Students and benefits eBulletin - September 2022
In this issue
Students and benefits eLearning
Our free eLearning course, Scottish student income and universal credit, helps you understand the impact of Scottish student loans and grants on universal credit. It should take around 30-45 minutes to complete and is free to enrol.
Universal credit for Ukrainian students
Ukrainian nationals who are in Scotland because of the conflict, for example who have come here under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, are generally able to access social security benefits such as universal credit. CPAG in Scotland have produced a factsheet which explains this in more detail - Benefits for resettled Ukrainians. This factsheet covers the general rules that apply for Ukrainian nationals who are here. However, if they are students, additional rules apply.
Studying part time should allow someone to be able to get universal credit as long as they are able to meet any work search requirements that apply to them. It is much more difficult to get universal credit if they are studying full time, as full-time students are expected to be supported through student funding. The financial situation may be very different depending on whether they are studying in Scotland or remotely in Ukraine.
Studying at a Scottish institution
If a Ukrainian national, who has a visa as a resettled Ukrainian, is studying full-time at a Scottish institution, then they should be eligible for student funding in the same way as a Scottish student would be. There is information on entitlement to further and higher education funding for Ukrainian nationals on the Student Information Scotland website.
Ukrainian students studying full-time in Scotland may in some cases be eligible for universal credit. This would be in the same way as a Scottish student might be eligible for universal credit. Generally, this would be if they are a parent, or they live with a non-student partner, or they are a young further education student (under 21 at the start of the course) and are without parental support. These rules are set out in more detail in our factsheet Universal credit and students. The factsheet also explains how student funding affects UC.
Studying at a Ukrainian institution
Some Ukrainians who have come to Scotland are studying remotely at Ukrainian universities, on full-time courses. It is much harder for these students to get any kind of financial support in the UK. They are not eligible for student funding because their institution is not in Scotland. They are not eligible for universal credit unless they are in one of the groups outlined above - ie, they are a parent, they live with a non-student partner, or they are young students in further education without parental support.
Even if they do fit into one of these categories they may still have difficulties claiming universal credit because of the work-related requirements. Students who get student funding for maintenance have no work-related requirements. But Ukrainian students studying at a Ukrainian institution and not getting any student funding are very likely to be required by the DWP to look for work. If they cannot meet the work search requirements, then they are likely to have their UC amount sanctioned.
Example
Maria has come to Scotland under the Homes for Ukraine scheme with her 7-year-old daughter. She is continuing a full-time university course in Ukraine, studying remotely. She has claimed universal credit for herself and her daughter. She does not get any student funding from Ukraine. Her work coach says she must be available for work while her daughter is in school and must be ready to take up a job at short notice, or else she could be sanctioned.