Bursary

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is supplied by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) which is Government funded and supplies successful applicants with a fixed amount to use towards their education- related costs. The purpose of the Bursary is to support applicants whom are impacted by financial constraints.

The Bursary fund comes in two possible forms, you could receive either a Discretionary Bursary OR the Vulnerable Groups Bursary.


Discretionary Bursary (up to £500)
This bursary amount and application process is set by the Education Provider, but is decided based on Government funding provision.

Who is eligible for the discretionary bursary?

Applicants are required to:

  • Be at least 16 years old but under 19 years old as of August of that academic year (Aug – July)
  • Study at a publicly funded school or college, or be on an unpaid training course

Assessment of financial need is based on Parent/Carer income and decided via the provision of evidence as part of the application process.

  • Applications are open to students that were Pupil Premium in Year 11 (this evidence is supported by previous education provider), but are required to send evidence if wishing to also apply for Free School Meals
  • Applications are open to students that can provide evidence of the following:
    • Income support
    • Income based jobseeker's allowance
    • Income related employment and support allowance
    • National asylum seeker support
    • Child tax credit: (for this to be accepted you must not receive Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
    • Working tax credit run-on
    • Guaranteed state pension credit
    • Universal credit: if you apply after 1st April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits)


Vulnerable Bursary
This bursary is granted and supplied by the Government and thus must be approved by the EFA

Who is eligible for the students in vulnerable groups bursary?

Students could receive financial support if at least one of the following applies:

  • They are in or have recently left local authority care (~6 months).
  • They get Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially Bursary for students in Vulnerable Groups

Students could receive financial support if at least one of the following applies:

  • They are in or have recently left local authority care (~6 months).
  • They get Income Support or Universal Credit because they are financially supporting themselves
  • They receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in their name and either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit
  • They get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in their name and either ESA or Universal Credit

What evidence will I need to provide?

Examples of the evidence required to receive the bursary are:

  • Statement from the Local Authority confirming the Student’s current or previous looked after status. This may be a letter or an e-mail.
  • Recent entitlement or award statement setting out the benefit to which the Student is entitled. This should also confirm that they can be in education or training.
  • Supporting themselves
  • They receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in their name and either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit
  • They get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in their name and either ESA or Universal Credit


NB: Successful evidence may identify students eligible for Free School Meals without the need for another application.

For further information please contact Student Support. Email:[email protected]
You can read our bursary policy here
If you wish to apply for a Bursary please click here.

Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund