StudyLink Student Allowance 2026: Rates and Rules

What StudyLink Pays: the Student Allowance and Student Loan at a Glance

StudyLink runs two main products: a Student Allowance that's a grant, and a Student Loan with 3 parts that you repay. A full-time student can get both, but the total weekly living money can't go above the $333.48 living costs cap unless the allowance alone is higher.

Sources: StudyLink's Student Allowance, Student Loan and Accommodation Benefit pages, and Inland Revenue's Fees Free page, checked 30 October 2026.

StudyLink isn't a scholarship provider and it isn't a bank. It's the student arm of MSD, so its rules are set by government policy, and the same MyStudyLink account handles both the allowance and the loan.

Student Allowance Weekly Rates for 2026

A single student under 24 who doesn't live with a parent can get up to $378.64 a week before tax ($333.38 after tax), according to StudyLink's Student Allowance rates page (opens in a new tab). That's up from $355.41 before tax in the Internet Archive copy of the same page from 29 January 2026.

Source: StudyLink rates page, 30 October 2026. These are maximums; couples with joint income between $569.40 and $1,185.75 a week get lower rates, and above $1,185.75 can't get the allowance.

Your own income. You can earn up to $284.70 a week before tax before your allowance drops, according to StudyLink's income page (opens in a new tab). After that it falls cent for cent. A student who earns $350 in a week loses $65.30 from the next week's payment. You declare income in MyStudyLink by the Sunday of the week you earn it, and holiday pay counts in the week you get it.

Accommodation Benefit. Most students who get the allowance and don't live in a home their parents own or pay for also get $60 a week. You don't apply separately. Sole parents can get up to $305 a week depending on the area and number of children, but must pay at least $168 a week rent or board (or $202 in home ownership costs) and have cash assets under $16,200, according to StudyLink's Accommodation Benefit page (opens in a new tab).

Who Qualifies: Age, Residency, Course and the 200-Week Limit

To get the Student Allowance you must usually be aged 18 to 65, studying full-time on an approved course, and be a New Zealand citizen or have lived here for at least 3 years while holding a residence class visa for 3 years, according to StudyLink. The course must be undergraduate (level 7 or below) or a Bachelor's with honours, or approved overseas study through a New Zealand provider. Postgraduate study beyond honours isn't covered by the allowance, though the loan is available. If you're comparing systems, our Canada Student Grant guide explains how Canada's federal student grants set their own income cut-offs.

You can't get the allowance if you're on a benefit you can keep while studying, getting NZ Super or a Veteran's Pension (or your partner is), in prison, or over 65. 16 and 17 year olds and some part-time students can qualify in limited situations.

The lifetime limits. StudyLink's limit page (opens in a new tab) sets these caps:

Passing requirements. To get another year of allowance you must have passed more than half the EFTS your course needed to count as full-time. For a full-year course of 32 to 52 weeks, that means passing more than 0.4 EFTS. A failed year can stop next year's allowance, so talk to StudyLink early if illness is affecting your results.

The Parents' Income Test, Explained

Students under 24 with no children are assessed on their parents' income, whether or not their parents actually help them, according to StudyLink's two-parent page (opens in a new tab). This is the rule that rules out most middle-income families.

Source: StudyLink, 30 October 2026. The same limits apply to one parent's income when StudyLink accepts that you only have one parent.

Two deductions help larger families. StudyLink takes $7,000 a year off assessed income for each other student aged 16 to 23 your parents support in full-time study, and $3,400 if your parents live in separate houses. A case in point: a family earning $135,000 with 2 children at university is assessed at $128,000 for each, which brings both under the $131,670.35 cut-off for students living at home. (This is a worked example using StudyLink's published limits, not a real applicant.) Dependent students in Ireland face a similar household income test; our SUSI grant guide shows how SUSI handles siblings in college.

If your parents' income drops. If it was above $72,108.92 when you were approved and has since fallen by 25% or more, your parents can send a reassessment form with evidence, and the higher rate is paid from the date their income fell. If it rises during the year, nothing changes until your next application.

Only one parent, or none. StudyLink may use just one parent's income if the other has died, is in prison, or if there's been abuse or a relationship breakdown that makes contact harmful. A parent's new partner, a parent who doesn't approve of you studying, or a parent who simply won't help doesn't count; StudyLink still treats you as having 2 parents. Students who can't live with or be supported by their parents because of a family breakdown, or who were in foster care or an Oranga Tamariki transition arrangement, can apply for the Independent Circumstances Allowance of up to $378.64 a week before tax, with a supporting statement from someone who's known them for at least a year.

Grantsights Analysis of MSD's StudyLink Statistics

StudyLink paid $630.2 million in Student Allowance and Accommodation Benefit to 52,527 students in 2025, up 10.7% in recipients and 12.1% in spending on 2024, according to MSD's StudyLink statistics (opens in a new tab) release for January to December 2025. The average student received $10,711 in allowance over the year, plus $1,990 for those who also got the Accommodation Benefit.

Grantsights analysis of MSD "Student Allowance, January to December 2025", Tables 1.1, 2.1 and 2.2. Allowance paid excludes the Accommodation Benefit. The averages per provider type are Grantsights' division of MSD's totals.

The loan side grew faster:

MSD "Student Loan, January to December 2025", Table 1.1.

What the numbers show:

• The Fees Free change pushed fee borrowing up 40%. MSD's own note says the jump in 2025 happened because first-year Fees Free was replaced with final-year Fees Free from 1 January 2025, so first-year students now borrow for fees. 135,570 students borrowed for fees in 2025, up from 103,209.
• Most students who claim course-related costs take nearly the full $1,000. The average was $979 in 2025.
• Under-24s on the parents' test are the biggest group. In 2025, 13,419 students got a parental-income-tested allowance while living at home and 15,153 while living away, together 54% of all recipients.
• Growth is continuing in 2026. From January to June 2026, 47,160 students got the allowance, 8.6% more than in the same months of 2025, and $308.6 million was paid.
• 18 to 24 year olds dominate. 33,621 of 2025's recipients were aged 18 to 24, but 5,703 were 35 or older, so the allowance isn't only for school leavers.

What StudyLink Doesn't Tell You

StudyLink's pages are accurate but split across dozens of screens. These are the common mistakes that cost students money.

1. Applying late loses money for good. The honest best bet is to apply before you've even chosen a course. If you apply after your course starts, you're only paid from the date you applied. StudyLink's Get sorted campaign (opens in a new tab) says applying by 16 December gives you the best chance of being sorted before your course starts, and school leavers don't need to wait for NCEA results.

2. Your first payment comes in week 2. Both the allowance and living costs are paid in arrears, so there's no money in the first week of your course. Budget for at least 2 weeks of rent and food from savings, and claim course-related costs, which can be paid up to 14 days before the course starts.

3. A back payment of allowance pays off your living costs first. If your loan is approved before your allowance, your living costs drop once the allowance is approved, and any allowance back payment goes onto your loan first, then to any MSD debts, before the rest reaches you.

4. A break of more than 3 weeks stops the allowance. Payments continue over study breaks of 3 weeks or less. Over the long summer break you can apply for Jobseeker Support Student Hardship instead, but it's a separate application.

5. The establishment fee and admin fee are easy to miss. StudyLink adds a one-off $60 establishment fee to your loan once any payment is made. Inland Revenue says you must start repaying once you earn over $24,128 or live overseas, and there's an annual $40 administration fee.

6. Fees Free now pays you back afterwards, not up front. You pay or borrow your fees when you enrol, then apply in myIR once you've completed. Inland Revenue says the money goes onto your student loan balance if you have one, even if you didn't use the loan for your final year's fees.

Fees Free Ends on 31 December 2026

Fees Free ends on 31 December 2026 and the Government has confirmed there'll be no transitional arrangements, according to Inland Revenue's Fees Free page (opens in a new tab). The current scheme covers the final year of tertiary study, or the final 2 years of work-based learning, up to $12,000.

Inland Revenue's 17 September 2026 update is blunt: eligibility depends on when you complete, not when you enrolled. A student finishing a 3-year degree in 2027 gets nothing from Fees Free.

How to Apply for the Student Allowance

Applying takes 3 steps online, according to StudyLink.

1. Create a RealMe login if you don't have one.
2. Complete the eligibility test on StudyLink's site, which also flags other help you might get.
3. Complete the online application for the allowance, the loan or both. Have your bank account number, IRD number, a personal email address, your course dates and, if you're under 24, your parents' income ready.

StudyLink then tells you which documents to send through Connect. Your parents fill out the Parents' form and give income evidence. Once everything's in, StudyLink confirms your enrolment with your provider, and you need to be fully enrolled for that. Returning students who had an allowance in the last 12 months can reapply inside MyStudyLink, and everyone must reapply every year.

Scams and Fake StudyLink Messages

The searches for "StudyLink login" attract fake pages, so always type studylink.govt.nz yourself or use a bookmark. StudyLink's online security page (opens in a new tab) says it will never contact you to ask for your username or password, and that its survey emails come only from noreply@surveys.msd.govt.nz and never ask for passwords or bank account numbers.

• Red flag: a text or email with a link asking you to "verify" MyStudyLink or RealMe details, or to pay a fee to release a payment. StudyLink applications are free.
• Don't share your RealMe login with an agent or friend. If someone else needs to deal with StudyLink for you, StudyLink has a formal agent form.
• If something looks wrong in MyStudyLink, change your password or PIN and contact StudyLink using the details on its own site. You can report scams and cyber security problems to the National Cyber Security Centre (opens in a new tab).

Student Grants in Other Countries

New Zealand is unusual in tying a weekly student grant to parents' income until 24. Here's how the main student grants compare in countries Grantsights covers:

Sources: Canada.ca, Ontario.ca, SUSI and GOV.UK pages checked 30 October 2026.

Sources Checked

All pages read and files downloaded on 30 October 2026, unless an archive date is given.

• StudyLink: home (opens in a new tab), Student Allowance (opens in a new tab), Student Allowance rates (opens in a new tab) (and its Internet Archive copy of 29 January 2026), How income affects Student Allowance (opens in a new tab), two parents (opens in a new tab), one parent (opens in a new tab), parents' income changes (opens in a new tab), how long you can get it (opens in a new tab), passing requirements (opens in a new tab), Accommodation Benefit (opens in a new tab), Student Loan (opens in a new tab), living costs (opens in a new tab), course-related costs (opens in a new tab), course fees (opens in a new tab), how many loans (opens in a new tab), when payments start (opens in a new tab), Get sorted for study (opens in a new tab), online security (opens in a new tab)
• Inland Revenue: Fees Free (opens in a new tab), Fees Free will end without transitional arrangements (opens in a new tab) (17 September 2026), Student loans (opens in a new tab)
• Ministry of Social Development, StudyLink statistics (opens in a new tab): "Student Allowance, January to December 2025", "Student Loan, January to December 2025" and "Student Allowance, January to June 2026"
• National Cyber Security Centre, report a cyber security issue (opens in a new tab)