Petition · past parliament
Provide higher maintenance loans and make students eligible for benefits
Closed
42 signatures
What the petition asks
As per DWP, full - time Students in the UK are currently not entitled to any benefits and are solely dependant on their maintenance loan.
Part-time students may claim limited universal credit and it is hard for them to find part-time work as employer preference remains full-time employment.
Part-time students may claim limited universal credit and it is hard for them to find part-time work as employer preference remains full-time employment.
Maintenance Loans are 100% repayable.
Should cover rent + bills + school expenses but is not enough to cover even rent if studying in London.
Part of the maintenance loan is supposed to go towards school expenses - for Art students, this is a particularly large sum.
DWP add the full loan amount into their calculations as income, they do not take substantial expenses, such as deposit towards housing, into consideration as an expense for the student.
It has become a privileged situation to be able to study in this country and this shouldn't be the case when studying towards your first degree. Those who haven't got parents to rely on to fill in the gaps in their budgets and are struggling to find part-time jobs are left with no options.
Should cover rent + bills + school expenses but is not enough to cover even rent if studying in London.
Part of the maintenance loan is supposed to go towards school expenses - for Art students, this is a particularly large sum.
DWP add the full loan amount into their calculations as income, they do not take substantial expenses, such as deposit towards housing, into consideration as an expense for the student.
It has become a privileged situation to be able to study in this country and this shouldn't be the case when studying towards your first degree. Those who haven't got parents to rely on to fill in the gaps in their budgets and are struggling to find part-time jobs are left with no options.
Timeline
| 24 Jan 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Jul 2019 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
42
Status
Closed
Opened
24 Jan 2019
Closed
24 Jul 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.