Medical student funding

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)

SAAS is the main source of student funding. If you're ordinarily resident in Scotland and studying at a Scottish university, you can apply for:

• Tuition fees paid: This isn't a loan, but you must apply every academic year to get it.
• A student loan for living costs: This is income-assessed and repayable once you're earning above a certain threshold.
• A bursary: You can get this if your household income is below a set amount, and it doesn't have to be repaid.

SAAS funding guide for medical students.

How many years will SAAS fund?

SAAS funds the total length of your course plus one additional year. For a 5-year MBChB, this means you can get up to 6 years of funding.

This extra year is there to absorb a repeated year or an intercalated year without any financial penalty. If you're thinking about intercalating, your funding is already covered.

If you're thinking about taking a break from your studies, always speak to SAAS before you do. Whether an interruption uses up your additional year depends on your exact circumstances.

Studying part of your degree outside Scotland

This affects the St Andrews BSc route, where your final 3 years are at a partner medical school. If that partner is in England, the funding arrangements change part-way through your degree.

You might need a tuition fee loan for one year before SAAS support resumes. Always check the exact position with SAAS before you accept a place.

If medicine is your second degree

SAAS doesn't usually pay tuition fees or bursary support for a second undergraduate degree. Exceptions do apply, but the rules aren't simple and published guidance from different organisations doesn't always agree.

If you already have a degree, contact SAAS directly and get your position confirmed in writing before you commit. This is the single most important thing a graduate applicant can do. Graduate entry programmes have their own arrangements, which are different again.

Comparing your funding options

How you're funded depends on which route you take. For standard entry, it also depends on whether medicine is your first or second degree.

Fees and figures change regularly. Always check directly with SAAS and the medical school before you make a commitment.

Standard entry

If medicine is your first degree and you're eligible, SAAS pays your tuition. If you already hold a degree, you'll normally pay the annual fee yourself for the first 4 years. SAAS might be able to cover year 5 onwards, so you should confirm your own position with them.

Find out more about standard entry to medicine programmes.

ScotGEM

The Scottish Government pays tuition in full for eligible ScotGEM students. You can also choose to take the return of service bursary. This gives you £4,000 a year for up to 4 years in exchange for working in NHS Scotland for the same number of years.

Learn more about the ScotGEM programme.

HCP-Med

The Scottish Funding Council pays the tuition fees for eligible HCP-Med candidates. Because you study part-time and keep working for the first 3 years, your income continues during that period. Years 4 and 5 are full-time in Edinburgh, so you need to plan for that financial change.

Discover more about HCP-Med.

Gateway to Medicine

A gateway year is a fully funded year of university study, but it uses one of your funded years. Check the funding position for your total programme length before you enrol.

See all 4 gateway programmes.

Extra support you might be eligible for

You might also be able to claim extra financial help, including:

• A non-repayable bursary if you're care-experienced.
• Support if you have a disability or long-term condition.
• Additional grants if you have dependants or childcare costs.
• Help with travel to clinical placements, where it costs more than your normal journey to university.
• A UCAT bursary covering the test fee, if you're eligible. You must apply before you book.

Every medical school also has a hardship fund. There are also scholarships and educational trusts specifically for medical students, including some aimed at widening access applicants.

Other sources of student funding.

Costs to plan for

Tuition and living costs are the obvious ones. However, these are the extra costs medical students say caught them out:

• Placement travel and accommodation: Clinical placements can be a long way from your campus. Some periods might mean paying for accommodation in 2 places.
• A longer academic year: Medical terms run longer than most degrees, particularly in the clinical years. This leaves less time for paid work over the summer.
• Occupational health and PVG checks: You must have these before you go near patients.
• Equipment and course costs: This includes a stethoscope, textbooks, and professional body membership if you choose to join.

Where to get funding advice

SAAS can confirm your own entitlement, and every university has a student funding adviser who deals with these questions daily. If you're still at school, your local Reach programme or SHEP hub can help you work it out before you apply.