Do you desire to study as a nurse in the UK for free? It is always very expensive to study as a nurse in any part of the world. Because of the expensive nature of the course or program, some routes have been developed that will make it easier to study as a nurse in the UK for free or without using your funding.
There is a rise in the demand for nurses and other medical practitioners daily in the UK. This has in turn given rise to the number of people that wants to study as a nurse in the UK for free. The health sector in the UK is short staffed and this has created vacancies for healthcare personnel especially nurses and doctors.
How To Study As A Nurse In The UK For Free
There are various ways in which you can study as a nurse in the UK for free. the routes that exist include using any of the following:
Student Loans.
Employer Funding.
Scholarships.
Using Student Loan
Using student loans to fund your study as a nurse in the UK means that the UK government will provide 100% funding for the program. This funding will cover the tuition fees and other living expenses of the student.
It must be stated here that this route of funding is not free because the students are expected to pay back the loan after their studies. The student loan only provides a platform where students can easily access funds to pay their school fees and other expenses as at when due but will repay the funds.
Although the students are expected to back the student loans used in funding their studies, the repayment system is usually friendly in such that the student has enough time to pay back without any difficulty. The loan repayment starts after the student has completed his or her studies and secured gainful employment from where they can raise money to pay back.
It is not all students that study in the UK that is eligible to access student loan. To access the student loan, you must have the following:
- You must be a citizen of the United Kingdom.
- You must have a resident permit.
- You must have a first-degree relative that has a residency permit o a student that has lived in the United Kingdom for up to three (3) years or more.
- The course of study and the college or university you attend will also determine if you are eligible.
- Your age must be within the required age bracket.
- You will be considered for the student loan if you have studied a higher education course before. You can click here to check the details of those that are eligible to access the student loan.
If you want to apply for a Student loan, you need to first set up a student finance account. You can click here to search for who is eligible for student loans, set up a student finance account and register by completing the registration process.
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Employer Funding
One of the routes you can use to study as a nurse in the UK for free is by using employer funding. You will first secure a job in the health facility as a healthcare assistant. In the United Kingdom, healthcare employers normally set aside funds to be used in funding nursing apprenticeship programmes and other educational programmes.
For nursing students studying in the United Kingdom, you must discuss with your employers the funding route available. The common route available to most health facilities especially NHS facilities is the nursing associate and apprenticeship program. This programme enables nursing students to be trained for four (4) years to become graduate registered nurses in the United Kingdom through the apprenticeship pathway.
With this route, the student nurses are to work for their employers while they are allowed to study on a part-time basis in a higher institution. This also gives them the opportunity to be trained in different positions in practice placement settings. This placement helps them to learn from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approved educational providers in the United Kingdom. The nursing degree apprenticeship route is fully funded by employers. This provides nursing students in the UK the opportunity to study as a nurse for free in the UK. The employers will adjust the work timetable and schedules to help the students to work and at the same time study well.
Employers can also make various types of scholarships available for their employees to enable them to advance their nursing training and education. The employees can get between 70% to 100% scholarships to further their training to undergraduate and postgraduate levels on a part-time or full-time basis. After the training/ study period is over, the employer is expected to work for their employer for about a year or two (2) years
for their employers depending what the terms and conditions of the study.
University Scholarships
This is one of the routes you can use to study as a nurse in the UK for free. Getting university scholarship funding is very competitive these days. For nursing students to be able to get the types of funding depends if what is available, the course they want to study, their academic performance and the university. Students who are bright and with excellent grades always find it easy to secure the scholarship once they apply’ Some universities offer their undergraduates nursing scholarships and postgraduate nursing scholarships for international and local students.
Conclusion
If you are interested and motivated to study as a nurse in the UK for free, not minding the circumstances surrounding you, you can still achieve it using any of the routes stated above. Take time and look at the different options and choose the one that suits or will work better for you.