Guidance

Residential Bursary Fund guide

Information for institutions with 16 to 18 Residential Bursary Fund allocations.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 2 April 2025
• Last updated: 23 October 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 23 October 2026

     The deadline to complete and submit your Residential Bursary Fund data return form has now passed.

  2. 1 October 2026

     Added 'Residential Bursary Fund data return, 2025 to 2026: guidance for completing the digital form'.

  3. 30 March 2026

     Added 'Residential Bursary Fund: 2026 to 2027'.

  4. 2 April 2025

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Residential Bursary Fund: 2026 to 2027

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Residential Bursary Fund: 2025 to 2026

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Residential Bursary Fund data return, 2025 to 2026: guidance for completing the digital form

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Details

The deadline to complete and submit your form for the 2025 to 2026 academic year has passed.

This guide is for institutions with Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) allocations.

The guide sets out the funding rules for RBF and forms part of institutions’ Department for Education funding agreements. Institutions must comply with the rules, within the context of the RBF policies they set, to manage the funds. They must be able to show they comply with this guide at any audit.

Students, parents and carers should read get funding for college accommodation for information about eligibility and claiming funding.