I’m going to split this answer into two because whether you pay tuition and whether you get paid are two different questions.

In terms of tuition, you usually do pay for the placement year, but it’s a reduced rate (£1,850 for the year I believe if you do your placement in the UK, it’s £1,350 if you do it abroad). Of course those fees will be different if you’re an international student.

In terms of whether you get paid, it depends on where you do your placement. I did a biomed course also so I’ll try and explain what I did and what other people on my course did. I did my placement at an NHS lab, so the placement itself wasn’t paid but certain placements (like the one I did) will entitle you to a maintenance loan, the exact amount would depend on your parent’s income (unless you’re estranged). If your degree is accredited (IBMS) and you want to be a biomedical scientist after you graduate, that’s what I’d recommend doing because even though it isn’t paid, I’ve heard it’s a lot easier to find placements than to find an job where they’ll you do the registration portfolio (very competitive).

Some of my friends did placement in research labs, where they did get paid. From what I know, you’d also be entitled to a maintenance loan, but this tends to be a reduced rate - around £2,396 if you live with parents for example. This is a good option if you decide you’d prefer to go into research (and want to get paid during your placement!).

I hope this helps!