I am on income support and housing, I am going to do a Uni course next year.

PIXeL_92

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Unless you have a disability or are a lone parent, you cannot be a full time student and claim benefits.

I am a full time student on a BTEC course and I was awarded benifits, due to that and being estranged along with living with a partner, I have contacted Directgov about the special support grant but on there site it said I may be eligable due to the total income of my houshold and the fact im on mean tested benifits.

Special Support Grants

If you get or qualify for Income Support or Housing Benefit (I get both)you may get the Special Support Grant instead of the Maintenance Grant. The amount you can get through the Special Support Grant is the same as that available through the Maintenance Grant.
You are likely to qualify for the Special Support Grant if:

• you’re a single parent
• your partner is also a student (My partner is)
• you have certain disabilities

Jowo_2

Perhaps the rules for further education are different and permit you to receive HB and IS because you are classed as vulnerable due to the estrangement from your parents, but the rules for higher education do not appear to support it and do not make any additional allowances (in terms of receiving benefits) for the lack of support from your parents, other than to treat you for the purposes of educational grants and loans as having a low income.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10034876

"Full-time students

Although most full-time higher education students are not entitled to income-related benefits, certain groups may be able to make a claim.

The full rules are listed in the Income Support and Housing Benefit regulations. But as a general guide, you may be able to claim income-related benefits 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, severe disability premium or income-related Employment and Support Allowance"

If that's the case, you will not receive any IS/HB for your degree. Check with the University. Here is another helpful link which explains what student income is counted for the purposes of income related benefits (not that it's applicable in your case but it does demonstrate that if you did qualify for benefits (which you don't) as a degree student, you would have been expected to have taken out a loan and if you choose not to, you would still be treated as if you did.)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_070816

I suggest you and your partner find yourself part-time jobs during your HE studies. Download the budget planner from the free tools section of MSE to work out your actual student and employment related income for the change when you transition off benefits. This will help you to prepare for when you lose your IS & HB and identify if there is any shortfall in your basic living expenses. When you start your degree, you will not qualify for state assistance with your rent and I assume your household will lose around £65 to £102 per week in income support depending on the rate you qualify for. Therefore you need to work out if the full suite of grants and loans will cover the additional expense of your rent and the additional loss of your IS which you would be using to pay for bills and groceries but now have to fund yourself.

925dancer

I'm a full-time student who was claiming a small amount of benefits shortly before I started my course, my benefits were stopped once I started my studies.

I am now in extreme financial hardship but again I am not entitled to any benefits as a single student with no children and no disabilities.

Student loans, grants and bursaries are there for a reason and you should be accessing those facilities. Benefits are there to support those out of work who either can't work due to illness or who are actively looking. As a full-time student it's time to let go of the state's hand with regards to benefits and do what all students have to!

System

PIXeL_92 wrote: »

I am a full time student on a BTEC course and I was awarded benifits,

BTEC is further education and not higher education

Jowo_2

925dancer wrote: »

..
Student loans, grants and bursaries are there for a reason and you should be accessing those facilities. Benefits are there to support those out of work who either can't work due to illness or who are actively looking. As a full-time student it's time to let go of the state's hand with regards to benefits and do what all students have to!

I think its a fairly simple case of the OP not being aware that they will be treated differently in higher education than in further education.

The information they have posted about the Special Support Grant is premised on the claimant receiving Income Support. They are now but haven't realised that they won't be permitted to claim it when they start their degree.

So all the stuff around 'I won't take out a loan because I'd prefer to draw benefits and the loan would affect it' is irrelevant. They will be paying their rent from grants, loans and any part time employment they can find.

If they find when they've analysed their budget that they can't afford their outgoings when the IS/HB stop, then they've got the usual options open to those wanting to study but facing financial constraints - get a job, enrol in the open university, do a part time degree to free up more hours in employment, defer a year and save up funds from employment to provide a nest egg, etc.

Macro_3

Jowo wrote: »

How does this work when students are given grants and loans on the basis that these are supposed to last them the entire year, not just term time?

Student income, whatever it's intention, is not used in benefit calculations to cover the entire year - most student income covers about 43 weeks from Sept to July. If the student is a lone parent/disabled, they are then able to claim IS in the break as they have no income.

They are still considered a student, however, so don't become liable for Council Tax and are unable to claim JSA or HB is they are not considered vulnerable etc.