The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund supports 16- to 19-year-old students to continue in education, where they might otherwise struggle for financial reasons. The Bursary does not need to be paid back

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 

These are some of the relevant recommended Eligibility Criteria categories for the 2025/2026 funding:- 

(Awaiting update)

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AGE CRITERIA

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A student must be aged 16 or over but under 19 on 31 August 2023 to be eligible for help from the bursary fund in the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

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Students aged 19 or over are only eligible to receive a discretionary bursary if they are continuing on a study programme they began aged 16 to 18 (19+ continuers) or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

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These 2 groups of aged 19+ students can receive a discretionary bursary while they continue to attend education (in the case of a 19+ continuer, this must be the same programme they started before they turned 19), as long as their eligibility continues and their institution considers they need the support to continue their participation.

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Students aged 19 or over are not eligible for bursaries for vulnerable groups.

 

Educational Eligibility:

Students must be participating in provision that is subject to inspection by a public body that assures quality (for example Ofsted). The provision must also fall into one of these groups:

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·       funded directly by us, or by us via a local authority

·       funded or co-financed by the European Social Fund

·       otherwise publicly funded and lead to a qualification

(up to and including level 3) accredited by Ofqual or on our list of qualifications approved for funding 14 to 19

·       a 16 to 19 traineeship programme

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Students on apprenticeship programmes, or any waged training, are employed, rather than in education. They are not eligible for the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

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Non-employed students aged 16 to 19 who are participating in a Prince’s Trust Team Programme are eligible to receive the bursary in the same way as any other student participating in an eligible, publicly funded course.

 

Residency:

Students must meet the residency criteria in ESFA funding regulations for post-16 provision. This document also specifies the evidence institutions must see and retain for audit to confirm eligibility for post-16 funding (and therefore meet the residency criteria for bursary fund eligibility).

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Vulnerable Groups:

 Students who meet the criteria, and who have a financial need, can apply for a bursary for vulnerable groups. The defined groups reflect that these students are unlikely to be receiving financial assistance from parents or carers, so may need a greater level of support to enable them to continue to participate. Students should be awarded the amount of support they need to participate based on an assessment of the types of costs they have and must not be automatically awarded £1,200. Institutions must ensure students are eligible for the bursary for defined vulnerable groups in each year they require support.

The defined vulnerable groups are students who are:

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In care.

 

Care leavers.

 

Receiving Income Support (IS), or Universal Credit (UC) because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner

receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in their own right as well as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or UC in their own right.

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UC has now fully rolled out and so young people aged 16 to 18 will no longer be in receipt of the other benefits listed above.

However, students aged 19 to 25 and funded from the 16 to 19 budget (19+ continuers and those with an EHCP) may still be in receipt of those other legacy benefits.

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The bursary for vulnerable groups can pay up to £1,200 per year to a student participating on a study programme that lasts for 30 weeks or more if they need that amount of support. Students on study programmes of less than 30 weeks should be paid a pro-rata amount, as appropriate based on an assessment of their actual needs.

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Institutions must also consider the number of hours involved in student’s study programme when deciding if a pro-rata payment is more appropriate. A student studying for around 16 hours a week is likely to have greater costs than a student studying for 4 hours a week, for example.

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Students should only receive the amount they actually need to participate, and institutions must not automatically award students £1,200 if they do not need the full amount.

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Institutions may decide that although a young person may be eligible for a bursary because they are in one or more of the defined vulnerable groups, they do not have any actual financial need. This might be because their financial needs are already met and/or because they have no relevant costs. Institutions can refuse a student’s application on this basis.

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Equally, institutions can pay a bursary to a vulnerable group student of more than £1,200 if they assess they need extra help to remain in education. Any payments over £1,200 must be paid from their discretionary bursary allocation or from their own funds. If paid from discretionary bursary, all the eligibility criteria and usual assessment processes must be met and followed.

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Discretionary Bursaries:  

Institutions make discretionary bursary awards to help students with the cost of travel, to buy essential books, equipment, or specialist clothing (such as protective overalls, for example). These are items the student would otherwise need to pay for to participate.

The bursary fund is not intended to provide learning support – services that institutions give to students, for example, counselling or mentoring – to support extra-curricular activities where these are not essential to the students’ study programme or provide living costs support.

Institutions set their own eligibility criteria for the discretionary bursary but must comply with the eligibility conditions and funding rules set out in this guide. Institutions must ensure that students are eligible for the discretionary bursary in each year they require support.

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Institutions must base all decisions about which students receive a discretionary bursary and how much bursary they receive on each student’s individual circumstances and their actual financial need. These will vary from student to student, depending on, for example, eligibility based on household income, and their actual financial needs such as the distance they need to travel to the institution and the requirements of their study programme. Institutions must not make blanket or flat rate/fixed rate payments:

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·       to all students

·       to students in particular income bands

·       to students whose families are in receipt of particular benefits

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without considering the actual needs of each student. For example, although many students who had previously benefitted from a free school meal may have financial needs, these will vary depending on personal circumstances so an individual assessment of actual need should be made.

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Institutions must manage the number and size of discretionary bursary awards to keep within their budget.

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Institutions may decide to retain a small emergency fund from their allocation to support students who face exceptional circumstances during the year due to a change in their situation – if it impacts on their ability to participate in education. Evidence of the student’s eligibility, the individual assessment and the student’s actual participation costs must be held for audit purposes as for any other bursary fund application/award and all bursary expenditure must be in line with the funding rules in this guide. Institutions may also choose to top up the bursary with their own funds.

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There is no set limit for the amount of discretionary bursary that can be awarded to students. Institutions can award discretionary bursaries equal to or higher than the bursary for vulnerable groups maximum as long as they have clearly identified an individual student has actual costs that require this level of funding to participate. The rationale must be included as part of their auditable records.