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  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Benefits and money
    3. Benefits and financial support
    4. On a low income

    Benefits for higher education students

    Part-time students and certain groups of full-time students may sometimes be eligible for income-related benefits. Find out what you could get.

    Benefits and financial support for students

    Benefits for students depend on your personal circumstances, such as your income and savings you may have. You may not be able to get benefits if the income you get through student finance is too high.  

    Where to go for advice

    If you’re already claiming income-related benefits and want to start a higher education course, you should ask your local Jobs and Benefits office how this will affect your benefits.  

    • Jobs and Benefits Offices
    • Benefits: report a change in your circumstances

    If you’re currently at university or college, a student adviser will be able to help you work out if you qualify for any benefits.

    Who can claim benefits

    Full-time students

    Most full-time students can't claim income-related benefits but you may be able to make a claim if you:

    • are a lone parent
    • have a partner who is also a student - and one or both of you are responsible for a child 
    • have a disability and qualify for the disability premium or severe disability premium of income-related Employment and Support Allowance

    If you have a partner who is not a student and they’re eligible for any income-related benefits, your partner can claim on behalf of you both.

    Part-time students

    Part-time students can apply for income related benefits if they’re on a low income and meet the certain conditions.

    Universal Credit

    If you're studying part-time, you may be able to get Universal Credit as long as you can meet the work-related requirements that apply to you.

    You cannot usually get Universal Credit if you’re studying full-time, but there are some exceptions. 

    More information is available on Claiming Universal Credit if you're a student.

    You can also contact your local Jobs & Benefits office or phone the Universal Credit Service Centre.

    Other income-related benefits

    It is no longer possible to make a new claim to other income-related benefits such as Income Support, Local Housing Allowance or Housing Benefit.  If you already have any of these, you might be able to continue claiming them.

    You can find out more by following the links below.

    • Income Support
    • Housing Benefit / Rate Relief

    Student Loans and grants counted as income

    When working out if you’re eligible for income-related benefits while you are a student, certain types of student finance will be counted as income.

    Student support counted as income

    Types of student support counted as income are:

    • the majority of any Student Loan for Maintenance such as living expenses, rent and bills you are entitled to, even if you choose not to take it out
    • Adult Dependants' Grant
    • Access to Learning Fund payments meant to help with general living costs (though in some circumstances, all or part of the payment may be disregarded)
    • Maintenance Grant (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later)
    • Discretionary Grant for accommodation where you also receive Universal Credit payments for housing costs, but only up to the amount of housing costs paid in your Universal Credit payments.  Any Discretionary Grant amount above the Universal Credit housing costs amount is disregarded
    • Bursaries (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later) that are not for course-related costs, or childcare
    • Higher Education Bursary

    Student support not counted as income

    The following will not count as income:

    • Student Loan for Tuition Fees
    • Childcare Grant
    • Parents' Learning Allowance
    • Access to Learning Fund payments that are not for general living costs
    • Special Support Grant or Loan (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later, and who get or qualify for:
      • Income Support
      • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
      • Housing Benefit
      • housing element of Universal Credit
    • Bursaries (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later) that are for course-related costs, or childcare
    • Postgraduate Loan for tuition fees
    • Grants:
      • for tuition and examination fees
      • in relation to your disability
      • for expenses for residential study away from an educational establishment
      • for living away from your usual place of study
      • for maintenance of dependent adult (if the Universal Credit award does not include an amount for this person)
      • for books and equipment
      • for travel expenses
      • for childcare costs

    Other support

    If you get other forms of support, speak to your student adviser at university or college to find out whether they are counted as income when working out your entitlement to benefits.

    Jobseeker's Allowance

    Full-time students

    If you’re studying full time, you may be able to claim Jobseeker's Allowance during the summer holiday if:

    • you're a lone parent
    • you have a partner who is also a full-time student, and one or both of you is responsible for a child or young person
    • you also need to be available for and actively seeking work
    • you have enough National Insurance Contributions

    You may also be able to claim if you’re waiting to go back to a course, having taken approved time out for a period of up to one year because of an illness or caring responsibility that has now come to an end.

    Part-time students

    If you’re studying part-time, you may be able to claim Jobseeker's Allowance if you are:

    • out of work or working less than 16 hours a week on average
    • capable of working
    • available for work
    • actively seeking work
    • below retirement age
    • you have enough National Insurance Contributions

    Normally, you must also be aged 18 or over. You must be willing to go to a job interview, even if you have to take time off from your course. You should also be prepared to rearrange your hours of study to fit around a job.

    • Jobseeker's Allowance  

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a source of support for people with an illness or disability that affects their ability to work. If you already claim ESA you may be able to carry on getting it as a student.

    • Employment and Support Allowance
    • Financial help for students with disabilities

    Other help

    More about student finance

    You can find out more about the help available through student finance, including grants, and (for full-time students) student loans and bursaries, by following the link below.

    • Student finance

    More useful links

    • Financial help for lone parents   
    • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
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    On a low income

    • Accommodation service charges and Universal Credit
    • Benefits for higher education students
    • Christmas Bonus
    • Claim Social Fund Budgeting loan
    • Claiming Universal Credit if you're a student
    • Cold Weather Payment
    • Energy saving grants
    • Extended payment of Housing Benefit/Rate Relief
    • Help to save
    • Help with health costs
    • Housing Benefit and Rate Relief for tenants
    • Income Support
    • Income Support with dependant's allowance - two child limit
    • Mortgage Interest Run On
    • Rates Housing Benefit and Rate Relief
    • Repaying your mortgage interest on a low income
    • Support for Mortgage Interest
    • Universal Credit

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    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

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    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

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    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

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    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

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