Tertiary students find Studylink process baffling

Tertiary students are frustrated at a system they say makes it more difficult to get financial assistance while they study compared to break times.

The current system of financial support for students during term time and study breaks is governed by two separate organisations, Studylink and Work and Income.

During study breaks, students may be eligible for an accommodation supplement from Work and Income, which is dependent on their rental costs and weekly income. The students’ parents’ income is not considered.

However, once students resume study, all financial support is administrated by Studylink, which has different rules for eligibility that takes into account their parents’ income.

The difference in requirements has annoyed tertiary students who say it’s easier to support themselves during the break, but the extra support needed to pay their way while studying, is harder to get due to the Studylink restrictions.

Bex Falconer, a law student at Otago University, said she couldn’t understand how the same supplement could be tested against her own financial situation during the break, when it’s easier to cover living costs, and yet be tested by her parents’ income in a time when most students have less time to take up part-time work.

“Why do I have to even have my parental income tested? I don’t live with my parents and they don’t support me. So why should it be one rule during the study holiday and another in the break?” asked Miss Falconer.

“It’s made things so challenging for me financially. And I’m in Christchurch, this isn’t even Auckland we are talking about here.”

Miriam Chancellor, a first-year student at AUT, agreed that testing parental income on student support is an outdated system.

“My father always wanted to teach me the value of money and financial stability. My parents don’t support me.

“However, is it really possible nowadays, with this setup, for a mother and father who earn just over the limit to not support their children? Surely it’s important to remember they have living costs and mortgage expenses to take into account.”

A student is not eligible for either the student allowance or the accommodation benefit from Studylink if they live away from their parent’s home and their parents’ income is over the threshold of $91,448.

Studylink’s webpage on the accommodation supplement indicates that during the break, a student can apply through Work and Income for support based solely around their own earnings and costs.

The New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) president Linsey Higgins said the complicated system is not easy to navigate for students and that testing financial support on parental income during the semester is not an ideal process for Studylink.

The Ministry of Social Development confirmed how the two systems work via email to Te Waha Nui, but did not provide any further comment.