Most applicants for student finance will be assessed on the household income of the parent(s) with whom they normally live with, unless certain criteria apply. If the applicant only lives with one parent, but that parent has a partner or spouse who lives in the same household, their income is counted too. The relevant income is the tax year prior to application – for example, for 2025 entry, it will be the 2023-2024 tax year which is assessed.

• You are over the age of 25 on the first day of the academic year you’re applying for student finance
• You have the care of a person under the age of 18 on the first day of the academic year you’re applying for student finance
• You have no living parents
• Your parents cannot be traced or it’s not practical or possible to contact them.
• Your parents live outside the EU and an income assessment would put them in jeopardy, or it’s not reasonable possible to send funds to the UK – e.g. this may apply to refugees
• You were looked after by the local authority throughout any 3-month period after you turned 16
• You care for a person under the age of 18 on the first day of the academic year you’re applying for student finance
• You have supported yourself for at least 3 years before the start of your course
• You are irreconcilably estranged from your parents and have had no contact with them for a significant period of time

Please note that even if you don’t live with either parent, you can only be assessed as independent if one of the above criteria applies.

If you are, or have been, married or in a civil partnership we’ll need to see your marriage certificate or civil partnership schedule.

If you’re applying as an independent student because you’ve supported yourself for three years or more, you must provide evidence to show how you’ve supported yourself.

If you’ve been working or claiming benefits you must provide written confirmation of this. You could send photocopies of your P60 or a letter from your employer (signed, dated and on headed paper) confirming the dates you worked there and your earnings. For periods where you’ve claimed benefits, you should ask your local Jobcentre Plus office for a letter confirming the dates you claimed benefits and the type of benefits you received.

If you have care of a child and you’re applying for independent status, you should send the child’s original birth certificate and evidence that you’re caring for a child, such as, evidence that you get Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit or the child element of Universal Credit.

Providing Evidence of Estrangement

If you want to claim independent status because you’re estranged from your parents, you must provide confirmation from a professional person, outside your family, who knows about your circumstances. Examples of proof you could send are:

• A letter from your social worker (if you have one)
• If you claimed Income Support when you were under 18, a letter from your local Jobcentre Plus office showing that you received benefits because of your situation
• If your relationship with your parents broke down while you were at school or college, a letter from an advice worker or personal tutor or teacher confirming your circumstances
• A letter from your doctor if you visited them because of problems relating to the breakdown of your relationship with your parents
• A letter from a teacher that knows your situation
• A police report relating to any incidents

If you cannot get any evidence like these examples, please contact the Student Funding Team.

You’ll need to prove that the lack of contact with your parents is permanent. Student Finance would normally expect you to have had no contact with your parents for at least 12 months, although this may not apply in exceptional circumstances.

You can’t claim independent status just because you don’t get on with your parents or because you don’t live with them.

You can’t claim independent status simply because your parents don’t want to give details of their income, or refuse to provide financial support to you.

Leeds Conservatoire has signed up to the Stand Alone pledge, you can read more information in this article.

For support with providing the right evidence to Student Finance, please contact studentfunding@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk.

If you don’t send the correct evidence, it will delay your application and you may not receive all the funding you are entitled to.