16-19 Bursary Fund and Free College Meals
The 16 -19 bursary fund is a Government funded scheme to help support students who face financial barriers to education. The bursary award takes into account the individual student’s needs and circumstances. The bursary process uses household income when considering eligibility for assistance from the bursary fund.
Who can apply?
- Students in care or care leavers
- Students in receipt of certain benefits in their own right
- Students aged 16 or over and under 19 at 31st August 2026
- Students aged 19 who are continuing a programme of study which started before they turned 19, or have an EHCP plan, and continue to be eligible for financial support and are considered to still need financial support.
- There are two types of 16-19 bursaries available to Aquinas students, a discretionary bursary and a bursary for students in defined vulnerable groups.
- Eligibility for the vulnerable student bursary and the discretionary bursary:
In care: application to be supported by written confirmation of looked after status from the local authority.
Care leaver: application to be supported by written confirmation from the local authority that the student has been a previously looked after child for a period of thirteen weeks consecutively, or periods amounting to thirteen weeks which began after the age of fourteen and ended after the age of sixteen.
Student receiving Income Support or Universal Credit in their own right and financially supporting themselves.
Students receiving both Income Support or Universal Credit and PIP /DLA in their own right
Students may be eligible for assistance from the discretionary bursary where the household is in receipt of;
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Job Seekers Allowance
- Employment Support Allowance
- Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act
Students where the household income is below £50000.
From the start of the 2026-2027 academic year students from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for a free college meal.
A student must be over 16 but under 19 on 31 August 2026 to be eligible to receive a free college meal.
Students aged 19 or over are eligible for a free meal if they are
- Continuing on the same study programme they started before the age of 19
- Have an educational health and care plan (EHC)
- Have submitted a successful application form
Students are only eligible to receive a free meal after making a successful application to college.
The application for a free meal can be made through the bursary application form.
Once eligibility has been established the allowance is accessible on the student’s mobile phone, it is not available as a cash payment
Application process
Bursary applications are made online through the students MyAquinas account.
The Bursary policy and guidelines for completing your application online and the supporting evidence required, can be found on the Aquinas website by following the link below:
