Petition · past parliament · Department for Work and Pensions

Remove the barriers for Higher Education students to claim Universal Credit

Closed 70 signatures

What the petition asks

I'm calling for the Government to completely remove the barriers for full-time higher education students to claim universal credit. For some students (especially during COVID-19) Universal Credit is their only form of income.
Students that are in ful-time HE who don’t fit certain criteria can’t claim Universal Credit, which puts students who aren’t eligible for funding in an awful position. Some students have turned to legal sex work to get money for food, let alone pay bills or rent.

People should receive support from the Government to go to university to get a better job to earn more to pay more tax but if you’re actually in university, you are just supposed to get student finance.

Timeline

18 Aug 2021 Petition opened for signatures
18 Feb 2022 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 70
Status Closed
Department Department for Work and Pensions
Opened 18 Aug 2021
Closed 18 Feb 2022

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.