16 to 19 funding: information for 2026 to 2027
Details for 16 to 19 funded institutions on how funding will work in academic year 2026 to 2027.
Applies to England
Purpose
This guide explains 16 to 19 funding for academic year 2026 to 2027.
Changes for 2026 to 2027
We’ve set out the changes in the following sections:
- national funding rate
- T Level national funding rate
- high value courses premium for construction
- large programme uplift
National funding rate for students funded via the 16 to 19 funding formula
We have increased the national funding rate for students aged 16 and 17 and students aged 18 and over with high needs in band 5 to £5,133 and have increased other funding bands proportionately.
Table 1: national funding rate for students funded via the 16 to 19 funding formula
| Band (study programmes) | Annual planned hours | Students | National funding rate per student |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 580+ hours | 16 and 17 year olds and students aged 18 and over with high needs | £5,133 |
| 4a | 485+ hours | students aged 18 and over who are not high needs | £4,246 |
| 4b | 485 to 579 hours | 16 and 17 year olds and students aged 18 and over with high needs | £4,246 |
| 3 | 385 to 484 hours | all students | £3,453 |
| 2 | 300 to 384 hours | all students | £2,730 |
| 1 | up to 299 hours | all students | £5,133 proportion of band 5 |
National funding rates for T Levels
Table 2 shows the funding rate per student for the 2 year T Level programme. This includes a targeted 5% uplift to T Levels for academic year 2026 to 2027. Read T Levels funding guide 2026 to 2027 to see which T Levels have the uplift.
The funding rate per student for 1 year of the T Level programme is half the amount shown in table 2, at the rate in the relevant academic year.
Table 2: national funding rate per student for T Levels
| Band | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| (T Levels) | Minimum planned hours for the programme 2 years | Average planned hours for the programme 2 years | National funding rate per student, per programme 2 years |
| 9 | 1,730 hours | 1,830 hours | £14,772 |
| 8 uplifted | 1,580 hours | 1,680 hours | £14,222 |
| 8 | 1,580 hours | 1,680 hours | £13,544 |
| 7 uplifted | 1,380 hours | 1,530 hours | £12,932 |
| 7 | 1,380 hours | 1,530 hours | £12,316 |
| 6 uplifted | 1,180 hours | 1,330 hours | £11,214 |
| 6 | 1,180 hours | 1,330 hours | £10,680 |
We do fund some T Levels at band 5. Band 5 T Levels are those where the programmes are not large enough to require funding in band 6 or above. As with other T Levels, you must record the planned hours across the full 2-year programme. Our funding approach allows flexibility where those hours are distributed unevenly over the 2 years, for example due to industry placements falling mostly in one or other year.
High value courses premium
In academic year 2026 to 2027, there is also high value courses premium (HVCP) for construction. This is additional funding to encourage and support delivery of selected level 2 and level 3 qualifications in sector subject area 5.2 (building and construction) to support an increase in skilled construction workers.
Large programme uplift
From academic year 2026 to 2027, the large programme uplift will only apply to the costs of specific larger than normal maths and high value A level programmes to support the progression of students into priority sectors.
Post-16 National Insurance contributions grant
We are providing funding for the Post-16 National Insurance contributions grant again. The grant will cover April 2026 to March 2027. We aim to:
- confirm the methodology and conditions of grant by the end of April 2026
- publish allocations at an institutional level by the end of June 2026
- we aim to make payments at the end of September 2026 (start of October for academies)
Inclusive mainstream fund 2026 to 2027
We will provide details of the new Inclusive Mainstream Fund announced in Every child achieving and thriving in due course.
Other formula elements
There are no planned changes to these elements of 16 to 19 funding this year:
- advanced maths premium
- core maths premium
- disadvantage funding – section 4.13
- English and maths funding
- maths and English condition of funding
- programme cost weightings
Teachers’ pension scheme employer contribution grants
We will pay the teachers’ pension scheme employer contribution grant (TPSECG) for sixth forms and 16 to 19 schools funded via the 16 to 19 funding formula. As in previous years, we will pay the grant separately to core allocations in financial year 2026 to 2027.
We will also pay the teachers’ pension scheme employer contribution grant for further education providers for academic year 2026 to 2027. We will include this grant in 16 to 19 allocations.
Business cases and thresholds
Institutions must ensure that their data returns through the school census or the individualised learner record are accurate. Read Business cases for major data errors before submitting a business case.
As advised in academic year 2025 to 2026, this year, we will only accept business cases affecting academic year 2026 to 2027. We no longer accept business cases affecting previous years. Submit your business case within 20 working days of receiving your allocation statement. Non-term time does not count as working days, so the working day count will pause during these periods. We will not accept late business cases, so plan ahead to ensure your submission is on time.
As advised in the thresholds for business cases section of our academic year 2025 to 2026 guidance, from 2026 to 2027 we have changed how the threshold works. From 2026 to 2027, when we agree a case, we will deduct the threshold and only pay funding above that amount. Institutions will need to fund the first 5% or £100,000 of the error, whichever is lower. We have introduced this step to create fairness within the business case process.