Can You Get a Childcare Grant for an HND? Student Finance for Parents Explained
You want to go back to study. You have found a course. Then the sums start. Who looks after the kids while you are in class? What does nursery cost on the days you are not working? Can you afford it at all?
For many parents, this is the thing that stops them. So here is the question we hear most from them. Can you get a Childcare Grant for an HND?
In most cases, yes. If you study full time in England and you have a child, there is a set of extra student finance built just for you. None of it has to be paid back. This guide explains what it is, who can get it, and how to apply.
What is the Childcare Grant?
The Childcare Grant is money from Student Finance England to help pay for childcare while you study. It is a grant, so you never pay it back.
It covers up to 85 percent of your childcare costs, up to a weekly limit. The limit is higher if you have two or more children. The exact amounts change each year, so always check the current figures on the GOV.UK student finance pages before you plan your budget.
The grant is paid into a special online account, and the money goes from that account straight to your childcare provider. You confirm what you have used each week or month, and the provider is paid. You do not handle the cash yourself.
Can you get a Childcare Grant for an HND?
Yes, as long as the course and your situation meet the rules.
An HND, or Higher National Diploma, is a Level 5 higher education course. Level 5 is the same standard as the second year of a university degree. An HND at an approved college counts as a designated course for student finance in the same way a degree does. So if the college is approved and you are on the full-time course, the Childcare Grant is open to you.
Here are the main rules.
- You must be a full-time student. Part-time students in England cannot get the Childcare Grant.
- You must be eligible for a full-time maintenance loan. If you can get the maintenance loan, you can usually apply for the grant too.
- Your child must be under 15 at the start of the academic year, or under 17 if they have special educational needs.
- Your childcare provider must be registered or approved. In England, that usually means they are registered with Ofsted. A nursery, a childminder, a breakfast club or an after-school club will normally count.
- You cannot also claim the childcare part of Universal Credit or Tax-Free Childcare for the same costs.
That last point trips people up. You have to pick one. For many parents, the Childcare Grant pays more than the alternatives, but it depends on your hours and your income. A free benefits adviser at Citizens Advice can help you compare.
What is the Parents' Learning Allowance?
This is a second grant for student parents. The Parents' Learning Allowance is money towards the general costs of having children while you study. Think of books, travel, a laptop, school uniform or a bit of extra food.
It is worth up to around two thousand pounds a year, depending on your household income. Again, the exact figure changes each year, so check GOV.UK.
You do not need to use registered childcare to get it. You just need to be a full-time student with a dependent child. You can get it at the same time as the Childcare Grant, and it does not have to be paid back.
What is the Adult Dependants' Grant?
This one is for students who have an adult who depends on them financially. That is usually a partner who earns very little or nothing. It can also be another adult family member who relies on you.
It is worth up to around three and a half thousand pounds a year. It is means-tested, which means the amount depends on your household income. It is paid in three instalments across the year, along with your maintenance loan, and you do not pay it back.
If your partner works full time, you probably will not get this one. If your partner is at home with the children, it is worth applying.
How do you apply for the Childcare Grant and the other parent grants?
You apply through your normal student finance application. There is no separate form to find.
- Apply for student finance online through Student Finance England as soon as applications open, usually in the spring before your course starts. You do not need a confirmed place to begin.
- When the form asks about dependants, say that you have children. This opens the sections for the Parents' Learning Allowance and the Adult Dependants' Grant.
- Tick that you want to apply for the Childcare Grant. You will be asked for an estimate of your childcare costs for the year.
- Send in the evidence. This usually means your child's birth certificate and proof of your partner's income if you have one.
- Once your Childcare Grant is approved, set up your online childcare account and add your provider. The provider confirms their details, and payments can start.
Our guide to student finance for adult learners on an HND walks through the main application if you have not done it before.
Apply early. Grant applications take longer than the basic loan because of the extra evidence. If you leave it until August, your childcare money may not be ready for the first week of term.
What if your childcare costs change during the year?
They probably will. You can update your estimate at any time through your student finance account. If your costs go up, your grant can go up, within the weekly cap. If they go down, tell Student Finance England quickly, because overpayments do have to be paid back. Keep every invoice from your provider, as you will need them when you confirm your costs each term.
Does the Childcare Grant affect your benefits?
Mostly, no. The Childcare Grant and the Parents' Learning Allowance are not counted as income for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Tax Credits.
Your maintenance loan is a different story. Most of it is counted as income for Universal Credit, so your UC payments usually fall while you study. That is worth knowing before you start, because it changes your monthly budget.
Rules in this area are detailed and they do change. Before you accept your place, book a free session with a welfare or benefits adviser. Many colleges can point you to one, and Citizens Advice is open to everyone.
Does studying part time change anything?
Yes, and it matters. In England, the Childcare Grant, the Parents' Learning Allowance and the Adult Dependants' Grant are only for full-time students. If you study part time, you can usually still get a tuition fee loan, but the parent grants are not available.
For this reason, some parents find that full-time study is actually cheaper for them than part time, once the grants are counted. Our guide to part-time HND options looks at the trade-offs.
At LCK Academy, the full-time HND is taught in compact blocks, so you are not on campus five days a week. Many of our students are parents who arrange childcare around two teaching days and study at home the rest of the time.
How do parents actually make an HND work?
The money is one part. Time is the other. Our student parents say a fixed, predictable timetable helps most, because you can book childcare well in advance. Look at the deadlines at the start of each term and arrange extra help from family or friends around the busy weeks. And tell your tutor you are a parent. If a child is ill on a deadline day, tutors can usually agree an extension, but only if they know.
Our post on returning to education after 30 has more on fitting study around a family, and our guide to studying an HND in London on a budget covers the day-to-day costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Childcare Grant for an HND?
Yes, if you study full time at an approved college in England, you qualify for a maintenance loan, and your childcare provider is registered.
Can I get the Childcare Grant and Universal Credit childcare costs together?
No. You must choose one for the same childcare costs. Compare the two with a benefits adviser before you decide.
Can I use the Childcare Grant for a family member who looks after my child?
Only if they are a registered childminder and they are not a close relative looking after the child in the child's own home. Informal care by grandparents does not count.
What if I live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Each nation has its own student finance body and its own version of parent support. The names and amounts differ, so check the body for where you normally live.
Ready to find out what you could get?
If you are a parent thinking about the HND Business or the HND Hospitality Management at LCK Academy, we can help you work through the funding before you commit. We will tell you about the timetable, the deadlines and how other parents on the course manage it.
- Email: admissions@lckacademy.org.uk
- Phone: 020 8161 3300
Get in touch and we will talk it through with you.