FE teacher training bursaries
In short
For 2026/27, bursaries for further education initial teacher education reach £31,000 in computing, engineering or manufacturing, mathematics and science. That is more than the highest school bursary – a detail that surprises most people.2026/27 FE ITE bursaries
| Subject | Bursary |
|---|---|
| Computing | £31,000 |
| Engineering or manufacturing | £31,000 |
| Mathematics | £31,000 |
| Science – biology, chemistry, physics | £31,000 |
| Special educational needs and disabilities | £15,000 |
| English | £10,000 – capped at 100 places |
The English bursary is capped at 100 places. Unlike the others it is limited in number, so it is not simply a matter of qualifying – timing matters.
Who is eligible
- A standard equivalent to GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and mathematics.
- At least a Level 3 qualification in the subject you will teach, or relevant professional experience in it.
- Enrolment on a qualifying pre-service FE initial teacher education course in England, starting on or after 1 September 2026.
- Eligibility to receive student support.
- You must not already hold QTS, EYTS, QTLS or ATS.
- You must not be paid a salary for teaching work associated with the course.
Note the word pre-service. These bursaries are for people training before they take up a teaching post – not for staff already employed and training on the job, which is the more common FE route.
How this compares with school bursaries
| Subject area | School ITT, 2026/27 | FE ITE, 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Computing | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Mathematics | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Physics and chemistry | £29,000 | £31,000 (science) |
| Biology | £5,000 | £31,000 (science) |
| Engineering or manufacturing | Not a school subject bursary | £31,000 |
| SEND | Not a subject bursary | £15,000 |
The gap is widest in biology, where the FE bursary is several times the school one, and in engineering, which has no school equivalent at all. Both reflect where colleges struggle hardest to recruit against industry salaries.
One thing we cannot tell you. School teacher training bursaries are explicitly tax-free. The FE bursary funding manual does not state how these payments are treated for tax, so we are not going to assume they work the same way. Check with your training provider before you budget on the headline figure.