Living Costs

A Student Loan for Living Costs provides assistance towards students' day to day living expenses.

It is available for full-time (or approved Limited Full-Time) students who are taking an approved course or programme.

A student must meet the standard Student Loan eligibility and entitlement criteria to qualify for Living Costs.

A student can get Living Costs along with the other components of the loan, when:

• the student is still included in their parent or caregiver's benefit or
• their caregivers get an Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit for them

For more information see:

The Living Costs component of the Student Loan is not available to:

• part-time students (i.e. not approved as Limited Full-Time)
• students taking a programme not recognised for Student Loan
• students getting a main benefit
• students getting New Zealand Superannuation, Veterans Pension or are a grandparented non-qualified partner
• prisoners (Living Costs may be paid to prisoners on Home Detention)
• students aged 55 and over at study start date
• students under 18 at study start date enrolled in fees-free study at levels 1-3
• students under 18 at study start date enrolled in a Youth Guarantee programme

The weekly maximum is:

• $333.48 (as at 1 April 2026) less the net amount of any Student Allowance the student is getting

Students can change their nominated amount of Living Costs to an amount equal to or less than their maximum entitlement.

For more information see:

Living Costs are paid weekly in arrears, on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, by direct credit to the student's nominated bank account.

Living Costs are paid for the whole week, starting on Monday, through to and including Sunday.

The maximum weekly amount for Living Costs is usually increased each year as part of the Annual General Adjustment on 1 April. If the 1 April falls on a day other than Monday, any increase in the weekly rate will apply from that day. For example, if 1 April is a Wednesday, any increase in the payment will apply from the Wednesday.

If a student is getting a main benefit immediately before starting study, they will no longer qualify for a benefit and this will end from the Sunday before the beginning of the week they became a full-time student and became entitled to Living Costs.

If a full-time student does not apply for a Student Loan before starting study, any benefit payments made for a period they did not qualify for a benefit, will need to be recovered.

A student who doesn't apply for a Student Loan until after their study start date cannot be paid Living Costs for the period before the loan application.

Students who increase their nominated amount of living costs cannot access any difference between their previous nominated amount and the new nominated amount before the change.

A part week is counted as 1 week. A week runs from Monday through to and including Sunday. If a study programme starts on a Wednesday, Living Costs will be paid for the full week.

Payments are made from the later of:

• the study start date or
• the Living Costs start date or
• the date of application

through to the end of the student's study programme, as long as they still qualify for Living Costs.

When programmes overlap, students only get one payment for Living Costs per week.

Students under the age of 18 at study start date, who undertake fees-free study at level 1-3 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, do not qualify for Living Costs.

Students who become 18 years of age during a period of study are not able to get Living Costs for a level 1-3 course during their period of study.

Youth Guarantee is provided to help young people access foundation learning (NCEA levels 1-3) without paying course fees.

The courses are level 1-3 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). The courses provide students with knowledge and information on vocational pathways, and contain a mix of practical, specific and general skill development.

Students aged 18 - 24 years old can apply for a Student Loan for Living Costs while they are getting Youth Guarantee assistance.

Students must have reached the age of 18 before the date their study starts to qualify for Living Costs.

When a student turns 18 during a period of study, they can only get Living Costs from their next period of study.

The 'period of study' referred to above is the period covered by the student's study application.

Students under 18 may be studying a combination of a level 1-3 fees-free Youth Guarantee course, and another programme that is not fees-free.

These students may be eligible for Living Costs for any study not fees-free.