The charity Pharmacist Support has launched its 2026 student bursary scheme for third year MPharm students entering their final year in September 2026.
The scheme offers awards or £3,000 or £5,000 to pharmacy students who have experienced an unexpected challenge that has both a personal and financial impact since starting their degree.
The 2026 scheme opened on 2 February 2026, and it will continue accepting application until 5pm on 20 April 2026. To request a bursary application form and guidance notes, students can email [email protected] with evidence that they are enrolled on the third year of an MPharm degree course.
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A total of 103 bursaries have been awarded since the scheme began in 2014, totalling £332,000.
In the most recent year of the scheme, all 28 fully accredited pharmacy schools in Great Britain agreed to take part, with 88 applications received from students across 24 universities.
Danielle Hunt, Chief Executive of Pharmacist Support, said: ‘Students are the future of the profession, and some face unexpected hardship that puts their studies, wellbeing, and confidence at risk. The bursary scheme is about more than financial support - it’s about belief, reassurance, and helping students stay the course.’
The Pharmacist Support Student Bursary Scheme is supported by Cencora Alliance Healthcare.
Managing director of Cencora Alliance Healthcare, Marie Evans, said: ‘We are proud to continue our partnership with Pharmacist Support and to support the Student Bursary Scheme for a third year.
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‘Pharmacy students are facing increasing pressures, and we believe it’s vital to help remove barriers that could prevent talented individuals from completing their training and entering the profession.’
Examples of significant, unexpected challenges experienced by previous bursary owners include:
- Diagnosis of serious illness requiring hospital treatment;
- Loss of educational financial support due to the sudden death of a parent or guardian;
- Unplanned pregnancy;
- Unexpected homelessness;
- Estrangement from parents;
- Domestic violence;
- Loss of property following a house fire.
One student bursary beneficiary said: ‘It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this bursary has altered the trajectory of my future.’
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) recently announced a shared commitment to tackling differential attainment and degree awarding gaps across pharmacy education and training.
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The RPS said in a statement: ‘Our joint focus reflects a growing recognition that inequitable outcomes undermine both professional fairness and the quality of patient care.’
And the number of students accepted onto undergraduate pharmacy programmes in the UK last year increased by 14.7% compared to 2024.
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