Changes in Student Allowances in 2007

Allowances recipients by age group

In 2007, the average age of allowances recipients dropped by 1 percent to 27.3 years.  This was mostly due to a marked increase in the proportion of allowances received by students under the age of 25. 

Figure 4: Student allowances recipients by main age group, 1999 - 2007¹

In 1999, around 60 percent of allowances recipients were under the age of 25.  By 2004, the proportion had dropped to about 54 percent.  In 2007, about 58 percent of allowances recipients were under the age of 25 and 42 percent were aged 25 and over.

The decrease in the proportion of allowances recipients under the age of 25 between 1999 and 2004 resulted from the decrease in the proportion of this age group among those eligible for student allowances, resulting from the fact that the parental income limits were frozen over that time, while average parental incomes were rising.  In addition, over that time, there was a gradual ageing of the student population.

The difference in the average annual allowances for the main age groups is relatively stable: a student aged 25 and over receives about $2,000 more than a student under the age of 25.

Figure 5:  Distribution of student allowances recipients by narrow age group, 2005 - 2007

Footnote

1. Y-axis starts from 40 percent.