Students and benefits project
This project aims to increase the number of low income students in Scotland in further and higher education and reduce the impact of poverty on students who access such educational opportunities.
This is through increasing the capacity of front line advice services (in educational institutions and in the wider community) to provide accurate, high quality and effective advice and information on benefits and tax credits for students to eligible claimants – particularly lone parents and those on low incomes. We do this by providing training, factsheets, a handbook, an ebulletin and running an advice line.
Training
- Students and benefits – an update
- Introduction to benefits for student advisers
- Students and benefits – eligibility
- Universal credit and students
- Students and benefits - the basics
Download our student benefits training leaflet.
We can offer any of these courses in-house at your workplace or a venue which suits you, including the basics course, outlined below, at a special price.
Students and benefits – the basics (half day)
This new half-day course provides a basic overview of social security benefits and tax credits, and which further and higher education students might be able to claim them. The course is for student advisers and other frontline workers who are new to benefits.
The course covers:
- A brief overview of the benefits and tax credits systems
- Which groups of students can claim benefits and tax credits
- The impact of student support on benefits
- Signposting students for help with benefits enquiries
This course is at the special price of £250 (plus tutor's expenses) for up to 20 people for organisations in Scotland. To make an enquiry or to book this course please complete our online enquiry form.
Factsheets
We produce a range of factsheets on different aspects of benefits for students in Scotland, which you can download below:
- Universal credit and students (May 2017)
- Students and tax credits (June 2016)
- Benefits for disabled students (November 2016)
- Benefits for young people in further education or training (November 2016)
- Parents claiming for young people in further education or training (November 2016)
- Benefits and tax credits for students (November 2016)
- Employment and support allowance and studying (November 2016)
- Benefits and tax credits for lone parent students (June 2016)
- Benefits and tax credits for European students (June 2016)
Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook 2016/17
We produce an updated and revised edition of the Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook early in the academic year. We also ensure the online version* of this Handbook is updated after April each year with new benefit rates and other changes.
The 14th edition of this Handbook has been updated to include the impact of welfare reform changes on students. It is available to buy here.
We are no longer able to provide free copies of the handbook to universities, colleges and CABx, due to reduced funding.
*The free online version of the Handbook has been updated with the new benefit rates from April 2017 - view it here
Ebulletin: Students and benefits
Our quarterly ebulletin keeps you up to date with changes in benefits that may affect students. You can read past editions by following the links below, or sign up to the e-bulletin here.
Advice line for advisers
If you work in Scotland and advise students or people thinking about studying, our advice line on welfare benefits and tax credits can help you.
For further information please contact:
Angela Toal
Tel: 0141 552 8361
atoal@cpagscotland.org.uk
This project is funded by the Scottish Government.
