Parents Learning Allowance
You can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance (PLA) to cover some of the extra costs you might have if you’re an undergraduate student who has children.
How much you get depends on your household income. You don't have to pay it back.
What’s available
How much you get will depend on your household income, your dependants’ income and whether or not you have a partner. If you’re a part-time student, your Parents’ Learning Allowance will be calculated based on your study intensity.
2025 to 2026 academic year
You can get between £53 and £1,945 a year.
2024 to 2025 academic year
You can get between £52 and £1,914 a year.
Who qualifies
You can apply for PLA if you:
- have at least one child who depends on you financially
- are attending a full-time or part-time course (including a distance learning course) and getting undergraduate student finance that depends on your household income
You don't need to be paying for childcare to qualify.
How to apply
You can apply online (opens in a new tab) as part of your main student finance application.
If you’ve already sent us your application for student finance without filling in the section for dependants’ grants, you’ll need to submit an application form instead:
- Dependants’ Grants application form – 2025 to 2026 (Download PDF 341KB, opens in a new tab)
- Dependants’ Grants application form – 2024 to 2025 (Download PDF 325KB, opens in a new tab)
Sending us evidence
You need to prove your children are dependent on you. You need to submit a copy of one of the following:
- all pages of your most recent Tax Credits Award Notice naming you and all your children
- all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Award Notice naming you and the number of children on your claim
- all pages of your most recent Child Benefit letter naming all your children (this can be in your name or your partners)
We can accept downloads or screenshots of your Universal Credit statement or Child Benefit letter from your online account if you don’t have a paper copy. All pages must be clear and present.
You should upload all your documents at the same time to avoid any delays with your application.
For more information on sending us evidence, check out our dedicated evidence guidance page.
Getting paid
We’ll pay your money into your bank account, usually 3 times a year at the start of each term.
For more information on getting paid, check out our dedicated payment guidance page.