexpected and a bit unnerving for DC. Your DC will probably find that other students are also getting to grips with the system and they will help each other.

Thanks user. The email re non-payment of fees is not great. I'm sure DC will get to grips with the system but I just wanted to understand the financial implications for us as parents ahead of time. DC has a tendency to be rather last minute and I didn't want an unexpected bill of £1000s! We currently make up the shortfall between the student loan they get and the maximum available for low earners so it sounds as though it will not change too much (though DC will have only 8 weeks holiday instead of 26 so much reduced earning opportunites).

I have a daughter who will be in her 5th year of a dentistry degree in September . She signed into the NHS bursary site in February /march , she had to fill in her information and my husband and I filled in ours , how much earnings and also information about other children .
Because we have another daughter at uni and another going in September we had to have evidence of their student loans , they ask for birth certificates for all children , evidence if they are at school , evidence of student loans , rental agreements for the bursary student , evidence of our income , evidence of a university offer for my 18 year old .
We have 5 dcs so had to submit quite a bit of documentation but they tell you what they want , you have to send original documents wherever possible and it's a pain in the arse but , you have to do it to get funding for those years !