Private School Bursaries: How Means Testing and Applications Work

Private school bursaries work as a means-tested application in which a family sets out its income, assets and outgoings, an assessor reviews the evidence, and the school sets the level of fee help alongside, or shortly after, the offer of a place. Each school runs its own process, so the admissions or bursary office of every school on the list is the first contact. The schools named below are examples of practices their own pages state, with no ranking implied.

The process usually starts at registration, when a tick-box or a note to the registrar signals the intention to apply, and it runs alongside the entrance process at 11+, 13+ and 16+ whilst staying separate from academic selection. Fee help at UK independent schools is the subject here; university scholarships and US athletic scholarships follow different rules and sit outside this topic.

How does a means-tested bursary application work?

A means-tested bursary application runs in four stages: registering interest, completing a confidential financial form, an assessment that may include a visit to the family home, and a decision linked to the offer of a place. Dulwich College describes this sequence on its own page: families tick the bursary box on the online registration form, complete an online bursary form with evidence, are assessed by an independent company, and receive any award at the same time as the offer of a place.

Registering interest means saying so when you register your child. Dulwich College and St Paul's School both ask parents to tick the bursary box on the online registration form, and Westminster runs an eligibility check once registration is complete, followed by a Part A initial assessment and, only where Part A suggests a family may be eligible, a fuller Part B assessment.

• Register interest when you register your child
• Complete the financial form and supply evidence
• Take part in the assessment, which may include a visit to the family home
• Receive the decision, usually alongside the offer of a place

What documents and visit to the family home do schools ask for?

Schools ask for documents that evidence the figures on the financial form, and each school's own form sets out its list. North London Collegiate School's application form for a recent entry year lists the last three months of statements for all bank, building society and savings accounts, the last three months of payslips and the last P60 for those who work, and proof of any benefits received, with further items depending on the family's situation. Brighton College says its form asks for details of income, expenditure, capital and investments with supporting evidence.

Some schools say a visit to the family home forms part of the assessment, usually carried out by an independent assessor. At Dulwich a representative of Bursary Assessment Associates either visits the family home or meets the family online. North London Collegiate says its confidential review may include a visit to the family home or telephone call, Westminster says visits to the family home take place either in person or virtually, and Brighton College says a visit can check that the information has been interpreted correctly.

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What do schools take into account when assessing a bursary?

Schools that publish their criteria say they look at household income, assets including property equity, and the number of dependent children, alongside any other school fees the family pays. Dulwich names gross family income, assets and liabilities as its primary considerations, and expects that where siblings are at other fee-paying schools those schools are also helping with fees.

St Paul's School states that it considers household gross income and net assets, with an allowance against assessable income for other dependent children. North London Collegiate says its review covers all sources of income and outgoings, assets such as property, savings and shares, and liabilities such as mortgages, arrears and loans. Guide income levels appear on some school pages and differ between schools, so each school's own page is the place to check them.

When should you apply for a bursary relative to the entrance exam?

You should register interest in a bursary when you register for entry, which is before the entrance exam, because the financial assessment at several schools runs alongside the academic stage. Westminster, for example, starts its eligibility check at registration and carries out the fuller Part B assessment once ISEB outcomes are known.

Timing by school year differs between entry points. Tonbridge School opens Year 9 registration at the beginning of the Summer Term of Year 5 and asks bursary families to complete a simple financial assessment before registration closes. Westminster says that for 13+ entry, bursary awards are made two years in advance and financial circumstances are reassessed in Year 8.

The decision then connects to the offer of a place. North London Collegiate says bursary applications are assessed independently and have no influence on its admissions decisions, and St Paul's states that its bursary assessment is entirely separate from academic selection. Dulwich makes awards at the same time as the offer, and Brighton College says bursary offers follow shortly after its offer letters so that parents can decide before accepting a place.

A bursary place still depends on passing the entrance exam, so for one-to-one preparation for the assessment itself, read about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.

How are bursaries reviewed each year?

Bursaries are reviewed each year, and the level of support can rise or fall when the family's circumstances change. Dulwich reviews awards in the summer term, says rising income may reduce support, and says support may increase in some cases after a drop in family income. Brighton College's policy says its awards are subject to repeat testing of parental means each term or year.

Awards indicated early are tested again nearer entry. Westminster says financial circumstances are reassessed in Year 8 where awards were made two years in advance, and its bursaries page also describes a hardship fund for current families who face an unexpected change in their finances.

Can a bursary be combined with a scholarship?

A bursary can be held alongside a scholarship at the schools that address the point, since scholarships recognise merit whilst bursaries are means-tested. Westminster says King's Scholars pay the day fee and that a bursary can supplement this up to the full fees where need is proven, and Dulwich says its scholarships can be awarded in addition to a bursary, with total support capped at full tuition fees.

The detail varies by school. Westminster says that where a pupil awarded a bursary also wins a music or King's Scholarship, the value of the scholarship is absorbed within the bursary, and St Paul's School refers parents to its Head of Bursaries for confidential questions.

How does a bursary differ from sibling or forces discounts?

A bursary reduces fees after a financial assessment, whereas sibling and forces discounts are separate schemes that follow each school's own eligibility rules. Oakham School's fees page lists a sibling discount for the third and subsequent child and a discount for HM Forces and government service families as separate from its means-tested bursaries. Ampleforth College states that families receiving the Continuity of Education Allowance have no further discounts, such as sibling discounts, applied, which shows that stacking rules differ.

Where a family applies for a bursary, siblings still enter the assessment. St Paul's School says a bursary for one son is taken into account when assessing support for another, and Dulwich expects siblings' other fee-paying schools to be offering help too. Parents with a sibling or forces discount in mind can ask the admissions office whether it combines with a bursary at that school.

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• Scholarships and bursaries at leading independent schools
• Sixth-form scholarships and bursaries
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