Nursing students in England will soon be able to access upfront payments for placement travel and accommodation costs, following long-standing calls from the RCN to end a system that has left many out of pocket while training.
From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, eligible students accessing the NHS Learning Support Fund will have the option to receive advance payments towards placement-related expenses, rather than paying costs upfront and waiting to be reimbursed.
Under the new arrangement, announced by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, students will be able to receive an upfront “float” of £200 to cover travel and £400 for accommodation costs associated with clinical placements.
As the balance is used and drops to £50, students will be able to apply for top-ups, helping to reduce the financial pressure of mandatory placements.
Students will continue to submit claims as normal, with approved claims automatically deducted from their advance payment balance.
The new system will be administrated by the NHS Business Services Authority. The current system will still be available for those who want to use it.
The announcement follows years of campaigning by the RCN and students on the financial barriers facing those entering the profession, including repeated concerns that students are often forced to use their own money to meet placement costs and then have to wait for reimbursement.
Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England, said: "For so long, nursing students have been forced to use their limited funds to pay for travel to mandatory clinical placements, only to wait weeks and often months to get anything back at all.
"Today's announcement of an upfront payment system is recognition of just how inflexible and unfair that process is, and the RCN's demands for change.”
While we welcome this announcement, this is just one step towards addressing the financial challenges facing nursing students.
Patricia said: "These changes to expenses claims will provide some welcome financial relief to those studying to join our brilliant profession, but ministers shouldn't stop there.
"Even after today, poverty will remain a daily reality thanks to inadequate financial support, while a toxic tuition fee system leaves graduates in eye-watering debt and with some unable to secure a job at all.”
We’ve consistently called for better financial support for students throughout nursing education, warning that rising living costs, student debt and placement expenses have created significant barriers to joining the profession.
We’ve also raised concerns about newly registered nurses struggling to secure employment despite workforce shortages across health and care services.
"A comprehensive new package of financial support is needed for nursing students, as is bold reform to a broken tuition fee model and measures to ensure all nursing graduates can secure employment,” Patricia said.
