Funding for social work study

Undergraduate

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is responsible for giving financial support to eligible students on undergraduate and part time social work courses in Scotland. Find out more here.

Postgraduate

This information is relevant to the 2024/25 academic year. Funding is reviewed annually so please use this as a guide only for future years.

Students who are applying for a bursary cannot access any additional funding through SAAS so should not apply to SAAS for a tuition fee loan or a living cost loan.

Postgraduate bursaries are available for nominated full-time, home students with a household income of less than £34,000 studying the MSc Social Work at the following universities:

• University of Dundee
• University of Edinburgh
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• University of Strathclyde
• Robert Gordon University
• University of Stirling
• University of the West of Scotland
• Edinburgh Napier University
• Open University.

Each university receives a quota of bursary places and must nominate students for each year of the course. Bursary places are allocated at the discretion of universities and they may have more students than available bursary places. Please contact your chosen university directly if you want to be nominated.

Universities send the SSSC lists of nominated students twice a year, during summer for the September intake and during autumn for the January intake. We then invite those nominated to apply. Nomination does not guarantee eligibility for funding. Students will be assessed for residence eligibility, previous funding received and if eligible, entitlement.

• Residence eligibility will be derived from the Student Support (Scotland) Regulations 2022.

The overall bursary consists of various allowances and is intended as a contribution towards the costs of study. The Schedule of Rates is reviewed annually.

• Tuition fees – all eligible students will receive a contribution towards tuition fees. The maximum contribution the postgraduate bursary scheme is approved to pay towards course fees in 2024/25 is £3,415.00. The maximum amount may not cover the full fee so please check this with your chosen university. The contribution towards fees is paid directly to the relevant university on the student’s behalf.
• Students can claim exceptional travel and accommodation allowance as detailed in the Schedule of Rates.

Please contact the Bursaries team at bursaries@sssc.uk.com for more information.