Bursaries

Teacher training bursaries and loans

Interested in becoming a teacher?

Tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England

You can apply for:

  • A tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 to cover your teacher training.
  • A maintenance loan of up to £12,382 to help with living costs.
Extra financial support for parents and careers:

You may be able to get extra financial support if you have children or other caring responsibilities:

Extra financial support for students with disabilities:
Student Finance Calculator:
  • You can still apply for a tuition fee and a maintenance loan if you already have a student loan from your undergraduate degree, use the student finance calculator to find out how much you can get.

Bursaries and scholarships

You may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship when training to teach. This is tax-free and you don't have to pay it back.

Bursaries and scholarships are available for the subjects listed below. You will need a first, 2:1, 2:2 or a PhD or Master's to be eligible for a bursary, as well as meeting the bursary's scheme's individual terms and conditions. You cannot receive both a bursary and scholarship.

ITT subject/phase

Bursary

Scholarship

Biology£20,000N/A
Chemistry£27,000£29,000
Computing£27,000£29,000
Design and technology£20,000N/A
English£15,000N/A
Geography£25,000N/A
Languages
(French, German and Spanish only)
£25,000£27,000
Languages
(all other languages, including ancient languages)
£25,000N/A
Maths£27,000£29,000
Physics£27,000£29,000

BA Hons Primary Education with QTS

Students on the BA Hons Primary Education with QTS do not qualify for bursaries but may be eligible for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan.

Early Years Teacher Status

The type and amount of financial support available depends on your eligibility and your highest relevant qualification.

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (full-time)

A £7,000 grant is available to cover course fees. There are also bursaries of up to £5,000 for graduates with a first class degree, £4,000 for graduates with a 2:1, and £2,000 for graduates with a 2:2.

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (employment)

Funding of £14,000 is available. This would cover course fees up to £7,000, plus £7,000 for your employer, to help cover their extra costs while you train.

Further Education, Life Long Learning (Full Time)

The DfE has announced a new series of incentives for 21/22 for FE initial teacher education:

Bursaries

Full details, including eligibility criteria and qualifying subjects for FE teacher training bursaries 2023/24, are available in the Department for Education bursaries and grants funding manuals here.

  • Applications are considered in the order in which they are received and the DfE aims to confirm whether or not they have awarded a bursary as soon as possible.
  • Eligible applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the available funding has been exhausted.
  • Bursary awards are fixed for the duration of the trainee’s ITE programme, and are for programmes starting in or after September 2023, and finishing no later than August 2024 (for full-time courses) or August 2025 (for part-time courses).
  • Bursary forms are sent to trainees once confirmation has been received from the bursary provider and they have accepted their offer of a place on an FE ITE programme.

FE teacher training subject/ bursary awards

  • Mathematics: £29,000
  • Science, including Biology, Chemistry, and/or Physics: £29,000
  • Engineering (and/or manufacturing): £29,000
  • Computing: £29,000
  • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): £15,000
  • English (capped at 100 places): £15,000

Eligibility criteria for FE teacher training bursaries

To be eligible, a trainee must:

  • be eligible to receive student support (although it is not a requirement for them to be in receipt of student support)
  • have achieved a standard equivalent to GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and mathematics, and at least a level 3 qualification in their subject of teacher training, or have relevant professional experience
  • be taking a qualifying pre-service ITE course in England
  • meet other related expectations, including intending to seek an FE teaching post in England after qualification

A trainee is not eligible if they:

  • already have a Diploma in Education and Training (DET), DET-compliant qualification or equivalent
  • have already received a full FE ITE bursary or grant award for a previous FE ITE programme or qualification
  • receive a salary or other payment for any teaching work associated with the FE ITE programme for which they are receiving the bursary
  • are also on another ITE course, training scheme or programme, which leads to a DET or DET-compliant qualification
  • are on an apprenticeship programme

See the full eligibility criteria for FE teacher training bursaries here

Grants

These are for in-service trainees accepted onto an ITE programme and cover the following subjects to be taught. They are each worth £18,200 to the employer to cover the cost of the training and the release from teaching. See DfE guidance.

  • English, maths & SEND

How bursaries are awarded

Application forms will be sent once you have accepted your offer and the bursary has been confirmed by the awarding body.

Bursary payments are processed by your chosen teacher training provider.  They are released in 10 monthly instalments from October to July once you are fully registered.

Disclosure Barring Service

Before your course begins, you must obtain an enhanced disclosure certificate through the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) and complete an Occupational Health Check. Without this, there may be delays to your funding.