Student financial support

16 to 19 bursary scheme

The 16 to 19 bursary scheme is a government scheme that provides financial support via schools and colleges to help young people meet the costs of participating in education and training after the age of 16 where they might otherwise struggle for financial reasons. The scheme offers two types of bursary.

A bursary of £1,200 a year

This is for full-time students in one of the following groups:

• in care or care leavers
• students in receipt of Income Support or Universal Credit
• disabled students in receipt of Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independent Payments

Students studying courses that are less than 30 weeks per year may receive less.

Discretionary awards

Discretionary awards are targeted at students not in any of the above categories but who face the greatest financial barriers to participation, and which meet the needs of the student, such as help with transport costs to and from school/college, meals, course books and equipment. The amount of award is at the discretion of the school/college.

The bursary scheme is run by schools and colleges that offer post-16 courses, including special schools. Applications can be made at any point during the academic year.

Applicants must be aged 16 or over and under 19 on 31 August before the start of the new academic year. Where a student turns 19 during their programme of study, they can continue to be supported to the end of that academic year or to the end of their programme of study, whichever is sooner.

Find out more

To find out more about the scheme operated by your school or college, go to its website or speak to the student services staff.

Further information on 16 to 19 bursaries can be found here.

Residential support

Residential bursary fund

The residential bursary fund provides financial help towards the costs of accommodation for young people attending a designated institution delivering specialist provision, where the young person needs to be resident because it is not available locally and/or because it requires students to be available regularly at unsociable hours.

The fund is administered by institutions - young people should apply directly for support and further information. Priority must be given to young people who are unable to access relevant learning within daily travel from their home or where the costs of travel are prohibitive.

Residential support scheme

The residential support scheme provides financial support with accommodation costs for students aged between 16 and 18 who need to live away from home to study because their course is not available locally. Most students applying will be about to study for their first full Level 2 or Level 3 qualification.

Students must meet the eligibility criteria, which includes an income assessment, to receive support. If eligible, the amount of award will be based on their actual accommodation costs up to a maximum level.

Application is via an application pack from the institution concerned or from the learner support service. Contact us for more information or an application pack.

Care to learn

Care to learn provides financial support to young parents who want to continue their education and need help with the cost of childcare. Childcare payments are made directly to the childcare provider and any travel payments are made to the young parent's learning provider.

The scheme is administered nationally by the learner support service. Young parents must apply for care to learn for each academic year in which they need support.

Further information about the scheme, including the eligibility criteria, can be found here.

Dance and drama awards

Dance and drama awards are granted to students who are considered the most talented and most likely to succeed in the industry, to help them access high-quality training at some of England's leading private dance and drama schools.  All dance and drama award students study for a Trinity College London level five or six diploma. 

Students must meet strict residency criteria, notably: 

• be a UK or Irish citizen
• be a family member of a UK National - you must both have both been living in the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein for the past 3 years
• be a migrant worker from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein or the family member of a migrant worker from one of these countries and both have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• be a person granted indefinite leave to remain
• be the child of a Turkish worker who has permission to stay in the UK

Applications are made direct to the dance and drama awards school and awards are based on an assessment of family income.  

Further information, including the list of schools, can be found here.

Higher education

Information for students considering applying for higher education courses can be found on the Government website.

All applications for higher education support for students from North Yorkshire are dealt with by Student Finance England.