UK Student Finance
An A-Z of Student Finance

Help for Students with Children or Dependants

If you are a student with children, you may be able to get extra help from the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance or tax credits. Students with adult dependants may be entitled to extra help from the Adult Dependants Grant.

If you are a full-time student with a child or adult dependant, there is extra financial help available. This is paid on top of the standard student finance package.

If you are a part-time student with children or other dependants, different rules apply.

Childcare Grant

The Childcare Grant is available to full-time students in low-income households. To qualify, you must have a dependent child or children in registered or approved childcare.

If you qualify, you can receive up to 85 per cent of your actual childcare costs. You do not have to repay this help. How much you get will depend on:

·        your level of income and the income of your household

·        how many children you have in childcare

·        your actual childcare costs

Parents’ Learning Allowance

The Parents' Learning Allowance is available to full-time students who receive the Childcare Grant. It's also available to other full-time students from low-income backgrounds with children.

The allowance is to help you pay for course-related costs such as books, materials and travel. You do not have to repay this help.

Adult Dependants’ Grant

If you are a full-time student with an adult who depends on you financially, you could be entitled to the Adult Dependants’ Grant. You don't have to repay this help.

An adult dependant can include a partner (of either sex) or another adult, usually a member of your family who depends on you financially. However, you can’t count your grown-up children as adult dependants.

How much you get depends on your income and the income of your adult dependants.

How Do You Apply?

You can apply for these extra grants and allowances when you fill in the main application for student support.

Tax Credits

Students with dependent children may also be entitled to claim Child Tax Credit from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The amount you receive will depend on your circumstances and income.

You may also be able to claim Working Tax Credit. However, if you get the childcare element of Working Tax Credit, you won’t be able to claim for the Childcare Grant as well.

Access to Learning Fund

The Access to Learning Fund provides support for students on low incomes who may need extra financial help for their course or to stay in higher education. The help is usually paid as a non-repayable grant, sometimes as a loan.

It’s available through your college after you start your course. Your college will decide how much you can receive.

Need More Information?

More details about the types of financial help for students with dependants are available in the booklet, ‘Childcare Grant and other support for full-time student parents in higher education’.

You can ask your local authority to send you one.
 

 

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