Council Tax Reduction - definitions

Student definition

Student disregard form 

For the purposes of Council Tax, the term 'student' covers:

  • any person who is enrolled in a full-time course of education at a prescribed educational establishment
  • a person under the age of 20 undertaking a qualifying course of education
  • a foreign language assistant.

For a course to be considered ‘full-time’:

  • the student must attend for at least 24 weeks in an academic (or calendar) year and
  • the course must require the student to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience which together amount to an average of 21 hours per week.

Students are disregarded during any period in which they fall within this definition.

The period of a student’s course runs from the day they begin the course and continues until it is completed or the student leaves the course uncompleted. Vacations during the course are treated as part of the period of the course.

Prescribed educational establishment

A prescribed educational establishment is:

  • a university including a constituent college, school or other institution of a university or
  • a central institution or college of education in Scotland or
  • a college of education in Northern Ireland or
  • a theological college or
  • any other institution in England or Wales established solely or mainly to provide courses of further or higher education or
  • any other institution in Scotland or Northern Ireland established solely or mainly to provide courses of further education or
  • an institution accredited by the Teacher Training Agency or, in Wales, by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

Student certificate

A certificate is required as evidence of student status and must be received before a reduction may be applied. A student certificate must contain the following information:

  • the name and address of the prescribed educational establishment issuing the certificate
  • the full name of the student to whom it is issued
  • the student’s date of birth (if known to the institution)
  • a statement certifying that the person is (or has) followed a course of education as a student
  • the date when the person became a student and the date the person’s course is expected to end (or has ended).