Postgraduate students in the Institute of Mental Health study spaces

Core Bursary

For students with a household income between £0-£35,000 as assessed by student finance

The Core Bursary offers financial support to students from lower-income backgrounds during their time at university. 

You don't have to apply for the Core Bursary as eligibility is automatically determined based on your Student Finance assessment. The bursary is paid directly to your bank account in three instalments across the academic year. Unlike a student loan, the bursary is non-repayable and can be spent on anything you like to help you while you study. 

The amount you receive and the eligibility criteria for the bursary can differ based on your start date. For current students looking for specific details of their bursaries, please see the information below.

If you have any questions about this bursary or your eligibility, please contact us.

Are you eligible?

Eligibility criteria explained

If you are a current student at the University of Nottingham, please find the specific details of your bursary based on your start year below. 

To be eligible for the Core Bursary in the 2024/25 academic year, you must:

  • have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance
  • have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • have first joined the university in September 2024
  • be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/Graduate Entry Nursing/Graduate Entry Medicine) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2024/25
  • have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • be liable for the tuition fee set in 2024/25

Part-time students - The university offers financial support through the Core Bursary on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2024. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) in order for us to assess your eligibility for the bursary. Your award will depend on your household income taken from the SF assessment and the number of credits you are taking. Further information can be found on our web page 'Funding for part-time undergraduates'

How to claim your bursary

You don't have to apply for the Core Bursary. We conduct automatic assessments using Student Finance and applicant data to determine which students are eligible. 

If you are eligible, confirmation of the bursary will be shown in the awards section of the Nottingham Hub by the end of October and you will receive the bursary payment directly to the bank account registered on the Nottingham Hub. The bursary is paid in three instalments over the academic year, typically in November, January and May (although this may vary year on year).

If you believe you are eligible, but the award is not showing in the Nottingham Hub by the end of October, please contact us.

Assessments will close for the current academic year on Friday 20 June 2025. You must have applied for your means tested assessment with Student Finance by 5 May 2025 in order to ensure that Student Finance can complete your assessment by the 20 June 2025 deadline. We are unable to accept late assessments.

Core bursary assessment procedure explained

What happens if my eligibility changes?

We conduct several automatic assessments throughout the academic year, including a final assessment at the closing date.

If your household income has decreased to meet the bursary criteria during a reassessment, you will be entitled to receive the Core Bursary from that point onwards, or to receive a larger award if applicable.

If your household income has increased above the threshold during a reassessment, you will not receive any more bursary payments. However, we will not ask you to repay any previous payments to this point unless your income was assessed incorrectly. 

Bursary information by academic year

Bursary value: £1400 per academic year

Eligibility criteria

  • Have first joined the university in September 2025
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN/GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2025/26
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2025/26
  • Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • Have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance

Part-time students

The university offers financial support through the Core Bursary on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2025. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) in order for us to assess your eligibility for the bursary. Your award will depend on your household income taken from the SF assessment and the number of credits you are taking. Further information can be found on our web page here.

Bursary value: £1000 per academic year

Eligibility criteria 

  • Have first joined the university in September 2024
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN/GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2024/25
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2024/25
  • Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • Have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance

Part-time students - The university offers financial support through the Core Bursary on a pro-rata basis for new part-time undergraduate students in 2024. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) in order for us to assess your eligibility for the bursary. Your award will depend on your household income taken from the SF assessment and the number of credits you are taking. Further information can be found on our web page 'Funding for part-time undergraduates'.

Bursary value: £1000 per academic year

Eligibility criteria 

  • First joined the university between September 2020 and September 2023
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEN) at Nottingham which you commenced in 2020/21 onwards
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • Be liable for the tuition fee set in 2024/25
  • Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • Have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance

Part-time students - The university offers financial support through the Core Bursary on a pro-rata basis for part-time undergraduate students. You will need to have a means-tested assessment carried out by Student Finance (SF) in order for us to assess your eligibility for the bursary. Your award will depend on your household income taken from the SF assessment and the number of credits you are taking. Further information can be found on our web page 'Funding for part-time undergraduates'.

Bursary value: Up to £2000 depending on household income

  • Household income between £0-£25,000 = £2,000 bursary
  • Household income between £25,001-£35,000 = £1,000 bursary

Eligibility criteria

  • First joined the university of Nottingham between September 2018 and September 2019
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in the 2018/19 or 19/20 academic year
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • Not be on course/year of study primarily funded by the NHS
  • Be liable in 2024/25 for the tuition fee relevant to your year of entry
  • Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • Have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance

Bursary value: Up to £2000 depending on household income

  • Household income between £0-£15,000 = £2,000 bursary
  • Household income between £15,001 - £25,000 = £1,500 bursary
  • Household income between £25,001 - £35,000 = £1,000 bursary

Eligibility criteria

  • First joined the university between September 2016 and September 2017
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course (or PGCE/ 1st year GEM) at Nottingham which you commenced in the 2016/17 or 2017/18 academic year
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes
  • Not be on course/year of study primarily funded by the NHS
  • Be liable in 2024/25 for the tuition fee relevant to your year of entry
  • Have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance
  • Have a household income between £0-£35,000, as assessed by Student Finance

Bursary value: Up to £3000 depending on household income

  • Household income between £0-£15,000 = £3,000 bursary
  • Household income between £15,001 - £25,000 = £2,000 bursary
  • Household income between £25,001 - £35,000 = £1,000 bursary
  • Household income between £35,001 - £42,600 = £750 bursary

Eligibility criteria

  • First joined the university between September 2012 and September 2015
  • Be registered on a full-time undergraduate degree course at Nottingham (which you began between September 2012 and September 2015).
  • Have UK 'Home' status for funding purposes.
  • Be liable for the 2024/25 tuition fee relevant to your year of entry.
  • Be eligible for and have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance.
  • Have a household income between £0-£42,600, as assessed by Student Finance.

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