The rules regarding students and welfare benefits can be complicated, so we can only offer a summary of eligibility.
We recommend that you seek clarification from our Student Money Advice Service at ARU, Citizens Advice or local benefits support lines.
The Turn2Us website is also a good source of information about full-time students and eligibility for welfare benefits.
This page has information about:
Most full-time students are not eligible to apply for means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit. You'll be viewed as a full-time student if:
You'll continue to be treated as a full-time student during the holidays.
If you're a full-time student and you live with a partner who is not a student, they may be able to claim means-tested benefits for you both. Some of your student support may be taken into account.
Full-time students can only claim Universal Credit if:
If you only receive a grant and are not eligible for any loans, the grants will be included as income. However, some grants are ignored, such as Disabled Students Allowance, Parents Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant and Adult Dependents Grant (if the person claimed for is not included in the benefit claim). NHS Learning Support Fund is always ignored.
If you receive a Maintenance Loan and a grant, grants are generally ignored. The Maintenance Loan will be included as income over the duration of term-time only, and will have some disregards applied.
The loan will have any Special Support Element disregarded and the remaining balance divided by the number of assessment periods. Generally, there are seven assessment periods but this does depend on your start date and end date prior to/during the summer break.
A further £110 disregard is then applied. The remaining amount is how much income is being included from the Maintenance Loan during each assessment period (with the exception of the summer vacation when no student income will be included).
Income from the Maintenance Loan will be included even if you chose to not take one out.
Tabina is a lone parent with two children and is looking to start a full-time degree course in business on our Peterborough campus. Tabina doesn't have any income apart from student funding and Child Benefit.
Tabina's student funding consists of:
Student income that is ignored:
Student income that is included:
Calculation:
If you are currently receiving Universal Credit, you should be able to work out how much you will receive per month based on the above. During the five summer assessment periods, you should receive maximum Universal Credit as no student income is included.
If you will be a new claimant, contact our Student Money Advice Service to discuss how you may be assessed for Universal Credit.
If you're currently receiving certain legacy benefits, you may be able to remain on them if you're eligible. Legacy benefits include Housing Benefit and Tax Credits.
Contact the Student Money Advice Service to discuss your eligibility and how student funding may impact your benefits or tax credits.
Eligible students can continue to receive Personal Independence Payment. You should inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that you will become a student just in case this impacts your claim.
This is non-means tested benefit, so any student income will not impact payments.
New-style Employment Support Allowance/Job Seekers Allowance: if you are not able to work due to illness or disability, you may be entitled to contributory ESA while you are a full-time student if you have previously worked and paid National Insurance contributions.
Most full-time students do not have to pay Council Tax if everyone in the property is a full-time student.
If you live with one other person who is not a student, you should receive a 25% discount on the yearly bill; they might be able to get a discount on Council Tax via Second Adult Rebate or Council Tax Support.