Financial help for parents in education

If you are a student with children, or a parent who wishes to go back into education, there is plenty of financial help available to you. Find out here what you might qualify for.

Financial help for young parents

Help with childcare costs: Care to Learn

If you’re a parent aged 16, 17 or 18 and studying at a further education college, the Care to Learn scheme could help towards your childcare costs. You can apply for assistance in advance if you expect to become a parent during your course.

Eligibility

You may qualify for assistance if you are,or become, a parent during your course of study. Other eligibilty rules are that you must be at least 16 years old and under 19 years old at the start of your course.

The scheme is open only to those living in Northern Ireland, and those who meet the residency requirements of the Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland). Your local college can advise you on all these eligibilty conditions

Follow the link below to find out more about Care to Learn and if you qualify.

• Care to Learn Scheme (education, learning and skills section)  

EMA and other types of financial help for young people

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a weekly payment of £10, £20 or £30, depending on your household income. It's there to help with day-to-day costs when you stay in learning after 16, and is paid into your bank account.

You may also be able to get help with the costs of transport to college or sixth form. There's extra support available if you're studying away from home or having trouble meeting the costs of your course.

• Money to learn - Education Maintenance Allowance (education, learning and skills section)
• Financial help (education, learning and skills section)

Financial help for adult learners

If you’re a full-time higher education student with dependent children, you may be able to get extra financial help.

• Extra help for students with children (education, learning and skills section)

Other help for adult learners

For advice on all your learning options and to find out more about financial help, you can also chat to an advisor from the Careers Service.

• Help with learning costs (education, learning and skills section)  
• Find your local Careers Adviser

Help with university or higher education costs

Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance

If you're a full-time student with children, you may be able to get extra help through the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance or tax credits.

Full-time students with adult dependants may be entitled to extra help from the Adult Dependants Grant.

For more information, click on the links below.

• Extra help for students with children (education, learning and skills section)  

Student loans, grants and other types of help

Extra help for students with children is paid on top of the Student loans, grants and bursaries potentially available to all full-time students.

For an overview of financial support for students in higher education, follow the links below.

• Finance for full-time students - getting started (education, learning and skills section)  
• Finance after your first year (education, learning and skills section)