Financial Support
16-19 Bursary Fund
The 16-19 Bursary Fund is a means-tested fund available to provide help with the extra costs incurred by deciding to stay in education. Your household income needs to be £33,000 or less in order to qualify. Please note that household income is the total amount of earned income plus any benefits received.
It is available to students:
- Aged 16-18 at the start of their course
- Aged 19-24 who have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)
An application must be completed and recent relevant financial evidence will need to be provided. The amount of money the government awards the college for the 16-19 Bursary Fund changes each year. As a result, the financial support available annually to individual students is dependent on the funding allocation received and the number of eligible students.
Enhanced Bursary
The Enhanced Bursary provides support for the most vulnerable groups:
- Students in care or who have recently left care
- Students living independently and in receipt of Universal Credit in their own name
- Students in receipt of Universal Credit and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment in their own name
19+ discretionary learner support
Students (without an EHCP) age 19 or older at the start of your course may be eligible to apply for discretionary support if you are studying a funded programme at WQE (i.e. you are not paying tuition fees).
We will aim to provide support that is broadly equivalent to the bursary or meal support you would otherwise be eligible to receive based on your household circumstances.
Free College Meals
From the start of academic year 2026/27 students in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free meals in further education, regardless of earnings.
A student must be aged 16 or over but under 19 on 31 August 2026 to be eligible to receive a free meal.
Students aged over 19 are eligible for a free meal if they either:
- are continuing on the same study programme (19+ continuers) they started before they turned 19
- have an education health and care (EHC) plan
End of transitional protections
Since 2018, some children continued to receive free school meals, even if their family circumstances changed during the rollout of Universal Credit. This was referred to as transitional protections.
Now that entitlement is being expanded to all families on Universal Credit, these protections stopped at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
This means:
- Some students may no longer be eligible from the start of the 2026/27 academic year if they or their parents do not receive Universal Credit or another qualifying benefit
- Eligibility will now be based on current benefit status
Students who are eligible for Free College Meals should submit a Financial Support Application Form, providing evidence of the qualifying benefit. If your gross annual household income is £33,000 or below you may also be eligible for further support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund.
Support available
The eligibility criteria is split into four different bands and this is reviewed on a termly basis as the amount available to each student is dependent on the overall number of students eligible for bursary support. Please note this may increase or decrease during the year.
Eligibility criteria
Please click below to see a PDF showing the eligibility criteria for 2026/27.
Universal Credit
If Universal Credit has only recently been awarded, please provide the statements that are available and the summary document. These can all be accessed from your online Universal Credit account.
Evidence of other benefits received and household income
State Pension Credit or Income Support | An original letter from the relevant Benefit Agency confirming entitlement. This letter must be no more than three months old. |
National Asylum Support Services (NASS) | A letter confirming your NASS registration number or a copy of your Application Registration Card (ARC). Please be aware you will be eligible for specific forms of support; contact Student Services for further details. |
Household income below £33,000 but not in receipt of benefits | For each parent/carer living in the household, please provide one of the following: If employed: pay slips covering the previous three months If self-employed: their most recent self-assessment tax calculation or an accountant’s letter confirming annual profit for the 2025-26 tax year |
Evidence of your bank account details
Reimbursements from the 16-19 Bursary Fund can only be made to a student’s bank account.
Prior to requesting a reimbursement you will need to provide evidence of your bank details. This can be either a photo of your bank card or a copy of a bank statement which clearly shows your name, account number and sort code.
Note: Students in receipt of support from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) will not be eligible for any reimbursements. Equipment or resources can normally be provided in-kind; please speak to the Student Services Team for further information.
Making an application
Before you complete your bursary application we recommend that you read our guidance document which will help you to understand the process and explain the evidence you require in support of your application. Getting this right will enable us to process your application as quickly as possible.
Current Year 2 Level 3 Students who were in receipt of bursary support during the first year of their course can complete the Continuing Students Declaration Form. The link for this was sent to your WQE email address at the end of Summer Term.
New Students can make a Financial Support application using the 2026/27 Application Form.
You only need to complete one Financial Support Application Form. Once submitted, the Student Services Team will review your application and supporting evidence to determine which financial support you may be eligible for.
You must be signed into your WQE Microsoft 365 account in order to complete the application form.
Please note that support is not immediate; we aim to process applications within 10 working days of receipt, however this can take longer in busy periods. Priority will be given to students who apply by 30 September 2025.
Forms will be rejected if not completed fully or evidence is incorrect or missing. This will result in a delay to your application being processed.
Please only submit one application. If you realise you have made a mistake and need to resubmit your application, or have any questions about the 16-19 Bursary Fund please visit the Student Services Team at either campus or email bursary@wqe.ac.uk.
Multiple applications will cause confusion, and this is likely to increase the time it will take for us to make a decision.