Guidance

16 to 19 bursary summary of key funding rules

Published 28 March 2023

Applies to England

1. 16 to 19 Bursary Fund: Summary

This is a list of the most important things that institutions should and shouldn’t do when administering the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

This does not replace the 16 to19 bursary fund guide which institutions must read in full.

2. Institutions should:

• publish a policy or statement on their website setting out how they will use their bursary fund and what eligibility criteria they use
• consider the relevant local authority’s transport statement when setting their bursary fund policy
• ensure application forms, bursary policies and any supporting information are clear that the bursary fund is intended to help students with their actual costs of participating. Institutions should ensure their forms avoid any terminology such as ‘guaranteed bursary’ or wording such as ‘you will automatically get a bursary of £1,200 if you are in one of the defined groups’
• base all decisions about which students receive help from the 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. Institutions must carry out a financial assessment for each student to establish their household income, whether there is an actual financial need and what kinds of costs the student has
• fully verify each student’s eligibility and need for a bursary for vulnerable groups before submitting any funding claim to the Student Bursary Support Service
• consider whether they can provide support to students in-kind – by buying a bus pass or books, providing a credit or voucher for a meal, for example
• retain evidence to show how they have determined the amount of bursary to pay each student and for cash payments, hold evidence to support the payment made
• ensure students are eligible for the bursary fund each year – their circumstances and needs can change so institutions should ensure students complete an application form for each academic year and the form should be signed by the student
• retain copies of any documents the student has signed to give formal agreement to their bursary fund conditions, including the impact on payments if they don’t attend and the institution’s rules about returning equipment paid for from the bursary funds
• consider having more than one person who can process bursaries, with segregation of duties or a contingency plan if that person was absent