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Leeds Bursary for NHS-funded students

If you are a UK student on an undergraduate Medicine or Dentistry course and you are about to enter an NHS-funded year for the first time (from your fifth year onwards), you may be eligible to receive the Leeds Bursary alongside NHS funding.

To work out your Leeds Bursary entitlement, we will need a household income assessment from your financial awarding body (Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Awards Agency for Scotland or Student Finance Northern Ireland). 

Financial awarding bodies won’t normally do such an assessment on a year when you get NHS funding, because they don’t need to, unlike the previous years when you applied to them for a student loan. 

Because of this, there are two ways we can determine the correct amount of Leeds Bursary you’re entitled to on your year with NHS funding, depending on your circumstances: 

  1. We can use your household income assessment from the previous year when you didn’t get NHS Funding. Or,
  2. We can use a new household income assessment, which you will need to request from your financial awarding body.

Check if you need a new household income assessment

If you have an assessment from the previous year without NHS funding

If you were entitled to the maximum amount from the Leeds Bursary, you will be entitled to the maximum Leeds Bursary amount on your year with NHS funding, so you don’t need to do anything. 

If you were not entitled to the maximum amount from the Leeds Bursary, but you think your income has dropped since then, it’s worth applying for a new assessment as it may increase the amount you can get from the Leeds Bursary for your year with NHS funding.

If you don’t have an assessment from the previous year without NHS funding

If you think your household income is under the threshold that makes you eligible for the Leeds Bursary, you should apply for a household income assessment.

Applying for a new household income assessment

It may take up to six weeks for your financial awarding body to do a new household income assessment. They will let us know the outcome of this, and we will contact you to let you know what your Leeds Bursary entitlement is, based on this. Find out how to apply for a new household income assessment from your finanical awarding body.

Student Finance England (SFE)

Student Finance Wales (SFW)

  • Return a completed PFF2 form to SFW. 
  • You should include a covering letter (including your SFW Customer Reference Number) saying that you are requesting a household income assessment in order for your University to determine your eligibility for a Higher Education Bursary. See an example covering letter.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)

Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI)

  • Return a completed PFF2 form to Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI). You can find this form on the SFNI website.
  • You should include a covering letter (including your SFNI Customer Reference Number) saying that you are requesting a household income assessment in order for your University to determine your eligibility for a Higher Education Bursary. See an example covering letter.

Example covering letter

Dear Student Finance [England/Wales/Northern Ireland – delete as appropriate]

Re: [Your Name] 

Customer Reference Number: [Your 11-digit customer reference number]

I am writing to request a household income assessment in order that my host university may be able to determine my eligibility for a Higher Education bursary.  
I am enclosing the required form(s). 

Please contact me if you require any further information. 

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]

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