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Types of student support which are counted as income

Types of student support counted as income are:

• the majority of any Maintenance Loan you are entitled to, even if you choose not to take it out
• Adult Dependants' Grant
• Access to Learning Fund payments meant to help with general living costs (though in some circumstances, all or part of the payment may be disregarded)
• Maintenance Grant (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later)
• bursaries (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later) that are not for course-related costs, or childcare

Types of student support which are not counted as income

The following will not count as income:

• Higher Education Grant (for full-time students whose courses began in 2004/2005 or 2005/2006)
• Tuition Fee Grant (for full-time students whose courses began before September 2006)
• Tuition Fee Loan
• Childcare Grant
• Parents' Learning Allowance
• Access to Learning Fund payments that are not for general living costs
• Special Support Grant (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later, and fall within the groups of students listed in the Income Support or Housing Benefit regulations)
• bursaries (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later) that are for course-related costs, or childcare

If you get other forms of support, speak to your student adviser at university or college to find out whether they are counted as income when working out your entitlement to benefits.

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• Benefits for higher education students with low incomes

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