How UK Universities Support Student Parents: Childcare Grants and Flexible Study

The Childcare Grant: what it covers

The Childcare Grant helps full-time students in England pay for registered childcare while they study. To qualify, you need to be on a full-time higher education course worth at least 120 credits a year, with a child under 15, or under 17 if the child has special educational needs. It pays on top of your other student finance and does not have to be paid back.

The grant covers 85% of your childcare costs , up to a weekly maximum of £199.62 for one child or £342.24 for two or more children, whichever figure is lower. Student Finance England pays this directly based on the childcare provider and costs you declare, so keep your provider's registration number and invoices ready when you apply.

Only registered or approved childcare counts, including nurseries, childminders, breakfast and after-school clubs, and holiday clubs that appear on the relevant register. Care from a relative, even a grandparent providing regular unpaid care, does not qualify, so confirm your provider's registration status before you rely on it in your application.

Parents' Learning Allowance

The Parents' Learning Allowance helps with course-related costs such as books, travel, and equipment if you have a dependent child. Payments range from £50 to £2,024 a year , depending on your household income, and it does not have to be repaid.

You cannot get the Parents' Learning Allowance if you are also receiving a Postgraduate Loan, so postgraduate students with children need to compare which route gives more overall support before choosing. Undergraduate students can usually receive both the Childcare Grant and the Parents' Learning Allowance together, alongside their standard loan and grant package, since the two are designed to cover different costs.

Universal Credit and other benefits

If your household also claims Universal Credit, the childcare element works differently from the Childcare Grant, and you generally cannot claim support for the same childcare costs twice. Student Finance England and the Department for Work and Pensions treat student income and benefit entitlement separately, so having a child while studying can affect other means-tested support you receive, including Council Tax discounts and free school meals eligibility for older children. Check your full benefit entitlement with a student money adviser rather than assuming the Childcare Grant alone covers everything.

Flexible and part-time study

Most UK universities let students move to part-time study, take an authorized break (intermission), or apply for extenuating circumstances if pregnancy, birth, or early parenting disrupts their coursework. This usually means extended deadlines, rescheduled exams, or a revised assessment plan agreed with your department rather than a fixed universal policy, so speak to your personal tutor or student support office as soon as your circumstances change.

Some courses, particularly professional ones with fixed placement dates such as nursing or teacher training, have less flexibility, so check with your department before assuming a delay is possible. Moving to part-time study also changes how much loan and grant funding you receive each year, so confirm the financial effect with Student Finance England before you switch.

University nurseries and family support

Many campuses run a day nursery for staff and student children, sometimes with priority spaces or discounted rates for students. Places are limited and often booked well ahead of term, so contact the nursery or student wellbeing office as early as possible, ideally before your child is born.

Student unions and university welfare offices often run parent and carer networks too, offering peer support, family-friendly study spaces, and information on local childcare beyond the campus nursery. Some universities also run emergency or short-notice childcare funds for one-off situations, such as an exam clash with a childcare gap, worth asking about even if you already receive the main grants.

Support in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

The Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning Allowance described here apply to full-time students in England through Student Finance England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each run their own separate childcare funding schemes through their own student finance bodies, with different eligibility rules and payment structures. If you study outside England, check directly with Student Awards Agency Scotland, Student Finance Wales, or Student Finance NI rather than assuming the England figures above apply to you.

Postgraduate and part-time students

Full-time undergraduate students form the main audience for the Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning Allowance, and eligibility for part-time or postgraduate courses works differently, so check your specific course type on the gov.uk pages before assuming you qualify. Part-time undergraduate students generally cannot claim the Childcare Grant, even though they may still qualify for other student finance support, which makes childcare costs a bigger factor when deciding between full-time and part-time study as a parent.

Applying step by step

• Apply for your main student finance package first through Student Finance England.

• Add the Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning Allowance to the same application, or complete the separate PN1 form if you apply later.

• Provide your registered childcare provider's Ofsted or registration number and your weekly or termly costs.

• Submit before term starts so payments arrive alongside your first loan installment.

• Report any change in childcare costs or hours during the year so your payment stays accurate.

• Ask your university's student money or welfare service to check your full benefit entitlement.