Why we use parents' income to calculate Student Allowance
If you're under 24 with no children and still have a relationship with 1 or both of your parents, your Student Allowance will be based on their income.
The Government’s policy is that full-time students under 24 need to share the costs of study with their parents and the government. This is regardless of whether:
- you live at home
- you live away from home
- your parents financially support you.
The Government has a certain amount of money that they can use to help towards the costs of study for higher education. Using parents income to calculate the Student Allowance means the focus is on supporting students who, without it, may not be able to go into tertiary education.
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