Intercalation
There are different ways that an intercalated year can be funded.
The funding available to you depends on the stage of your progression of your medicine or dentistry degree, and the level of study for your intercalated year.
Your intercalation year will count as a year of study in your course progression, so long as you complete the full year and do not withdraw from it. If you do not complete the year, it does not count as a year of study. Please see Year of Study versus Academic Year for guidance determining your course progression.
Please note that the information provided on this page is for illustrative purposes only, and assumes that this is your first degree and no previous or repeat study years have been undertaken.
Your NHS awarding authority or NHS Student Bursaries will confirm your eligibility. Unlike the Student Finance loan, you do not repay the NHS tuition fee and living costs bursaries.
Funding for intercalation at undergraduate level for students who started after 2016
Route one: Undergraduate intercalation after two years of medicine or dentistry
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for years one and two, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for intercalation year at undergraduate level, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for year three and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for years four and five, and NHS tuition fee bursary.
Student Finance would fund the intercalated year.
Route two: Undergraduate intercalation after three years of medicine or dentistry
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for years one, two, and three, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for intercalation year at undergraduate level, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for years four and five, and NHS tuition fee bursary
Student Finance would fund the intercalated year.
Route three: Undergraduate intercalation after four years of medicine and dentistry
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for years one, two, three, and four, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan, plus NHS Bursary for intercalation year at undergraduate level and NHS tuition fee bursary
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for year five, and NHS tuition fee bursary
Intercalation is occurring at the fifth year of study.
If you meet the general eligibility criteria, the NHS Bursary will fund this undergraduate intercalated year which may consist of:
- Tuition fee bursary
- Non-means-tested living costs bursary
- Means-tested living costs bursary
Funding for intercalation at postgraduate level
Route four: Postgraduate intercalation after three years of medicine or dentistry
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for years one, two, and three, and tuition fee loan
- Student Finance funding for intercalation year at postgraduate level
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for years four and five, and NHS tuition fee bursary
Students cannot receive any undergraduate funding during a postgraduate intercalated year.
Students will need to apply for postgraduate funding from Student Finance. The loan is a contribution towards your tuition fee and living costs, and may not cover the full cost of study in this year.
Masters loans are paid in instalments directly to you rather than to the University. You will need to pay your fees to the University from the loan.
When you return to medicine or dentistry following intercalation you will be able to apply for the NHS Bursary and a reduced rate maintenance loan from Student Finance.
Route five: Postgraduate intercalation after four years of medicine or dentistry
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for years one, two, three, and four, and tuition fee loan
- NHS Bursary funding for intercalation at postgraduate level
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for year five, and NHS tuition fee bursary
The NHS can contribute to this intercalated year, which could include a tuition fee bursary, a non-means-tested living costs bursary and a means-tested living costs bursary.
The NHS Bursary will cover up to the undergraduate fee level only and you may need to top up the funding for the tuition fees yourself.
Students intercalating at postgraduate level in their fifth year of study cannot receive the reduced rate maintenance loan during the intercalated year as this is undergraduate funding.
Students cannot apply for a Masters Loan when intercalating at postgraduate level in their 5th year of study, because eligibility for the NHS Bursary makes students ineligible for the Masters Loan.
When you return to medicine or dentistry following intercalation you will be able to apply for the NHS Bursary and a reduced rate maintenance loan from Student Finance.
Route six: Postgraduate intercalation after four years clinical science, medicine or integral foundation year
- Student Finance full maintenance loan for foundation year and years one, two, and three, and tuition fee loan
- NHS Bursary funding for intercalation at postgraduate level.
- Student Finance reduced maintenance loan plus NHS bursary for years four and five, and NHS tuition fee bursary
Students with an integral foundation year become eligible to apply to the NHS Bursary for funding of the intercalated year at this point.
The NHS can contribute to this intercalated year, which could include a tuition fee bursary, a non-means-tested living costs bursary and a means-tested living costs bursary.
The NHS Bursary will cover up to the undergraduate fee level only and you may need to top up the funding for the tuition fees yourself.
Students intercalating at postgraduate level in their fifth year of study cannot receive the reduced rate maintenance loan during the intercalated year as this is undergraduate funding.
Students cannot apply for a Masters Loan when intercalating at postgraduate level in their 5th year of study, because eligibility for the NHS Bursary makes students ineligible for the Masters Loan.
When you return to medicine or dentistry following intercalation you will be able to apply for the NHS Bursary and a reduced rate maintenance loan from Student Finance.
Funding you will receive
Student Finance funding
If you started your studies after 2016 you could receive:
- See ‘Support with living costs’ for the Student Finance England loans for 2025-26
- See Table A.4 Reduced Rate Loans on page 7 of the ‘Financial Memorandum’ for reduced rate maintenance loan for year 5 of study onwards.
- See ‘Masters Loan’ for the Student Finance England Masters Loan if undertaking intercalation at Masters level.
NHS Bursary funding
- See ‘What you could get’ for current NHS funding figures.