Parliament unanimously approves amendments to state student allowance

The Parliament of Cyprus has unanimously passed a bill amending the State Student Care Law. The new regulations raise the income threshold for eligibility by €5,000. For families with an annual income up to €44,000, the student grant amount will increase by 10%. Additionally, all income and asset-based criteria have been removed for families with more than five dependent children. The bill introduces a mechanism allowing for extensions to application deadlines, subject to Ministry of Finance recommendations and Cabinet decisions. It also eliminates previous restrictions, allowing recipients to access other tax benefits. While the legislation was passed, some lawmakers and student organizations expressed that the measures remain insufficient in the face of rising living costs. Suggestions were made to extend benefits to families with four children and to exclude primary residences from asset calculations.