How to Use Medical Elective Bursaries and Grants to Fund Your Elective

Embarking on a medical internship abroad can be incredibly rewarding and beneficial to your future career, but many med students wonder whether they’ll be able to afford their chosen elective. The good news is that there are many ways to pay for your internship, including medical elective bursaries and grants. 

People regularly manage to raise thousands to pay towards their medical electives, so it’s well worth the effort of fundraising and applying for financial aid. Today, we’ll explore how you can use these methods to help with the costs of making a meaningful difference in the world. 

What Are Grants and Bursaries? 

Grants and bursaries are sums of money that don’t have to be paid back to the lender, often for educational purposes. They can be used to cover the cost of tuition, books and living expenses, but can also be suitable for internships and related costs. 

The main difference between grants and bursaries is that the former are often provided by charities or trusts based on specific criteria, while the latter are often distributed by educational institutions or organisations. 

Grants are often based on financial need, specific demographic groups (e.g., students with disabilities or those from a certain region), or academic achievement. Bursaries can also be awarded based on financial need, but also take into account backgrounds and specific fields of study.

Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) provides a wonderfully extensive list of bursaries and grants for your elective to consider.

How to Apply for Medical Bursaries and Grants

When hoping to fund your medical internship abroad, we recommend applying for as many bursaries and grants as you can. Once you’ve found the ones you’re eligible for, both from the RMBF’s list and your institution’s personal fund, start applying. 

Each grant will have its own application criteria, so you’ll need to spend a bit of time researching what you need for each one. However, you’ll most likely find that you can reuse bits of information to prevent having to rewrite each application from scratch. 

Once you’ve applied, you wait for responses from each institution. We recommend keeping a list of all the institutions to which you apply, so you know how many you’re waiting to hear back from. 

If your application is accepted, the funding body may ask for something in return, such as an essay about your time overseas. Once you agree to these conditions, the money will be sent to you or your chosen internship organisation to fund your trip. 

What Criteria Do I Need to Meet?

Each bursary and grant will have its own unique application criteria, so it’s essential to check what you need to provide for each. We recommend focusing on one funding body at a time to maximise your chances of receiving a grant. Look for applications that require similar information so you can apply for more places in a shorter period of time. 

Most funding bodies will require you to submit an application with specific details of your overseas internship elective, along with your reasons for pursuing it. They may also want you to know how the work you complete, both during your placement and in the future, will support them as an institution. 

There are often specific conditions that must be met during your time abroad to be eligible for your bursary. These might include: 

• Work to support your application: Certain funding bodies might ask you to complete a set number of hours’ work before applying to show your dedication and experience to your chosen elective. 
• Specific in-country project work: Data collection projects are commonly conducted by interns, helping the funding body by delivering in-country, relevant data to support their research or cause. 
• Write a report post-elective: Reflective writing projects encourage you to think about how your time spent practising in your chosen country has affected your personal and professional development. 

How Much Money Should I Apply For? 

Most bursaries and grants are offered in fixed amounts, but some ask you to apply for the amount you need. Working with a reputable organization like Med Trips makes this as simple as possible, as we’re very upfront with our prices. 

Our medical internships also include several amenities, including: 

• Living accommodation
• Program fee
• Meals, focusing on local cuisine
• Travel and airport pickup
• In-country support

You’ll also need to consider flight costs, any equipment you may need to take with you, and spending money. 

The duration of your internship will also affect how much you’ll need to ask for. Longer internships cost more, but some funding bodies may prefer paying the extra fee as they’ll receive more in-depth data and reflection from you. 

Do Bursaries or Grants Cover the Entire Cost of Medical Electives? 

Some funding bodies will provide a large enough sum of money to cover the entire cost of your elective, but most will provide a set amount to cover only a portion of the overall price. This means you’ll be responsible for raising the remaining amount, leaving some medical students wondering whether a grant is worth the effort. 

Getting the opportunity to undertake an elective placement abroad is an incredible opportunity, so don’t let a lack of funds stand in the way of your hands-on experience. A bursary or grant is a great way to top up your savings to get you started on the right foot. Then there are several ways you can raise the rest of the money on your own. 

Other Ways to Fundraise for a Medical Internship

Depending on how long you have before your planned internship abroad, you might be able to raise some money towards the overall cost. From extra spending money to covering the entire cost, set a goal of how much you want to raise and use the following methods:

Fundraising Events

Fundraising is one of the most important ways of raising money for internships, and it gives you a great opportunity to spend time in the community while topping up your savings pot! There are plenty of fundraising opportunities to consider, including:

• Run a bake sale
• Host a dinner party, film night or other ticketed event
• Paid-entry competitions, tombolas, raffles 
• Give something up for a month and ask for sponsors
• Participate in a fun run

Find a Sponsor

Companies like to be seen in a good light, and wealthy professionals often want to give back to the community through sponsorship opportunities. Offer them the chance to associate their name with something positive (your meaningful work in an underserved country). 

It’s normal for them to want something in return, or for you to offer an extra incentive. This could be a social media post, their name or brand logo on your T-shirt, something else. 

Finding a sponsor can be challenging, but not impossible. Just like a grant or bursary, sponsorships take time, care and perseverance to win over. However, if you secure one, you may be able to get your entire internship funded instantly. 

Online Fundraising Profiles

There are several online fundraising platforms that you can choose to advertise on, including GoFundMe, JustGiving and CrowdFunder. They’re mostly the same, but some take a higher percentage of your funds than others, so it’s worth checking the terms and conditions before advertising your cause. 

Here you can fundraise for free, sending the link to friends, family members and strangers through social media. Create an online presence and explain why you want to embark on your medical internship, and people may feel inclined to donate to your cause! The more advertising you do and incentives you offer, the more sponsorship you’ll likely earn. 

Ready to Plan Your Medical Internship Abroad? 

Now that you have a better idea of how you’re going to fund your once-in-a-lifetime adventure, it’s time to plan it! At Med Trips, we provide professional assistance for everything you need, from funding options to visa applications, help with choosing an elective and the requirements you need to apply. 

We work with countries all over the world to bring internships in several electives, including pre-med, medical, nursing and midwifery. Check out our medical electives abroad and find one that excites you to start applying for bursaries and grants!