Childcare Support for Students: What's Available and How to Apply

If you are exploring ways to balance childcare with studying, more support is available than you might think. Between government grants, Universal Credit and adult courses built around childcare, a degree can be far more achievable than it first looks.

This guide covers the main financial support available to student parents in the UK for the 2026/27 academic year. This includes the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance, Universal Credit childcare element, Child Tax Credit and 30 hours free childcare. For each one, we explain who is eligible, how much you could get and how to apply.

Do students get free childcare?

Many student parents end up covering most or all of their childcare costs through a combination of the schemes below. The Childcare Grant alone can cover up to 85% of your costs if you are a full-time higher education student. It is worth checking every scheme on this page, since which ones apply to you depends on your course, your working hours and your household income.

Childcare Grant

The Childcare Grant is the main source of childcare funding built into student finance. It is paid on top of your other student finance and does not need to be paid back.

You could be eligible if you:

• are a full-time higher education student
• have dependent children under 15 (or under 17 if they have special educational needs)
• use registered or Ofsted-approved childcare
• are eligible for student finance.

You cannot get the Childcare Grant at the same time as Tax-Free Childcare, the childcare element of Universal Credit, or the childcare element of Working Tax Credit. It is worth working out which route gives you the most support before you apply. From 2026/27, nannies no longer count as an eligible childcare provider for this grant.

For the 2026/27 academic year, you can get up to 85% of your actual childcare costs. This is capped at £199.62 a week for one child, or £342.24 a week for two or more children, whichever is lower. So if your childcare for one child costs £250 a week, you would get £199.62, since that is less than 85% of your costs.

You apply for the Childcare Grant as part of your main student finance application. You will need to provide evidence of your childcare provider and your income. Once approved, payments are made directly to your childcare provider through the Childcare Grant Payment Service. You simply approve each invoice as it comes in.

Parents' Learning Allowance

The Parents' Learning Allowance helps cover course-related costs. This can include costs such as books, travel and equipment, rather than childcare specifically. You do not need to be paying for childcare to qualify.

You are eligible if you:

• are studying in England
• have dependent children
• have a household income of less than £18,957.98 a year
• are on a full-time undergraduate course, a course worth 120 credits or more, or an Initial Teacher Training course.

You could get between £50 and £2,024 a year for 2026/27, depending on your household income. The allowance is paid in three instalments across the academic year. Like the Childcare Grant, it does not need to be repaid and will not affect your benefits or tax credits.

Adult Dependants' Grant

If you also financially support another adult, such as a partner who is not in paid work, you may be able to claim the Adult Dependants' Grant alongside the support above. For 2026/27, eligible students can get up to £3,545 a year, depending on your income and theirs. This is also applied for as part of your main student finance application and does not need to be paid back.

Universal Credit childcare element

Universal Credit is separate from student finance. It can still help with childcare costs if you are in paid work, or starting a job within the next month, alongside your studies. This makes it particularly relevant if you are studying part-time or combining full-time study with part-time work.

You cannot claim the Universal Credit childcare element at the same time as the Childcare Grant. If you are a full-time student who is not working, the Childcare Grant is generally the route open to you. If you are working, it is worth comparing both to see which gives you more support.

For 2026/27, Universal Credit can cover up to 85% of your childcare costs, up to a maximum of £1,071.09 a month for one child, or £1,836.16 a month for two or more children. You pay your childcare provider first, then report the costs in your Universal Credit account and get some of the money back.

What about Child Tax Credit?

Child Tax Credit is closed to new claims. It has been fully replaced by Universal Credit. If you are applying for support for the first time, you will need to apply for Universal Credit rather than Child Tax Credit. If you are already receiving Child Tax Credit, you will eventually be moved onto Universal Credit as part of the wider migration of legacy benefits. You do not need to do anything to make this happen.

30 hours free childcare for working parents

Alongside student-specific support, working parents may also be eligible for 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week. This funding is separate from anything through student finance. It is worth knowing about if you plan to work part-time alongside a part-time or blended learning course.

You could be eligible if you, and your partner if you have one, are in paid work. You must each earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage, and each earn less than £100,000 a year. It covers children from 9 months old up to school age. Eligible parents can receive 30 hours a week during the 38 weeks of the school year. Some providers also offer a stretched option, which spreads the hours across all 52 weeks of the year.

You will need to reconfirm your eligibility every three months.

Extra support from UCEN Manchester

On top of national schemes, UCEN Manchester's higher education bursary includes further help that could ease the pressure while you study. This includes an Access and Participation Plan award of up to £500 for students with a household income below £30,000. It also includes a Cost of Living award of up to £500 for students facing short-term financial difficulty.

Our student support team, Future U, can talk you through what you are likely to be eligible for and help you through the application process every step of the way.

How part-time and blended learning can make childcare easier

Funding is only part of the picture. How and when you study matters just as much when you are balancing a course around childcare.

At UCEN Manchester, many of our part-time courses are timetabled over just one or two days a week, with blended learning options that mix face-to-face and online study. These are some of the benefits of part-time courses. You can listen to lectures after the school run, catch up on classes once your children are in bed and speak to your tutor in a way that fits around your week.

How much does student finance pay for childcare?

As a quick summary, for the 2026/27 academic year:

• Childcare Grant: up to 85% of costs, capped at £199.62 a week for one child or £342.24 a week for two or more
• Parents' Learning Allowance: between £50 and £2,024 a year, depending on household income
• Adult Dependants' Grant: up to £3,545 a year, if you also support another adult financially
• Universal Credit childcare element: up to 85% of costs, capped at £1,071.09 a month for one child or £1,836.16 a month for two or more (only if you are in paid work, and not alongside the Childcare Grant).

None of these need to be paid back and most can be applied for alongside each other. The exception is the Childcare Grant and the Universal Credit childcare element, which cannot be claimed at the same time.

How to apply for the Childcare Grant and other student finance support

• Apply for your main student finance package at gov.uk/student-finance, ideally as soon as applications open for your intake
• Within that application, complete the section for extra help for students with children. This allows you to apply for the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance and, if relevant, the Adult Dependants' Grant
• Have evidence ready, such as details of your childcare provider and your household income. You may be asked to provide this to support your claim
• Apply for Universal Credit and 30 hours free childcare separately, through their own online accounts, if either applies to you
• Get in touch with our student support team if you would like help working out what you are eligible for before or during your application.

Take the next step

There is a range of support available to help parents manage childcare costs while studying. Between the Childcare Grant, Parents' Learning Allowance, Universal Credit, 30 hours free childcare and UCEN Manchester's own bursary support, there is genuine funding available to help make it work.

Combine that with flexible, part-time and blended study options built around your week, and studying alongside your children becomes a lot more realistic than it might feel right now. Explore our courses for adult learners and take the first step towards your degree or read our starter guide to adult education.