You don’t get a fixed, same-for-everyone amount of bursary at college in the UK – it depends on your age, situation, household income, and your college’s own rules.

Quick Scoop: Typical 16–19 College Bursaries

For FE/college (not university), most full‑time students aged 16–19 fall under the 16–19 Bursary Fund.

There are two main types:

  1. Vulnerable student bursary (set national scheme)
    You may get up to about £1,200 per year if:

    • you’re in or recently left care
    • you get Income Support or Universal Credit in your own name
    • you get both ESA (or Universal Credit) and PIP/DLA in your own name
      and your course is around 30+ weeks and your costs justify that amount.
  1. Discretionary bursary (college decides)
    • Each college sets its own rules (usually based on household income and your costs for travel, meals, equipment, etc.).
 * There’s **no single national amount** – some students might get help with bus passes and kit only, others might get regular payments or meal credits.
 * Colleges must look at how long and how many hours you study when deciding how much support you actually need.

So two people at the same college, same course, can get different bursary amounts because their household income, travel distance, and costs are different.

Rough idea of “how much” in practice

These are examples , not guarantees, and vary by college:

  • Vulnerable bursary: up to ~£1,200 a year , often paid weekly/termly or used to cover specific costs.
  • Discretionary bursary:
    • Could be travel pass instead of cash.
    • Could be termly payments (for example a few hundred pounds a year), depending on how low your household income is and your costs.
    • Often targeted at students from lower‑income households (exact income thresholds differ by college).

There isn’t a public, fixed “table” of exact amounts per college – each provider writes its own bursary policy within national rules.

Things that affect what you get

Colleges look at factors like:

  • Your age and whether you’re 16–19 on 31 August.
  • Your household income (they’ll usually ask for evidence such as tax credits, Universal Credit, or payslips).
  • Whether you’re classed as a vulnerable student under the scheme.
  • Your course length (number of weeks) and hours per week.
  • Your actual costs :
    • travel (bus/rail)
    • kit/equipment (e.g. hair & beauty, construction, catering)
    • textbooks, trips, uniforms.

Because of all that, the only way to know “how much bursary will I get at college UK” for sure is to ask your specific college.

How to find out your exact amount

  1. Check your college’s website
    • Search “[college name] 16–19 bursary” or “financial support”.
    • They usually publish a PDF or page with: eligibility rules, income thresholds, and typical support levels.
  2. Contact student services / finance
    • Ask:
      • “Which bursaries could I apply for?”
      • “What income evidence do you need?”
      • “Roughly how much support do students in my situation usually get?”
  3. Apply early
    • Some funds are limited and given on a first‑come, first‑served basis each academic year.

Quick example story

Imagine you’re 17, living with your parents, household income around £20k, and you need to travel by bus every day and buy course equipment. Your college might:

  • Approve you for the discretionary bursary.
  • Give you a free or subsidised bus pass , plus help with equipment costs instead of a big cash payment.

Another student, 18, in care on a similar course could be eligible for the vulnerable student bursary up to about £1,200 per year , because of their circumstances and need for higher support.

TL;DR:

  • There’s no single fixed figure for everyone.
  • Vulnerable students can get up to ~£1,200 a year.
  • Others get a discretionary amount based on income and costs, often used for travel and equipment rather than pure cash.
  • To know your actual amount, you need to check your college’s bursary policy or speak to student services.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.