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Undergraduate pharmacy students are to have access to a government scheme reimbursing travel and accommodation costs for the first time, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed.

Details for the 2025-26 NHS Learning Support Fund were recently published, revealing that for the first time MPharm students will be able to reclaim travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE) incurred as part of their clinical placements through the scheme. 

However, they will not be eligible for other financial provisions offered through the scheme such as a training grant of up to £5,000 per year, or a bursary worth up to £3,000 per year for students facing “exceptional, unforeseen hardship”.

To qualify, applicants will in most cases need to demonstrate that they “are in receipt of both tuition fees and maintenance support loans,” said the DHSC. 

As recently as February, the Government indicated there were “no immediate plans” to extend the bursary to pharmacy students. 

The inclusion of undergraduate pharmacy students in the scheme follows lengthy campaigning from organisations including the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which in 2023 gave evidence to the health select committee calling for the fund to be extended to MPharm students as a measure of fairness. 

RPS president Claire Anderson commented: “This is a very positive step and a welcome recognition by the Government of the crucial role of pharmacists in the future NHS.

“As pharmacists play a more clinical role in the health service, it seemed increasingly unjust to exclude pharmacy students from the financial support they deserve.

“Access to the Learning Support Fund will also help tackle the inequalities that exist within the profession by removing financial barriers to placements and supporting all pharmacy students.” 

Molly Charlton Chambers, a fourth year student at Kingston University and Pharmacists’ Defence Association student rep, said: “As one of the PDA Student Reps involved in the PDA Fair Funding campaign from the start, I am delighted that pharmacy students can now access the TDAE portion of the LSF.

“The increased demand for clinical placements since the incorporation of Independent Prescribing has meant many students must travel a considerable distance to attend them, with some needing to stay in temporary accommodation. 

“The inclusion of pharmacy students in the TDAE scheme means that eligible students will now be able to claim for excess travel and accommodation costs, helping to significantly reduce the financial burden faced by many students. 

“It also demonstrates recognition of the importance of pharmacists and the need to support the future of the pharmacy workforce.”

She said pharmacy students should “remain committed to securing the full benefits offered by the LSF, such as the training grant of £5,000 per academic year”.