university or college benefits

lucylou · 9 September 2004 at 4:48PM

hi there does anyone know what type of benefits you can get if you go to university or college full time or part time as an adult (i am 30y.o.) and if you have to pay for the courses?At the moment I am on jobseeeker's allowance.tahnsk

Ted_Hutchinson · 9 September 2004 at 10:16PM

The Open University

Unless you are disabled, any study of more than 16 hrs a week will lead to you being regarded as a student and your benefits ended. You will then have to have a Student Loan rather than claim JSA or Income based JSA That is apart from Open University courses which I have linked to above.

You will find that assistance with fees is given to unemployed students doing Open University courses and there may also be grants towards other costs.

There may possibly also be some New Deal training courses which you can get while on JSA.

filigree_2 · 10 September 2004 at 2:33AM

In some cases I believe you can claim Income Support as a student, if you fit a certain category: single parent, disabled, carer of a disabled person. I wish I could find a link but the forum I found the info on has been closed!

Sorry not to be more helpful, but if you are a single parent you might get IS while you're a student. Blowed if I can find the info anywhere, I hope it wasn't a figment of my imagination :-/

Certain NHS sponsored courses like nursing, midwifery, occupational health etc pay you a bursary. It's not very much, you'd probably need a part time job as well, but you don't have to pay back the bursary. You don't have to pay fees, and you are allowed a Student Loan on top. If you are at all interested in a health-related course, a NHS bursary might help you.

lucylou · 11 September 2004 at 12:36AM

thanks everyone for your replies.i am not a single mother just single

oh well.I'm on income based jobseeeker's allowance at the moment and I was wondering if i take a course from open university and I have benefits i won't pay.What if i find a job after starting the course,Will they make me pay then?thanks

dsmiah · 28 March 2007 at 9:47PM

Hello,
I am a single parent with 2 children at school and 1 child working who is classed as a non-dependant. I am starting university this year, I have been told that his earnings would be taken in account when working out grants and/or loans etc. At the moment he is paying nearly all the rent and some council tax. I know that my IS would stop but would I be better of is my eldest son left home?

Tigger36 · 28 March 2007 at 11:00PM

Hi Lucylou,
While you're on benefits or a 'low income' many College courses are free of charge for adults. All you have to do is show them proof of benefit. Make sure you do a course that is less than 16 hours per week though. Check out your local Community Education classes too - usually at your local High School or Community Centre. They often have a range of courses available and they should be free for you too.

elisebutt65 · 28 March 2007 at 11:08PM

If you go to Uni then you'll get the usual loan plus adult grant. you may be able to get some housing benefit depending on your finances and you will not have to pay council tax for the years that you're studying.

Not even single parents get IS anymore apart from in the summer holidays and I have 2 kids and only get £20/wk HB. I do get CTC tho thank god or we wouldn't be eating - lol.

You should also get fees paid for by LEA.

welshcakes · 11 June 2007 at 8:47PM

The Open University will consider free/reduced fees if you are a low income household. If you go to the OU website, not only can you register for a course but you can tick for receiving a grant to pay for fees - they acknowledge course registration in writing and contact you later (but obviously before course starts) to advise whether you qualify for fee exemption.

No idea if this applies to full time but I am doing a basic course through OU this year and do not have to pay (it's one of the lowest and is less than 10 hours study per week).

Hope that helps

yllas_2 · 3 July 2007 at 10:09AM

Not sure if this is the right thread to post in but, my Daughter is about to start college (in sept) and we are on CTC at the moment. Will we still be able to claim this once she starts college? (We have no other children living with us) The CTC will be payed till 31/08/07 according to our present award.

Many thanks

Gaz83 · 3 July 2007 at 10:17AM

It depends what type of education they're doing.

Unless it's changed since I've left working for them (a couple of years ago now), you can claim if they're in Full-Time Non-Advanced Education, which consists of 16 or more hours per week in an education level below or equivalent to an NVQ Level 3. Anything over that is classed as Advanced Education and can't be claimed for.

yllas_2 · 3 July 2007 at 10:45AM

Many thanks for that

university or college benefits

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