16 – 19 Bursary fund statement

The 16-19 Bursary Fund helps young people who face the greatest barriers to continue in education or training; they must be over 16 but under 19 on 31st August 2023 to be eligible for the 2023 – 2024 academic year.

The fund has three elements:

1. Vulnerable Bursary

A bursary of up to £1,200 a year for young people in the following defined vulnerable groups:

• 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

Application evidence requirements

• for students who are in care or a care leaver, written confirmation of their current or previous looked-after status from the relevant local authority – this is the local authority that looks after them or provides their leaving care services. The evidence could be a letter or an email but must be clearly from the local authority
• for students in receipt of UC or IS, a copy of their UC or IS award notice. This must clearly state that the claim is in the student’s name/confirm they are entitled to the benefits in their own right. The evidence must not state any conditions that prevent them from participating in further education or training. For students in receipt of UC, institutions must also see a document such as a tenancy agreement in the student’s name, a child benefit receipt, children’s birth certificates, utility bills and so on
• for students receiving UC/ESA and DLA and PIP, a copy of their UC claims from DWP. Evidence of receipt of DLA or PIP must also be provided

2. Discretionary Bursary

Awards to young people facing the greatest financial barriers to participation.

Bursaries are assessed on each student’s individual circumstances and their actual financial need. To assess your needs, we require clear and accurate evidence attached at the online application stage.

Criteria

If you are under 19 at the start of your course and your household are on benefits or have a net household income of £37,500 or less

If you are 19 and over

You could also get a bursary if you either:

• are continuing on a course you started aged 16 to 18 (known as being a ’19+ continuer’)
• have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Application evidence requirements

This could include:

• Three most recent monthly Universal Credit Award Statements. This must state your take-home pay figure in addition to the amount of UC awarded after all deductions

3. Free Meals – evidence requirement

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC))
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• UC with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 for each year (after tax and not including any benefits they get)

Working Tax Credit is not a qualifying benefit for free meal

In 2023/24 If you are eligible, we could help with:

• 100% of the cost of a bus pass
• 75% of the cost of recommended equipment and material fees

Applications for recommended costs, i.e. equipment, fees and transport are considered a priority and will be processed at or after enrolment.

Receipt of bursary funding does not affect receipt of other means-tested benefits paid to families, such as IS, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit or, generally, UC (the UC section of this document contains more detail about this benefit).

If a student is in receipt of DLA (or PIP) and ESA, parents can no longer receive certain household/family benefits for that child, such as child benefit.

You must not make bursary fund payments as payments for living costs. This is out of scope of the bursary fund and any such payments would be subject to the Social Security Amendment (Students and Income-related Benefits) Regulations 2000.

Payments

If you are successful in your application, you will be required to submit travel receipts which will be reimbursed weekly, directly to a bank account which must be in your own name.

How to apply

Once you have enrolled onto a programme, in order to apply for support funds, you will need to complete the 16-19 support fund application form, available here.

Childcare may be supported through the ‘care to learn’ scheme. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/care-to-learn/overview