Your placement funding entitlement can vary depending on the type and duration of the placement you are undertaking. It is important to plan your finances in advance. This includes checking you are receiving all the funding you are entitled to, working out a realistic budget to make sure you can cover your placement costs and understanding how the information on these pages may impact you.
Going on placement
During your studies you may be required to undertake a work or study placement. The type and duration of your placement will affect the amount of tuition fees you will be charged and, the amount of financial support you may be eligible for. This will be based on whether your placement is work or study related, paid or unpaid or located in the UK or overseas.
You can find detailed and specific information regarding placement funding entitlement in our placement funding factsheet.
Please remember that you must also register with the University during your placement year. You will receive an email about it in September and registration information information is also available on the registering with the University webpages.
Work and study placements funding
Different funding entitlement is available for different types of placements. You can find more detailed information on the placement funding webpage.
The types of work and study placement available for students are:
- Paid and unpaid work placements
- Type B unpaid placements
- Study Abroad placements
- Turing Scheme Study and work placements
- Thin sandwich placements
The information on the Placement funding webpage relates to Student Finance England. Students from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland should check statutory funding entitlement with their own student finance provider:
Student Finance Wales
Student Finance Northern Ireland
Students Awards Agency Scotland
Budgeting
It is important to plan your finances carefully for a placement year and to ensure you can cover your costs. Your budget will also depend on what you want to experience whilst on placement, so do some research and plan ahead.
You can find helpful budgeting tips on our Managing Your Money and Blackbullion resource, as well as visiting our Budgeting Resource webpage for information and advice on how to plan finances and manage money successfully.
Upfront placement/internship fees scam
Be aware of paying upfront fees to secure a placement or internship opportunity, because often they turn out to be financial scams. Usually, the University will not encourage students to apply for opportunities where an upfront fee is required. If you are in any doubt regarding the legitimacy of the placement you are being offered, then speak to your Placement Officer at first, and if needed then report the scam to Action Fraud.
Student loans and other statutory funding
If you are a Home UK student, you should complete the application for your Maintenance Loan and or Grant before you begin your placement. You should submit your application as soon as you can as it can take at least six weeks to be processed. The closing date for applications is June 1 of the academic year you are applying for. Your Maintenance Loan entitlement depends on your household income as well as the type and duration of the placement you are undertaking.
If you have costs to cover before your placements starts (e.g. moving costs, rent etc) for some placements you may be able to receive your maintenance loan early. In addition, also try and think of a contingency plan to help with this. If your placement is paid, your employer may be able to provide you with a salary advance. If you experience unexpected financial difficulties during placement, you can contact Student Money Advice.
Tuition fees for placement years
Home UK students
The amount of tuition fees for Home UK students on placement depends on:
- the type of work and/or study placement
- the duration of placement
You can find out your tuition fees via the University tuition fee webpage.
Home UK students can generally apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost of their tuition fees during placement.
For any queries about your tuition fees please contact the Student Finance Office.
International students
The amount of tuition fees for international students on placement also depends on:
- the type of work and/or study placement
- the duration of placement
You should budget for an increase of up to 8% for every year of your course. If you aren't paying your fees in British Pounds, you should also budget for possible fluctuations in your own currency.
International students can find out how much their tuition fees are via the University tuition fee webpage.
For any queries about your tuition fees please contact the Student Finance Office.
University funding
Placement bursary
If you are in receipt of the Bath Bursary, Gold Scholarship, Cowrie Foundation Scholarship or Discretionary Student Support Fund, and undertake an unpaid placement or study abroad placement period as part of your degree, you may be eligible for the Placement Bursary.
This award is worth either £1,000 or £2,000, depending on the type of placement that you are undertaking.
If you receive any of the above mentioned scholarships then you will continue to receive this funding only if you are undertaking a thick or thin unpaid placement or a study abroad period as part of your degree.
If you are undertaking a thin sandwich placement then the bursary will be pro-rata across years two and three.
For more information or any queries, please contact undergraduatefunding@bath.ac.uk
Alumni fund placement grants
Unpaid or low-paid placements may be supported through Alumni Fund Placement Grants of up to £2,000.
For more information about this, please use the form on the Alumni Fund Placement Grants webpage to submit queries.
Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences placement fund
If you are a Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences student and going on an unpaid or low-paid placement, you can apply to the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Placement Fund for grants of up to £1,000 (pro rata for shorter placements).
For more information or any queries, please contact hssplacementfund@bath.ac.uk.
Postgraduate Taught Humanities & Social Sciences placement grant
If you are a Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences postgraduate taught student going on an unpaid or low-paid placement, you can apply to the Postgraduate Taught Humanities & Social Sciences Placement Fund for grants of up to £250 (pro rata for shorter placements).
For more information or any queries, please contact hssplacementfund@bath.ac.uk
Care leavers, estranged students, refugees and young adult carers
If you receive a Care Leavers or Estrangement, or Refugee Bursary, then you will retain this funding during a placement year irrespective of what type of placement you are undertaking. If you are in receipt of a Young Adult Carers Bursary, you will only retain this funding if you are undertaking an unpaid placement.
For more information or any queries, please contact studentsuccess@bath.ac.uk.
Taxes
Income tax
If you are on a UK-based paid placement you will have to pay Income Tax and National Insurance on earnings over your personal allowance. This includes international students. Check that you are not on an emergency tax code, it might appear as W1, M1 or X on your payslip and if you see this code on your payslip talk to your employer.
Tax years are from 6 April of one year to 5 April of the following year, so your placement may cross two tax years. This may allow you claim a tax refund at the end of the financial year (April), so please keep all pay related documents as you cannot normally get copies and may need them if you want to claim any tax return after your placement.
You can find information about claiming a tax refund from the HMRC website. If you are an international student, you should do this before you leave the UK.
If your placement is in the EU or abroad, you will need to check with your employer whether you will have to pay tax or other charges on any earnings whilst you are working.
National Insurance number
To work in the UK you must have a National Insurance number. If you do not have one, you should apply for one visa the National Insurance number application webpage.
Council tax
You will still be regarded as a full-time student for UK Council Tax purposes when on a placement. This means that you should be exempt from Council Tax, though you may need to show your Local Council a student status letter. Please visit our get proof you are a student webpage for more information.
Work permits and money matters
Visas and work permits
You may require a visa or work permit if your placement is abroad. Please allow enough time to arrange these and be aware of the associated costs.
Please contact your Placement Officer for more information about visa or permit requirements.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
You may be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of the your placement year, and you will have to pay a fee depending on the type of DBS check you need.
Transport for London 18+ Student Oyster photocard
You can apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard if you're 18 or over, live in a London borough and are undertaking a mandatory work placement in London for at least 14 weeks.
At first apply online to set up your photocard web account. Once you've completed this step, you need to send Transport for London a work placement letter confirming your work placement status and location which can be completed by your Placement Officer.
This letter then needs to be posted to the following address:
Transport for London
Admail 4121
London
SW1P 1AT
Please remember to quote your 18+ Student Application Number at the top of the work placement letter so Transport for London can link it to your application.
Paid placement and welfare benefits
A paid placement will impact any means-tested benefits you are in receipt of. It will only impact your family’s benefit entitlement if you are living with them during your paid placement.
Stipends
Please note that Student Finance may count stipends as income and therefore categorise your placement as being paid. This can affect your funding entitlement and result in you receiving a reduced rate of maintenance loan rather than the full rate. If your stipend is paid for a specific purpose, such as rent, travel etc. you may need to provide evidence to Student Finance.
Please contact your Placement Officer if you are unsure whether you are in receipt of a stipend.
Accommodation
It is important to plan ahead to secure your placement accommodation, which usually means being able to pay a deposit, one month’s rent and agency fees up front. If you have any concerns as to how you might cover these costs, contact Student Money Advice at studentmoneyadvice@bath.ac.uk.
The timing of securing your placement accommodation is also important, as you may find that your placement tenancy agreement crosses over with your term-time tenancy, and therefore you are in a position of having to pay double rent for a period of time. The new Renters Rights Act starting on 01/05/26 allows tenants to provide two months’ notice on a property, so you may want to align when you leave your term-time property with when you start your placement tenancy.
Check the terms of your tenancy with your estate agent or landlord, as all tenants listed on the contract may be jointly responsible for the full rent as a household, rather than being responsible solely for the rent on your individual room. Should you need to find a replacement tenant, you can advertise your room on Student Pad. For further advice and guidance relating to accommodation please contact Student Accommodation at reslife@bath.ac.uk.
Insurance and health care
Insurance
Check that you have appropriate insurance cover for your placement location. Premiums may vary according to the area you live in, so speak with your insurance provider. Please read the University’s Insurance guidance before going on placement.
When you travel outside the UK on University approved work placements, it is recommended that you acquire your own personal insurance.
Health care
If you are planning to be on placement in an EU country or Switzerland, you can apply for a UK Student Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) free of charge before you leave the UK. You can use your card to access medically necessary state-provided healthcare when you’re visiting an EU country and Switzerland. You can find detailed information on the NHS website by scrolling down to the section on students. Please note that Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are not covered by the GHIC.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, you may need to pay a premium, so check that you are appropriately insured and talk to your insurance provider if in doubt.
If you are not a UK national, there may be some restrictions in place in relation to countries in which you can receive treatment, so please check your country’s own agreements with other countries before undertaking the placement.
The Medical Centre charges for non-NHS services e.g. medical reports, certificates which you may need for certain visas.
Other useful information
Financial emergencies
In an emergency, your parent/sponsor/UK contact can arrange for cash to be made available to you anywhere in the world via a Money Transfer Service through organisations such as the Post Office or Western Union.
If you experience unexpected financial difficulties whilst you’re on your placement, contact Student Money Advice at studentmoneyadvice@bath.ac.uk or call +44 1225 383838 to discuss what options are available.
Students are also eligible to apply for assistance from the Short-Term Loan scheme and/or the Financial Support Fund.
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) Support
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is not normally awarded during a full-year (thick) placement. If you normally receive DSA, check with Student Finance England or other awarding agency as you may be able to receive this if you are on a study placement.
In the UK you may be eligible for work-related disability support from Access to Work. Book a meeting with a Disability Service to discuss this further.
Mobile phone
Please check with your mobile phone provider for information about rates for calls and texts from abroad if your placement location is not in the UK. Also consider getting a sim card abroad or shopping around to help reduce costs.