Student Exemption or Discount

What is it?

A student discount or exemption is where we will reduce some or all of the Council Tax bill for the property.

For the purposes of Council Tax a student is:

• Someone undertaking a specified full time course at a college or university in the UK or an EU state for 21 hours or more per week for at least 24 weeks; or
• Someone under 20 in non-advanced education undertaking a course or courses lasting at least 12 hours or more a week for at least 3 months.

How does it work?

You need to apply for an exemption or discount. It is not granted automatically when you become a student.

Owners or tenants of a property occupied by full-time students (every adult in the house is a student) are entitled to apply for an exemption.

Owners or tenants of a property occupied by students and one adult who is not a student, are entitled to apply for a 25% discount.

The discount will apply as long as these circumstances do not change.

In order to award an exemption or discount we need to know who lives in the house and we need to confirm the student status of all students in the house. If you have not told us about who lives in the house, you can use a Student Exemption or Discount form to tell us. 

We can periodically review all exemptions and discounts to check that the award is still correct.

If you study at one of the following colleges or universities you only need to apply for an exemption or discount, as the college or university send the council proof of your student status automatically.

• City of Glasgow College
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Glasgow Clyde College
• Kelvin College
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
• Glasgow International College

If you study at one of the following colleges or universities you can choose to opt-in to the system which automatically sends the council proof of your student status. You will still have to apply for an exemption or discount.

• University of Glasgow
• University of Strathclyde
• University of the West of Scotland
• Glasgow School of Art

If you attend any other college or university you need to apply for an exemption or discount and supply proof of your student status, this includes visiting students attending other UK establishments as part of a full-time course being undertaken at a college/university elsewhere in the EU.

You can download a certificate of student status and have it signed and stamped by the college or university, or supply a certificate from the establishment's registry/student services that matches the information requested in the certificate of student status.

More information is available on our Council Tax for students page

How do I apply?

To apply for this exemption please complete our online. Please also see our Privacy Statement. If you require further information on this reduction, please complete our Enquiry form