---
title: Have you spent this year's bursary funding?
description: Unspent Bursary funding has to be returned at year-end. A quick check, where to put a surplus, and how Bursary16+ helps.
---

[Applicaa Conversations](https://blog.applicaa.com)

# [Have you spent this year's bursary funding?](https://blog.applicaa.com/have-you-spent-this-years-bursary-funding)

 Written by [Nicola Entwistle](https://blog.applicaa.com/author/nicola-entwistle) | Jun 24, 2026 9:05:07 AM

**It is the end of the year, and there is one question worth asking before the deadline passes: have you spent this year's bursary funding?**

Any funding you have not allocated by year-end has to be returned. That is not just a line on a spreadsheet - it means students who could have used that support miss out, and money that was meant to help simply disappears. A few minutes now can make sure that does not happen.

## Start with a quick check

Before anything else, ask two questions:

- How much of your Bursary funding is still unallocated?
- Are there students you have already identified who have not drawn their full entitlement?

If there is a gap, there is still time to put the money to work where it matters.

## Where a surplus does the most good

The most useful place to direct a surplus is usually whatever is quietly getting in the way of your Bursary students simply getting on with learning:

- Travel cards, so getting to school is never the barrier
- A few laptops or iPads for students without a device at home
- Contributions towards trips, residentials or UCAS fairs
- Revision guides and exam fees for next year

## How Bursary16+ keeps it all under control

Often the spending is not the problem - knowing exactly where you stand is. Bursary16+ brings your whole bursary process into one place, from application through to payment and audit, so nothing slips through the cracks.

- **Simple online applications.** Students and parents apply from any device, with multilingual support, cutting the paperwork for everyone.
- **Eligibility verification.** Smart tools check application details against your criteria, so the right students get the right support.
- **Document management.** Proof of income and other evidence is collected and stored securely against each application.
- **Approval workflow and payments.** Students submit requests from their profile for staff to approve or decline, every request is tracked automatically, and your finance team gets direct access to process approved payments.
- **Compliance and reporting.** Built-in audit checks keep you DfE-compliant, and you can generate reports on allocations and expenditure - most sixth forms pull a clear year-to-date report in under two minutes.
- **Communications and renewals.** Personalised and bulk emails with open and read tracking and a full audit log, plus a streamlined annual renewal process for students returning next year.

The result is a joined-up bursary process with less manual chasing, a complete audit trail, and a clear view of every penny.

Want to see how it could work for your school before year-end? [Book a quick chat with Mandy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/mandy-sangha/customer-upsells) and we will walk you through it.

[View full post](https://blog.applicaa.com/have-you-spent-this-years-bursary-funding)

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