Part time Further Education on ESA

Former Member

Hi guys

I'm looking at doing a part time course at Strathclyde University on counselling. I have heart failure, had a stroke and osteoarthritis. I am on esa (support group) and PIP enhanced daily and standard mobility. I am worried that if I even enquire about the course never mind embark on it I will lose benefits especially having spent years appealing to get what I have. Anyone been in a similar situation?

JustV

Hey Steve, and welcome. :wave:

I moved this thread to the Work & Volunteering forum where it fits a little better, and should get seen a bit more easily.

This community is primarily made up of under 25s, so you might struggle to find someone who closely shares your circumstances. Of course, you are still welcome to stick around and we'll do our best to help where we can.

We have an article on ESA, and I noticed this section which seems relevant to you:

The Mix wrote:

Can I study and claim ESA?

If you get contribution-based ESA, you can study part-time or full-time without affecting your claim.

Most full-time students can’t get income-related ESA, but you can if you’re getting DLA or PIPs.

If you study part-time it shouldn’t affect your claim for income-related ESA (although be aware that being able to study part-time may show you can do a certain amount of work).

For more advice on studying and claiming ESA, contact the Disabled Students Helpline on 0800 328 5050 (open Tuesdays 11.30am-1.30pm, and Thursdays 1.30pm-3.30pm). You can also email students@disabilityrightsuk.org.

I'm not sure if this information also applies to Scotland, though.

To get a tailored opinion on your situation, you might want to try contacting Citizens Advice (here is their website for Scotland). They provide free legal advice and information, and should be able to help you out if you can't find any info elsewhere. There's a lot of information on their website worth looking through too.

Best of luck, and hopefully someone can offer more help than me!