16-19 Bursary funding
What is the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund?
The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund helps disadvantaged pupils pay for things they need to support their education or training.
Examples include:
- Transport
- Books
- Equipment
- Field trips and other course-related costs
- The costs of attending university interviews and open days
How much could I get?
The amount you can get varies depending on your situation and circumstances. But it could be up to £1,200 a year, if you’re studying full time for at least 30 weeks. If your course is less than that, you can still apply but you may receive less.
Am I eligible?
You can apply if you:
- are aged 16 to 19 on 31st August at the start of the academic year in which you start a full time study programme;
- Meet certain criteria based on you or your family’s circumstances, which is detailed in section 6 of our 16 – 19 Bursary Fund Policy.
Types of bursary
There are two types of bursary – vulnerable and discretionary – and you’ll need to meet different criteria to apply for them.
For the vulnerable bursary you will need to be at least one of these:
- In care
- A care leaver
- Getting income support (or universal credit) in your own name
- Getting employment and support allowance, and either disability living allowance or personal independence payments in your own name
The discretionary bursary doesn’t have fixed criteria like this – we will make our own decision based on things like family income. See section 6.5 of our 16 – 19 Bursary Fund Policy for further details.
How to apply for the bursary
Within the first two weeks of the school year, we will post the full application details on this webpage. This will include links to the online application form, and the key dates / deadlines that to be aware of.
You will be asked to provide evidence of your circumstances, and we cannot process your application without this. If you don’t provide everything that we ask for, this will delay your application being processed.
How the bursary is paid
The bursary will be paid “in kind” (e.g. the Sixth Form may purchase travel passes, equipment, books etc. on behalf of the student) where possible. In exceptional cases, half termly cash instalments of up to £200 will be paid direct to the student’s bank account via our BACS payment system. Only in exceptional cases will money be provided for expenses. Payments to support additional educational expenses will be made at the point of approval of application.