Funding your studies

The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) provides financial support to cover study-related costs that occur because of a mental health problem, long term illness or other disability.

You can apply for DSA support on top of any additional student finance you are receiving. This finance does not have need to be repaid.

More information on Disabled Students' Allowance (DSAs) can be found here

If you are working and your course is relevant to your job, your employer may be willing to sponsor you. If your employer does agree to pay your Tuition Fees, they can email confirmation of this to sfo@hud.ac.uk before you enrol, and we can ensure that they are invoiced for your fees.

Research Councils

Research Councils funding is available through the University to both Master's and PhD students. There are seven councils, each covering a different subject of academic research. Your University school or department will be able to advise you on whether your course is eligible for funding, as well as offer you advice on submitting a high-quality application.

More information on Research Councils can be found here

Charities and Trust Funds

Charitable funding and Trust Funds can sometimes help with support for Postgraduate study. This funding tends to be limited and may not be able to cover the full cost of your study. You can find out more from these publications:

• The Educational Grants Directory
• The Charities Digest
• The Grants Register
• The Directory of Grant Making Trusts

PGCE and PGDipE courses

PGCE courses provide funding on the same basis as undergraduate courses (Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan).

Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based postgraduate teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS). 

More information on PGCE and PGDipE courses can be found here

Postgraduate Social Work Bursaries

The Social Work Bursary is a non‑repayable grant to help with study and living costs. It is offered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) and is separate from the University’s admissions process. Students who meet the required course and residency criteria can apply once they have accepted a place on the programme.

How allocation works

Bursary places are capped nationally, and each university receives a set number each year. Once our allocation is confirmed, we nominate students using the following process:

• Places are offered first to students who applied and were accepted earliest, with later applicants allocated to any remaining spaces.
• If the number of eligible students exceeds the number of bursaries available, later applicants will be ranked by undergraduate degree classification for nomination.

Important to know

• Students awarded the Social Work Bursary cannot also receive the Postgraduate Master’s Loan.
• Bursary confirmation may be issued close to the course start date.
• All students, whether they receive the main bursary or not, may still be eligible for the Practice Learning Travel Allowance via the NHSBSA.

For full details, please visit the NHSBSA Social Work Bursary website.

Other support

Both undergraduate and postgraduate students may wish to visit the University’s Student Services or the Students' Union Advice Centre if you want to discuss how this may affect you and where alternative support might be found if necessary.

Wellbeing Support

Disability Services