Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG)

Dental students in Scotland can apply for a grant of £4,000 a year to help with the cost of their studies. This is called the Dental Student Support Grant (DSSG).

Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student who need to repeat all or part of a year during 2021/22 because of Covid-19 can also apply for an enhanced bursary.

Who can apply?

You can apply for a DSSG if you:

• are enrolled for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow University
• have an annual household income of less than £34,000 per year
• are allowed to live and work in Scotland after graduation

When to apply

You must apply by 31 December in each academic year you want to claim a grant.

Which year you can first apply depends on which University you attend:

University	Year you can first apply for a DSSG
Aberdeen	First
Dundee	Second
Glasgow	Second

How to apply for DSSG

To apply for a DSSG:

1. Application form

Complete the DSSG application form.

2. Get copies of your supporting documents

Find out what documents you need to supply with your application.

3. Send information to your University

Send the following documents to your University by 31 December each year you want to apply for a grant:

• completed application form
• supporting documents

Where to send your forms

When your application is ready, send it to the University you'll be applying to:

Claiming a grant for a repeated year

If you have to repeat a year of your studiesduring 2021/22, you should complete the DSSG application form. You do not need to submit an extenuating circumstances form for 2021/22.

For the 2021/22 academic year only, you do not have to agree to work in NHS dentistry in Scotland following graduation to receive the DSSG and you will not need to pay it back. However, you must still meet all of the eligibility conditions to be able to claim the grant.

You will still have to meet the commitment to work in NHS dentistry in Scotland following graduation for any DSSG you have already received.

 

Enhanced bursary 

Dental students in Scotland who have to repeat a year during 2021/22 because of Covid-19 can apply for an enhanced bursary of up to £6,750.

You must be enrolled for a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)  at Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow University for the 2021/22 academic year.

How much you can get

The amount you can get depends on your circumstances and household income details. 

Young students can get:

• £5,750 if your household income is £33,999 or under
• £4,750 if your household income is £34,000 or over

Independent students can get:

• £6,750 if your household income is £23,999 or under
• £6,250 if your household income is between £24,000 and £33,999
• £4,750 if your household income is £34,000 or over

Young students

You are a young student if all of the following apply on the first day of your course. You:

• are under 25 years of age at the start of the academic year
• do not have a dependent child at the beginning of the academic year
• have not supported yourself through work or benefits outside full-time education for any three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
• are not married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner

Household income is the combined income of:

• your parents
• your parents partners that live with them
• their civil partner that lives with them
• your legal guardians

Independent students

You are an independent student if one of the following applies:

• you’re over 25 years of age before the start of the academic year
• you have a dependent child at the beginning of the academic year, who lives with you for the majority of the week
• you’ve supported yourself from earnings or benefits outside full-time education for any three years before the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you have no living parents
• you’re married, in a civil partnership or live with a partner before the first day of the first academic year of your course
• you’re estranged from your parents

Household income is the combined income of you and:

• husband
• wife
• civil partner
• partner

How to apply for the enhanced bursary

How you apply depends on your university.