16 to 19 Bursary Fund guidance
Funding guidance for all institutions that administer the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. The fund provides financial support to help eligible students participate in education.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Students, parents or carers should read our other information on the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund for support on eligibility and claiming funding.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for all institutions that administer the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. This includes schools, academies, further education colleges, sixth-form colleges, training providers, specialist independent providers and local authorities.
The guide sets out the funding rules for the bursary fund and forms part of funding agreements. Institutions must comply with the rules when setting their discretionary bursary policies, assessing individual student eligibility and actual need and making payments. They must be able to show they comply with these funding rules at any audit.
Updates to this page
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Added '16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide: 2026 to 2027' and updated '16 to 19 Bursary Fund: checklist'.
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We've updated the guidance to clarify that maintained special schools, including community special and foundation special schools, must contact their local authority who will submit a claim on their behalf.
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We have added the link to the published form guidance in the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for 2025 to 2026 to support you in completing your funding claim.
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We have removed the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for 2024 to 2025.
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We have made some updates to the 2025 to 2026 guidance. The updates do not change any of the funding rules but are intended to improve clarity on some points.
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First published.