Students and Council Tax: Do I have to pay?

 

🐝 A note before you start:

Student status, tenancy arrangements, Council Tax liability and entitlement to benefits can interact in complicated ways. The rules can also change. This article explains the principles, but it isn't a substitute for checking your own circumstances. If you're unsure who is liable for a bill or whether you are entitled to help, seek advice before paying or claiming.

Students, Council Tax and Rent

When students share a property with a non-student, people have framed the question of who pays what as a "moral dilemma" should the student perhaps chip in for a bill they are not actually liable for? Should the non-student share benefit income they receive to help cover a student's share?

We think this is the wrong starting point. So let's put some context on the matter of rent, Council Tax and entitlement to welfare benefits for these expenses.

As you know, Levitate is all about Rights and Responsibilities, and it's important to understand them.

So let's start with…

Rent

What is rent? Rent is a payment (of money or other means as agreed) to use a property.

What is included in the rent depends on the tenancy agreement, whether that is in writing or a verbal agreement.

For detailed information about rent and tenancy agreements, we recommend the charity Shelter.

Help to pay rent

Universal Credit ~ The housing element helps low-income or unemployed working-age people to pay their rent.

Housing Benefit ~ new claims are generally limited to people who have reached State Pension age or people living in certain types of supported or temporary accommodation. There are detailed rules and exceptions. Universal Credit has largely replaced Housing Benefit for working-age renters.

Most full-time Higher Education students are not entitled to claim means-tested welfare benefits. There are some exceptions, for example some lone parents, student couples with children and some disabled students, who may be eligible for help towards their rent (seek advice).

The rules can be complicated, particularly where a student shares accommodation with someone who is not a student, so it is worth getting advice about individual circumstances.

A non-student living in a shared property with students could apply for help to pay their rent liability if they are not working or are on a low income.

If the non-student is entitled to financial help with their own housing costs, that is their entitlement. It doesn't become money belonging to their student housemates.

All the tenants have a Responsibility to pay their rent, but it could be that only the non-student has the Right to claim welfare benefits to help towards their share of the rent.

Council Tax

Council Tax is a local tax charged on domestic properties. The amount charged depends on the property's valuation band and the local authority's Council Tax rate.

The local authority decides what charge applies to each Council Tax band. The local authority will also outline to residents what it has spent the Council Tax on each year. Local authority websites are often a good source of information about Council Tax.

Crucially, full-time students are normally disregarded for Council Tax purposes. This doesn't necessarily mean a student can never be legally liable for a Council Tax bill though. Generally, a property occupied only by full-time students is exempt from Council Tax.

Universities issue students with Council Tax Exemption Certificates or tell students how to inform the local authority that they are exempt. Where students live in university accomodation, excemption is usually automatic and the university manage the relationship with the local authority. Check the university/college website for information.

Help to pay Council Tax

Local authorities are responsible for running their own Council Tax Support schemes to help people on low income with their Council Tax bills. Again, local authority websites are a useful source of information. The schemes vary across local authority areas and can change from year to year.

Student income may be considered low and therefore on the maths alone, many could be eligible for Council Tax Support. The government make it easier though by making most full-time students exempt from paying Council Tax, so less hassle all round.

But being a student does not, in every circumstance, mean that a person can never be legally liable for Council Tax.

Full-time HE Students and Council Tax, who has to pay in the household? (Made with AI)

🐝 When students live with non-students (or even a part-time student), the residence is not exempt, so someone will be liable for the Council Tax. If there is only one person who counts for Council Tax purposes and everyone else is disregarded for example, because they are full-time students the bill will normally be reduced by 25% and, if their income is low may receive help to pay in the form of Council Tax Support.

🐝 If the non-student is also exempt from paying Council Tax for other reasons, the discount on the bill would be 50%. Who would be liable to pay the bill can be complex and depends on a hierarchy of liability so seek advice if you are not sure.

🐝 A student may have to pay the Council Tax even though they are disregarded when calculating the discount for the bill. This can happen to a student who is the only tenant or who owns their own home but lives with an adult who is not a student.

For example, a mum who is a full-time student and owns her own home, whose adult (not in education) son lives at home with her: the property is not exempt, mum as a full-time student is disregarded so the bill is discounted by 25%, but as she is the owner-occupier, she is liable for the bill. We would agree that in these circumstances there is a bit of a moral dilemma regarding the son helping mum out with the bills.

A financially capable approach

From a financially capable perspective, we would recommend that you don't pay bills you are not liable for, there is no moral dilemma here. If you are unsure about whether or not you are liable for a bill, then always seek advice from your University Money Adviser or community advice such as Citizens Advice.

Sources & further information

For current information about Council Tax, benefits and tenancy matters, check GOV.UK, your local authority, Turn2Us, Money Helper, Shelter and Citizens Advice. The rules can change, and individual circumstances can affect entitlement and liability.

Will I be funded if I have studied before at Higher Education Level?

Previous Study: How It Affects Your Tuition Fee Loan Entitlement

This post covers the rules for students funded by Student Finance England. There are some technical exclusions not covered here, always check with your funder or a money adviser for your specific circumstances.

If you've studied at Higher Education level before, even briefly, even if you didn't finish, it's likely to affect how much tuition fee funding you're entitled to on a new course. This catches a lot of people out, because “previous study” isn't just about failed courses; it includes courses you completed, courses you left early, and sometimes courses that don't feel like they should count at all.

The basic rule: no previous study

If you've never studied at HE level before, your Standard Entitlement is straightforward: the ordinary duration of your course, plus one year. That extra year is there to allow for an academic wobble, starting a course elsewhere if it doesn't suit you, or repeating a year if you fail without losing fee funding.

Previous study: the general rule

If you have studied at HE level before, the formula changes. For most students (regulation 21), the Standard Entitlement becomes:

Ordinary duration of the course, plus one year, minus the number of years already spent on previous courses

Same 3-year course: no previous study leaves a spare year in hand, but one year of previous study uses it up entirely.

Notice that in the second scenario, the standard entitlement isn't short, it exactly matches the length of the course. That's often mistaken for being fully covered. But “exactly matches” means there's no spare year anywhere in the entitlement, for any reason, at any point in the course. If a repeat is ever needed, there's nothing left to draw on.

This is a common scenario, and a genuinely dangerous one, because students in this position often don't discover the gap until the moment they actually need to repeat a year and that moment can just as easily fall in the final year as the first. Failing a module or needing to repeat when you're one year from finishing, only to find there's no funding left to do so, is one of the most devastating ways this can play out.

The deduction is the part that catches people out. Every academic year you've previously spent on HE-level study normally counts against your new entitlement, year for year  whether or not you completed it, and whether or not you were funded for it! This is because HE-level study is subsidised by the government and even if student loans are not taken out a contribution to the study has taken place. 

Two common misunderstandings:

●       “I didn't finish, so it shouldn't count.” It usually still counts. The formula deducts years spent, not years completed. This is exactly where Compelling Personal Reasons can help, see our separate post on that ~ here

●       “It was a different subject, so it's unrelated.” The rules look at level and type of study more than subject in most cases (though there are exceptions). A previous HND, foundation degree, or unfinished honours degree in an unrelated field can still reduce your entitlement.

How a shortfall lands on Year 1, not the final year, because entitlement is allocated backward from the final year.

Any funding entitlement is allocated backward from the final year, so a shortfall in entitlement typically shows up as an unfunded early year, not a missing final year, which is rarely what people expect. Students sometime hope they will have time to save for the final year, only to discover its their first year that is unfunded.

Where CPR fits in

If you failed to complete your most recent previous course because of Compelling Personal Reasons, you may qualify for an extra fee loan that specifically covers the first year of your new course (regulation 19(8)) — on top of, and calculated separately from, the deduction above.

How the reg 19(8) CPR year fills the gap left by previous study, for a student with two years of previous study on a 3-year or 4-year course.

The exception: end-on courses and certain progressions

The rule above does not apply to everyone. If you're on an end-on course, or you've completed a qualification like a foundation degree and progressed onto a directly linked course (such as an honours “top-up” year), you fall under a separate regulation (regulation 22) with a different formula entirely, based on the greater of three years or your course length, adjusted for the length of your previous (“preliminary”) course.

This exists to stop students on a structured pathway, foundation degree into honours year, for example from being penalised as if they'd started two unrelated courses from scratch. It's genuinely one of the more complex corners of the system, and there isn't a worked diagram for it here, because it deserves its own post. If your course involves any kind of progression, top-up year, or linked qualification, always confirm directly with your funder how your entitlement is being calculated and perhaps double check with a university Student Money Adviser.

A word of caution: don't start before you know!  This matters most if you're a late applicant or came through Clearing. It's tempting and sometimes unavoidable, to start a course before Student Finance has confirmed your funding decision. If you are reliant on student funding but your entitlement turns out lower than expected because of previous study, you may not find out until the decision arrives, by which point you're already committed. Because entitlement is allocated backward from the final year, a shortfall usually hits earlier years and most often the first. In practice, this can mean starting a course, incurring a full tuition fee liability (£9,000+) for a year you assumed was covered, and only discovering the shortfall once it's too late to make a different decision. If that liability isn't settled with the university, it can become a debt that prevents you progressing into the later years of the course, the very years your funding does cover! Before you commit to starting any course, especially through Clearing or as a late applicant: get your funding application in as early as possible, and if you have any history of previous study, ask your funder directly or speak to a Student Money Adviser to clarify what your entitlement is expected to be, ideally before enrolling.

The takeaway

Previous study always needs declaring, even when it doesn't feel relevant, and which formula applies to you depends on the type of previous study, not just how much of it there was. If you've had any break in study, changed course, or progressed from one qualification to another, get advice before you rely on assumptions about what you're entitled to.

See also: CompellingPersonal Reasons for repeat years and course changes caused by illness, bereavement, or other compelling circumstances. CPR doesn't always involve previous study (it's most often used for a straightforward repeat year), and not every previous-study case involves CPR, so the two posts are cross-linked rather than merged.

See also: Previous Study Page 

This post is based on the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (as amended), which govern student finance in England. For the current, definitive text, always check legislation.gov.uk directly. If your circumstances involve previous study, a change of course, or a progression pathway, speak to your university's Student Support/Advice Service or a qualified money adviser before making decisions based on this post.

Plus One and Compelling Personal Reasons: The Extra Years of Funding Many Students Don't Know About

  

Need to repeat a year or start a new HE course? - will I be funded? 

Plus One Year....

The ‘Plus One’ year comes from the student finance regulations and is designed to provide some flexibility where a student needs an additional year of funding. It can be called upon to afford a student an extra year of funding if needed. For example where a student fails a year or part of a year of their course for academic reasons.

For simplicity, this post covers the rules for students funded by Student Finance England and there are some technical exclusions not covered here ~ always check with your funder or a money adviser for your specific course type.

Most eligible "New" undergraduate students have a Standard Entitlement to student finance Tuition Fee support (and via linked regulations to maintenance support) based on the following formula (simplified here)

Length of Course plus One Year

minus Years of Previous study at Higher Education level

It is more complex than this, so always seek advice if you have a history of previous study. However for the purpose of this post it is a useful rule of thumb. 

So, eligible new students get the "plus one" year to allow for an academic wobble, This means that a student could start a course elsewhere if their current course doesn't suit them, or repeat a year if they fail etc etc. and still get fee funding for the ordinary duration of that new course.

Compelling Personal Reasons

However, written into the regulations for undergraduates are some rules that allow for extra years of tuition fee support to be awarded in addition to the Standard Entitlement. Generally this is where the student 

• needs to repeat a year of their course for Compelling Personal Reasons  (CPR)  or
• failed to complete their most recent previous course for Compelling Personal Reasons

Compelling personal reasons can be quite diverse but common examples are illness, accident, bereavement, caring responsibilities....you get the picture. 

Great provision! wish it had existed in my day but that is another story..... 

Always request that CPR be taken into consideration at the time of applying for funding for any new course or for a repeat year even if you have the "plus one" year in your bag. This is because the "plus one" year may be needed later in the course when the reasons for a repeat may be academic failure rather than personal.

Also the legislation is written specifically for the repeat year (first year of a new course) in question and asking for a retrospective decision for the application of CPR rules can often be be tricky, especially with respect to providing supporting evidence to the funder.

With regard to the "failed to complete the most recent previous course" for CPR, it is worth noting here that the extra year of funding would be added to the first year of any new course. This can lead to circumstances (depending on the length of the previous study) where a student receives fee support for the first and the final year of a course but maybe not the second year.

Also CPR is not limited to one time only, so if you really have to repeat for CPR more than once in the same course then let the funder know when you apply and provide the evidence.

 

Be Mindful.....

1. It is not likely that the funder will automatically highlight CPR to an applicant. Most students have never heard of the provision for CPR so there is a risk that they may not tell the funder about why they failed their most recent previous course when they apply for funding for a new one, or why they may need to repeat a year now.

2. Evidence is key to the decision of the funders to award CPR. The further a student gets from the time where compelling personal reasons disrupted their studies, the harder it can be to have good quality evidence to support their case.

3. Pregnancy and Compelling Personal Reasons. Pregnancy can be a reason why a student needs to suspend or leave their course, and current Student Finance England guidance specifically includes pregnancy among examples of personal reasons that may qualify for an additional year of tuition fee support. However, pregnancy in itself should not automatically be assumed to be accepted as a Compelling Personal Reason.

In practice, the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and its impact on the student's ability to continue studying are important. For example, medical complications or other circumstances that affected the student's ability to study may provide stronger evidence for a CPR request.

As CPR decisions are considered on an individual basis, students should explain what happened, how it affected their studies and provide appropriate supporting evidence.

Keep records of communications about why you are leaving a course or why you need to repeat. Keep records for example of visits to GP, hospital, caring responsibilities, supporting letters, exceptional events and the impact on you etc.

Ideally see a Student Money Adviser before you make any decisions if your course is ever disrupted, if you plan take time out or plan to withdraw

Beware! However do check the institutions Tuition Fee Policy too, especially if you wish to leave your course after just starting it. Waiting to see a money adviser could cost you extra fee charges, if you pass certain key dates in the Tuition Fee Policy.

This is all a matter of Rights and Responsibilities ~ students have a right to funding as outlined in the regulations and the funder a responsibility to apply the rules as written in the legislation.

Source: This post is based on the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (as amended), which govern student finance in England. Regulations are reissued and amended annually, so for the current, definitive text, always check legislation.gov.uk directly rather than relying on a fixed-year copy. If your circumstances are complex, speak to your university's Student Support/Advice Service or a qualified money adviser before making decisions based on this post.

Where might Clearing Lead You? To a First Class Honours!

 

Here is a Fresher walking into Edge Hill University on his first day

Facts

1) Edge Hill had been his third choice University

2) On A Level results day he did not achieve the grades for his first choice university

3) On A Level results day he got an offer from his second choice university but since making that choice he had changed his mind about wanting to study there.

4) At 9am on results day he rang Edge Hill who rapidly came back with an offer, guided him through the scary part of declining the offer from the second choice university and  reassured him their offer would be made firm.

5) By noon he had secured his place at Edge Hill

Outcome - Three years later he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree having loved his time in Ormskirk

National Insurance and Why Student Finance Needs Your Number

 

To be eligible for various benefits provided by the government, most workers in the UK must pay National Insurance Contributions. Eligibility for some of these benefits can depend on the level of a person's contribution record, so even if you're not working (through choice, unemployment, or sickness), it may be important to keep paying or keep your record up to date.

Most people are automatically sent a National Insurance number shortly before their 16th birthday, but you may need to apply for one if you don't have one. The number stays personal to you for life, and is used by employers to pay your NI contributions, when applying for welfare benefits or a pension, for some personal financial matters and when registering to vote, among other things. Many people will have been issued with a plastic card (like a credit card) with their number on, as pictured.

Yes, that really is our National Insurance card! 🐝

National Insurance cards like ours are no longer issued. If you have an older card, your National Insurance number itself remains the same and normally stays with you for life.

To find out more about:

•  National Insurance generally

•  How to apply for a National Insurance Number (NINO) if you don't already have one

•  How to find a previously issued number if you've lost track of it

...head to gov.uk's National Insurance guidance.

 

Q: So why does Student Finance need your National Insurance Number and why will they refuse to release your loan if you don't provide one?

A: Your National Insurance number helps Student Finance verify your identity and is used to link your student finance record with information held by other government departments. It is also important for administering student loan repayments.

When repayment of student loans became dependent on a graduate's earnings after leaving their course, the government needed a way to recover the loans from students' income. Rather than reinvent the wheel, it used the already-existing system that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uses to collect income tax from employees. Because student loan repayments are income-contingent, and HMRC is the organisation used to collect them, it's often said that repaying a student loan is a bit like being taxed as a graduate.

Previous full-time students who borrowed loans from Student Finance become liable to start repaying it in the April after leaving their course, once their income is over the applicable repayment threshold for their student loan plan.

Your student loan repayment is separate from your National Insurance contributions. If you're employed, your employer uses the PAYE system to calculate any student loan repayment due from your salary. The repayment is based on your income and the threshold that applies to your particular student loan plan. HMRC collects the payment and passes the relevant information to the Student Loans Company so your repayment record can be updated. You can check your own repayment record via your online account.

Student Finance may not release your student loan payments until the required information has been provided to allow the loan to be recovered later, including your National Insurance number. That's a prudent approach because students can withdraw from a course at any point, so their liability to start repaying isn't always years in the future.

As with any student finance matter, the detail is more complex than this summary. Different rules apply for certain courses, and for those who are self-employed or living overseas after leaving their course. Seek advice if your are unable to resolve a NI matter yourself.

If you want to read more detailed information about repaying student loans, gov.uk's repaying your student loan guide is kept up to date and covers England and Wales.

What if Student Finance says my National Insurance number is wrong?

If you've checked that you've entered the number correctly, but Student Finance still says there's a problem, you'll need to contact Student Finance England rather than applying for another number

See Gov.UK – Find my National Insurance Number

What if I can't find my National Insurance number?

See Gov.UK – Find my National Insurance Number

What if I don’t have a National Insurance Number?

See Gov.UK – Apply for a National Insurance Number 

Freshers: What if I am not settling in and want to leave?

Withdrawing From University — Know Your Rights

Moving to university is a big step, and the transition isn't always plain sailing.

Most Higher Education students are school or college leavers, many leaving home for the first time. But plenty of others are arriving from overseas for the first time, stepping back from paid employment to start or return to studying, or moving from welfare benefits to student finance as their main income.

Whatever the change in circumstances, the wobble usually settles and a new routine takes over. But what if you just don't like it?! Not a settling-in wobble, but a genuine sense that the course, the university, the people, or the town aren't for you and you want to leave, or as it's commonly known in Higher Education, withdraw.

If you've taken out student loans to pay for the course, you likely have a narrow window to withdraw without becoming liable for the first quarter's tuition fees. You may also be tied into your accommodation contract regardless.

Where the rules can be found

Your university will set out your rights on withdrawal in its Student and General Regulations , it might be covered in a Tuition Fee Policy, think of these as the university's terms and conditions. You should always know where to find these on your institution's website and it may take some searching to find them!

For example:

• University of Warwick — full-time undergraduates who withdraw within the first two weeks of the academic teaching year (Welcome Week doesn't count) won't be liable for any tuition fees that year. Withdraw later, and fees are charged in bands by term attended: 25% for term 1, 50% for term 2, 100% for term 3.
• University of Glasgow — works on a different model entirely: there's no fee-free window. Withdraw within 13 weeks of the start of your semester and 60% of the annual fee is due; after that, it's 100%.

So as you can see, the rules aren't just different in length from institution to institution — they can be structured completely differently. One university might give you a short fee-free grace period; another might never waive fees entirely, just reduce the proportion owed depending on when you leave.

A note on who this applies to: the examples above are for full-time, home undergraduates. The rules will very likely be different for postgraduates (Warwick, for instance, calculates postgraduate fee liability by month of registration rather than a flat window), for overseas/international students, and for part-time students. Don't assume your circumstances match the examples here. The bottom line is that you need to find and understand your own fee policy, not rely on a general example.

Beaware, the rules may also differ for accommodation contracts, which vary depending on your provider.

So, be wise

• Check your university's regulations and your accommodation contract to understand your consumer rights.
• Seek advice, especially if the situation is complex or feels unfair.
• Know where to find your university's complaints procedure before you need it.

For information on how The Office for Students (OfS) and the Competitions & Markets Authority (CMA) protect your comsumer rights ~ click here

Should I Work Alongside My Studies?

 

Guest Blog Interview with Oliver Bell (final year student at Heriot Watt University)

Oliver Bell (22 at time of writing), graduate of Heriot Watt University, talks to Levitate Student about his experience of working alongside his course.

Levitator - What are your thoughts on the importance of working alongside your course?

Oliver - Whether you have had a job prior to university or not it is of vital importance to continue or start working while at university. As well as building lots of transferable skills that your future employers will look for once you complete your degree. Also it is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are living away from home.

Ideally it is best to find a job that suits your schedule, having a job at university that takes up too much of your time will hinder both your social and academic components of your time at university. It is good to look at what the university has to offer internally. Jobs such as being a student ambassador rarely require any prior work experience and usually pay above minimum wage level. Shifts will not be regular but it’s a good way to fund some of those nights’ outs during term time.  

Levitator - Did the tutors guide against working? Or did they make suggestions about a max number of hours? In my experience tutor recommend no more than 16 hours per week - what do you think to those guidelines?

Oliver - I think it is advised at Heriot Watt, as it is more of a modern institution, that it is best to have a balanced university lifestyle. It does not have to be paid work as there are roles in societies

Levitator - Did you find work yourself or did you get help from others, did the university offer a jobs service to help students find work - did you or anyone you know use it?

Oliver - Yes they do. They have their own jobsite search area and a careers service which I have attended but I did not find any jobs I was interested in that way, I found my own opportunities.

Levitator - Are there any opportunities, that you were aware of, to work for the university - as a student ambassador for example?

Oliver - Yes there is, there are student ambassadors and everyone gets an email in their class school about the opportunities. There are also class reps. Also within societies as a coordinator this is also a paid opportunity.

Levitator - Did you work in holidays or alongside your course or both? Were your hours fixed or was it flexible.

Oliver - I have done all of them, and a mixture of the two. My hours have been flexible for many student ambassador roles. But had a fixed role working weekends in one of my semesters

Levitator - Did you feel you had to work in order to afford to be a student or chose to in order to make it more manageable or to simply build up your funds?

Oliver - I think it is important to manage your funds which puts less pressure on having to work. But it is good to have a break from studying and actually be in a workplace....even if it is just a café. Plus, adding to your funds is always a bonus!

Levitator - Did you choose to work to build up experience for your CV?

Oliver - The student ambassador roles were more to build up experience on my CV displaying more of an individual role, where many of the ideas are my own and building a team that I would work alongside. But as well as this working in café’s and other high street and more ‘typical’ student jobs are just as important in terms of the transferable skills that you can develop.

Levitator - what were the advantages/disadvantages of working alongside your studies?

Oliver - When working weekends, I found that there was pressure to do a lot of my studying and coursework during the week, as after getting in from an 8-hour shift there just is not the motivation left to then sit down and do some studying.

It is good for the networking side and meeting more people, and developing different circles of friends.

As long as you use a diary it should be good to plan a Zero-Hour Contract around your social and study activities. Just be organised and plan ahead

Levitator - Did you have any problems with understanding your tax/payslip - did you get any help with these matters if so who?

Oliver - Nope it was all fine, but I did ask my parents advice on a few matters (cannot remember them at the moment) But maybe that is just me. I’m sure your bank or student services at the university would be able to help with this.

Oliver concludes - My advice to all students no matter what year, it is really important to be proactive outside of your studies. University is an experience not just an education. Join societies do things that you are interested in and do not be afraid to do something different. But also remember it is usually never too late to participate in a lot different things. For example, missing football trials, contact someone at the club and see if you can attend training or a 7-a-side session. If you do not like it then that is perfectly normal - go and try something else!

There are so many opportunities that university life brings so do not miss out.

Levitate Student says: Working Alongside Your Studies

Levitate Student: Should I Work Alongside My Studies?

 

Working Alongside Your Studies

A part-time job can take the edge off student budgeting, but it works best when it fits around your course, not against it. Transferring from an employer in your hometown if you have a job already to the same employer in your university town can be a good option. Here's where to start, and what to check before you take anything new on.

---

Start at your university's Jobshop

Most universities run a Jobshop or Student Employment Service with a jobs listings board (sometimes with an app) of part-time and casual work vetted specifically for students, often on campus or nearby. These roles tend to understand term dates, exam periods, and last-minute assignment crunches better than an external employer will.

• Search "[your university name] jobshop" or check your  Student Hub or Careers Service homepage
• Roles often include campus catering, library assistant work, open day ambassadors, working with widening participation teams and retail/hospitality shifts with local partner employers

Working university events

Many universities also hire students directly for Open Days, Graduation, Clearing, and Welcome Week, usually through the same Jobshop or via the Student Ambassador scheme. These are often well-paid for the hours, close to campus, often flexible and look good on a CV. Sign-up windows can be short and demand high, so it's worth registering interest with your the Service early in the year rather than waiting for an advert.

How many hours should you actually work?

There's no single official cap for home/UK students but most university guidance and independent bodies (e.g. MoneyHelper, StepChange) suggest keeping paid work to around 15/16 hours a week during term time as a sensible upper limit for fuul-time undergraduates scaling down further around assessment periods. Treat this as a guide, not a rule, your own workload, course intensity, and placement requirements matter more than a generic number. Speak to your personal tutor or Student Support Service if you're not sure you're getting the balance right.

International students: visa restrictions are different and this is a hard limit

If you're studying on a Student visa, the number of hours you can work is set out in your visa conditions, not left to your personal judgement and it's a legal limit, not advice or a guide:

• Typically 20 hours per week during term time for degree-level study (lower for below-degree-level study), full-time allowed during vacation periods
• Combined hours across more than one job count towards this limit
• Certain types of work (self-employment, professional sport, permanent roles) are not permitted at all
• Seek specialist advice if you are unsure about the rules, from university’s dedicated international Student Support or visa advice team and make sure the adviser is trained to provide advice to International Students.

Because these conditions can change with immigration policy, and the exact wording on individual visas varies, always check your own BRP/visa share code and confirm current rules with your university's International Student Support team and UKCISA the definitive independent source, rather than relying on a figure from a blog post, including this one!!

Getting to and from shifts safely

Evening and early-morning shifts mean thinking about the journey, not just the job:

• Check whether your university or students' union runs a Get Home Safe / SafeZone scheme, campus security escort, or subsidised late-night transport
• Share your shift pattern and route with a housemate or friend, and agree a check-in
• Suzy Lamplugh Trust has practical, non-alarmist guidance on personal safety for lone workers and commuters

Know your rights: contracts, pay, and minimum wage

Whatever the role, you're entitled to the same core protections as any other worker:

• National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage  ~ rates are reviewed annually, so check the current figures for your age band on Gov.uk — National Minimum Wage rates 
• You should be given a written statement of employment particulars (a contract or equivalent) see Gov.uk — employment contracts for what this should cover
• If something feels off like unpaid trial shifts, cash-in-hand with no paperwork, hours that don't match your visa conditions consider ACAS which gives free, independent advice on workplace rights and disputes

When the Money Doesn't Arrive in Time - Masters Courses at Open University

A Funding Gap Worth Questioning

If you're studying a Master's with the Open University, your postgraduate loan may not arrive at the same time as the university's payment deadlines. This can create a cash-flow problem even when you are entitled to funding. Here's what you need to know and where to get help.

The funding gap itself

Open University master's students face a timing problem that's well known on student forums but rarely discussed openly: the OU requires payment for each module upfront, before it starts, while the Postgraduate Master's Loan only pays out after study has begun, confirmed only once you're actively studying (logging in, completing module activities, or submitting your first assignment), and paid in instalments rather than as a lump sum.

The OU's own workaround is OUSBA (Open University Student Budget Account), a short-term payment plan that lets students start a module without the full fee upfront, bridging the gap until loan payments land.

 

Who does this actually affect?

It's worth asking who this lands on hardest. The OU's student body is markedly skewed towards women around two-thirds of its students overall and the OU's own support structures reflect why: a dedicated Carers' Scholarships Fund, a Carers' Bursary, and formal recognition of thousands of students with caring responsibilities. Distance learning is disproportionately chosen by people balancing study with caring, a group that, nationally we believe remains disproportionately female.

⚠ What the data doesn't show: we don't have a gender breakdown specific to OU postgraduate master's students. The two-thirds figure covers the whole student body, undergraduate included, so it's suggestive rather than conclusive for this specific funding gap. Whether this timing mismatch disproportionately disadvantages women, in the way the Equality Act 2010 defines indirect discrimination, isn't something published data alone can establish that would need OU's own breakdown of who's affected, and a proper equality assessment.

 

What we can fairly say

What we can say is that the question is a fair one to ask at least. A late-night chat on X with a heartbroken prospective student unable to bridge the gap between payment schedule and funding timetable, got us mulling on the issue. The groundwork for exploring who it is that predominately studies this way and why is already there in the OU's own published figures showing 67/33 gender split female/male across all course levels and their own recognition of carers as a distinct student group.

If you think this affects you unfairly, OU's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and your students advice service are the right first stop, and the Equality Advisory Support Service can advise more generally on Equality Act questions.

Sources: Times Higher Education (OU World University Rankings data); Open University carer support pages.

Student Accommodation: What Does It Really Cost?

Freshers accommodation video - from Levitate Student Archive

Two students discuss their experience of living on campus and in private rented accommodation as a first year student

🐝 From the Levitate archive

This video was originally made in 2016. Some costs, rules and services have changed since then, but we thought the experiences and practical advice were worth bringing back. (Figures quoted were correct at the time, read guidance below how to research current costs).

What Does Student Accommodation Actually Cost?

Rent is usually the single biggest item in a student's budget, often bigger than tuition itself, in terms of what actually leaves your bank account each month. But “how much is student accommodation” doesn't have one answer. It depends heavily on what kind of place you live in and where in the UK you're studying.

It varies a lot by accommodation type

•     University halls of residence tend to be the simplest to budget for. Rent is usually one weekly figure that already includes bills, energy, water, often WiFi and contracts typically run 40–44 weeks, so you're not paying for the summer months you're not there.

•     Private purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)  the newer blocks run by private companies rather than the university often comes with extras like gyms or on-site security, and the price reflects that. Contracts here can run closer to 51 weeks, so you may be paying rent over summer whether you're living there or not.

•     Private shared houses, rented from a landlord or letting agent, are usually the cheapest option on paper. You take on more responsibility often sorting your own bills, dealing with a landlord, splitting costs with housemates but many students find it more affordable, especially from second year on.

It varies a lot by location

London is consistently the most expensive place to be a student, which is part of why the maintenance loan is higher there. Cities in the North of England and Northern Ireland tend to sit at the cheaper end. Scotland is its own case: Scottish-domiciled students studying in Scotland pay no tuition fees, which can offset higher local rents in cities like Edinburgh or Glasgow. The gap between the cheapest and priciest university towns can run to several hundred pounds a month for a broadly similar room, so it's worth checking your specific city rather than relying on a UK-wide average.

What else moves the final bill

•     Contract length ~ the same weekly rent can cost thousands more over 51 weeks than 38.

•     What's included ~ bills, WiFi, and contents insurance may or may not be bundled in.

•     Deposits and admin fees ~ private lets often ask for four to six weeks' rent upfront.

Check current costs for your own situation

National averages are a useful starting point, but rents shift year to year and vary street by street. Before committing to anything, check current, local costs with:

•     Your university's accommodation or student advice service

•     Accommodation providers directly, for current rent, contract length, and what's included

•     Specialist student accommodation organisations, such as Unipol, which accredits private student housing and publishes independent accommodation cost research

Doing this legwork before signing anything is the best way to make sure your budget and your student loan actually stretch to cover where you'll be living.

Sources: Save the Student National Student Accommodation Survey 2026; NatWest Student Living Index 2025; Unipol/HEPI Accommodation Costs Survey.