You could get a bursary to help with education-related costs if you’re aged 16 to 19 and:

• studying at a publicly funded school or college in England - not a university
• on a training course, including unpaid work experience

A publicly funded school is one that does not charge you for attending it.

If you’re 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)

What a bursary is for

A bursary is money that you, or your education or training provider, can use to pay for things like:

clothing, books and other equipment for your course

transport and lunch on days you study or train

What you'll get

There are 2 types of 16 to 19 bursary:

• a bursary for students in vulnerable groups
• a discretionary bursary

Bursary for students in vulnerable groups

You could get a bursary worth up to £1,200, depending on your circumstances and benefits.

Discretionary bursary

You could get a discretionary bursary if you need financial help but do not qualify for a bursary for students in vulnerable groups. Your education or training provider decides how much you get and what it’s used for.

Your school or college will have their own criteria for discretionary bursaries. They’ll look at your individual circumstances - this usually includes your family income.

Ask student services about their criteria and any evidence you’ll need.

You can apply to a discretionary bursary if you’re over 19 and either:

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

If you’re over 19, you’ll only be eligible for a discretionary bursary.

Your provider will decide how you get your bursary. You might get:

• an instalment paid by cash, cheque or bank transfer
• things like a travel pass, free meals or books

Your provider could stop payments if you break their rules, for example about attendance or how your bursary is used.

Website: Apprenticeship Care Leaver Bursary

Apprenticeships care leavers’ bursary

The apprenticeships care leavers’ bursary is a payment for an eligible apprentice who is a care leaver, to help remove barriers to accessing the apprenticeship.

Payment of the bursary

The bursary is paid by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to an apprenticeship training provider, where the apprentice remains on the apprenticeship for at least 60 days. The provider passes it on to the apprentice in a single payment within 30 days of receiving it, unless ESFA provide confirmation in writing that a longer period is acceptable.

The care leavers’ bursary is a single payment of £1,000, and an individual care leaver can only receive it once.
Eligible apprentices

For an apprentice to be eligible for the care leavers’ bursary, they must be either:

• an eligible child – a young person who is 16 or 17 and who has been looked after by a UK local authority or health and social care trust for at least a period of 13 weeks since the age of 14 and who is still looked after
• a relevant child – a young person who is 16 or 17 who has left care within the UK after their 16th birthday and before leaving care was an eligible child
• a former relevant child – a young person who is aged between 18 and 21 (up to their 25th birthday if they are in education or training) who, before turning 18, was either an eligible or a relevant child
• They must have begun their apprenticeship on or after 1 August 2018, and must not have received the care leavers’ bursary before.