NHS funding for final year medical students - how much do you get?

Hi, I'm a fourth year medical student looking to see how much money i will get in my final year, but it is quite confusing. From what I can tell, they expect you to live off £2-3k, including rent, and that literally impossible without starving to death or living in a skip. Anybody have anything concrete? Preferably if you already have NHS funding and know what the deal is!

Reply 1

Someone123123

They pay your tuition fees in full and you will get at least £1000 grant. Depends on your parental income how much more you get in addition to the £1000

Reply 2

Cheesychips1

You get fees paid and a £1000 grant as the above poster said. Then you get a 1.8k Loan from SFE for the whole year; then extra on top if you apply for means tested.
I know it’s absolutely nothing - I was lucky to save a lot of money working over intercalation. A few of my friends from NI get nothing from Student finance and successfully got ‘access to education’ funds from the Uni, but I don’t have any English friends who’ve managed this.

Reply 3

azyx1324

Any update on what is going on with this situation? I'm in my 5/6 year in a London medical school and encountered the same problem as the OP. From what I can tell I'd be able to get about £2k from NHS Bursary and just over £1k from SFE in the form of loan, no grant available. It is ludicrous to think we are expected to live off £3k in London as clinical medical student for a year, fund an elective abroad, and then back to the UK for additional training, and then sort out all the pre-FY1 arrangements with only £3k?

Reply 4

Someone123123

Original post by azyx1324

It is ludicrous to think we are expected to live off £3k in London as clinical medical student for a year, fund an elective abroad, and then back to the UK for additional training, and then sort out all the pre-FY1 arrangements with only £3k?

Well yeah, some medical students really are drowning in debt by the time they graduate. A lot stay in the UK for their elective, which is a way to mitigate that cost at least.

Reply 5

azyx1324

Original post by Someone123123

If you want concrete figures then I'd advise getting directly in contact with the organisations. They'll lkiely takes ages to reply to email but should be able to tell you pretty quickly over the phone.

Well yeah, some medical students really are drowning in debt by the time they graduate. A lot stay in the UK for their elective, which is a way to mitigate that cost at least.

Errrr~~ That's disgusting... This is literally a stab in the back at the most vulnerable moment. Wonder why this isn't a nationwide scandal yet?

My medical school never informed any of us regarding this income dip problem and I don't think any of my peers are aware of this neither.

How do people usually survive a situation like this?

Reply 6

Cheesychips1

Yeah for my final year I've got 2.8k total, as mentioned above. It's very difficult, luckily I've had some jobs and saved money.
A few people I know have successfully got financial hardship bursaries from Uni, others have jobs, most appear to just live off their parents (medicine is a very elitist degree sadly!)

Hardship bursaries can be helpful, and also prize competitions, I managed to get £500 that way.
But yes, difficult, already dreading working out how I'm going to muddle through until that first F1 pay check.

Good luck with your final years!

Reply 7

Someone123123

Original post by azyx1324

Yeah.. it's not great. I imagine it wasn't too bad until they raised the tuition fees.

As Chips said above, mainly working over the summer or part-time during the academic year (e.g. HCA over the weekend) - a lot of the post grads I know do that. I imagine banks wouldn't mind lending you either given that you're basically guaranteed a job, but don't quote me on that.

Reply 8

ahorey

I get zilch.

I have a previous degree and am on a undergrad course, but we don’t have a grad course here anyway lol so undergrad is only option. But fees are only 4K per year so suppose that’s something!

So another year of loans for me!!

Reply 9

nexttime

Original post by azyx1324

Errrr~~ That's disgusting... This is literally a stab in the back at the most vulnerable moment. Wonder why this isn't a nationwide scandal yet?

...

How do people usually survive a situation like this?

The answer to both is: rich parents.

Feel for the students whose unis expect them to have cars to get to placement.

If you're in London though you will have access to lots of medical trials going on. Potentially pretty lucrative, as well as the massive moral value obviously. Just saying.