Grants and Allowances

If you’re a full-time student in higher education and an adult depends on you financially, you can apply for an Adult Dependants’ Grant of up to:

• £3,263 for the 2022 to 2023 academic year
• £3,190 for the 2021 to 2022 academic year

Usually the adult dependant will be:

• your husband, wife, partner or civil partner
• a relative, such as a parent or a grandparent

If you’re under 25, the adult dependant cannot be your partner unless you’re married or in a civil partnership.

You’re not eligible if the adult dependant is:

• your child
• a relative who earns more than £3,796 a year
• receiving student finance during the same academic year as you

You cannot get an Adult Dependants’ Grant if you’re getting a Postgraduate Loan.

 You may be eligible for help with your childcare costs if you:

• are a full-time higher education student
• have children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs

The grant does not have to be paid back and is paid on top of your other student finance. You must be eligible for student finance to apply for a Childcare Grant.

To qualify for a Childcare Grant all the following must apply:

• you’re a full-time student
• your child must be under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs
• you get undergraduate student finance based on your household income or are eligible to
• you’re not getting a Postgraduate Loan
• you’re a permanent resident in England
• the children in your grant application are financially dependent on you
• your childcare provider is on the Ofsted Early Years Register or General Childcare Register - check with your provider
• if your child is cared for at home, the carer cannot be a relative and must be registered with an appropriate body 
• neither you or your partner are claiming Tax-Free Childcare, the childcare element of working Tax Credit or Universal Credit
• neither you or your partner receive help with childcare costs from the National Health Service (NHS)

This request is available for students who are unable to pay the contribution of £200 towards the DSA equipment. We will need a copy of the Disabled Student Allowance Entitlement letter from Student Finance before we can assess your application.

If you would like to apply for the DSA grant, please email us.

Please note this is only available to students with an approved Disabled Student Allowance from the Student Loan Company.

You may be eligible for help with your learning costs if you’re a full-time student with children. How much you get depends on your household income.

If you’re a student from England with dependent children you may qualify if you’re taking:

• a full-time undergraduate course
• an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course

You do not need to be paying for childcare to qualify.

You may get a Special Support Grant instead of a Maintenance Grant if you get or qualify for:

• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• the housing element of Universal Credit

The amount you get is the same as the Maintenance Grant, but it will not reduce the Maintenance Loan you can get. You may get the Special Support Grant if, for example, you’re a lone parent or have certain disabilities. You’ll be told if you can get the grant when you apply for student finance.