Student Advice Centre

Welfare Benefits

Full time students are not usually entitled to any means tested welfare benefits.

There are some exceptions, so if you are the lone parent of a child under 7 (under 5 from October 2011) you may be entitled to income support (IS). If you are a lone parent and your youngest child is above this age limit, you may be able to claim jobseekers allowance (JSA) during the summer vacation.

You can qualify for housing benefit (HB) if you are a lone parent with a dependent child or qualifying young person under 20. You can also be entitled to HB if you and your partner are both full time students and you have a dependent child. One of you may claim jobseekers allowance in the summer vacation.

If you are sick or disabled you may still be able to continue with a claim for incapacity benefit (IB) you had previously. However, new claimants should claim employment and support allowance (ESA). New rules make this more difficult to qualify for if you are a student. You may also be eligible for HB.

If you are a part time student you may be entitled to some benefits if you meet the qualifying conditions.

If you think you may be eligible for any welfare benefits, contact the Student Advice Centre. We can do a calculation to assess what you may be able to claim.

Useful links

• DirectGov - Benefits and financial support information