With university entrance exams completed and the preference procedures finalized, a new academic year begins. Many students have completed registration and officially become university students. This change also brings new social security rights for them.
Rights Gained by University Students
Those starting higher education are granted certain rights under social security regulations. Under current rules, children who have turned 18 may continue to benefit from specific rights until age 20 if they are in secondary education or participating in apprenticeship or vocational training programs specified by law (such as those under Law No. 3308). If they pursue higher education, those rights can extend until age 25. Working parents can also be affected by these regulations and may retain or gain related benefits. Conversely, children who have turned 18 but are not enrolled in any school, or those who turn 20 without being university students, will see some of these protections end.
University students, however, retain various entitlements. One of the most important is the right to health coverage. Individuals who turned 18 and are no longer in secondary education—or who turned 20 without higher education enrollment—lose the right to access health services through their parents. In such cases these young people must become insured through employment or register and pay their own general health insurance contributions. If they enroll in university, they regain the right to receive health coverage through their parents until they reach age 25.
Orphan’s Pension Can Continue
Similar to health coverage through parents, orphan’s pensions continue for students who qualify. Children receiving orphan’s pensions because of deceased parents lose these payments once they turn 18 and complete secondary education—unless they enroll in higher education. If they do not take a university place by age 20, payments are suspended; however, enrollment in university restores eligibility. Male students can receive orphan’s pension until age 25, while female students may continue to receive it without a fixed upper age limit.
If a male child fails to gain admission to university at 18, his orphan’s pension will be stopped, but if he is admitted at 19, payments will be reinstated. Also, orphan’s pensions are not automatically stopped for university students who work. Therefore, being a university student preserves entitlement to orphan’s pension as long as the applicable age and enrollment conditions are met.
KYK Student Loans Do Not Affect Unemployment Benefits
Being a university student and receiving a KYK student loan does not prevent someone from receiving unemployment benefits. If a person who is receiving unemployment benefits is admitted to university and begins receiving a KYK loan, they can continue to receive unemployment payments. Under the Unemployment Insurance Law (No. 4447), unemployment benefit is defined as a temporary cash support paid to insured workers who lose their job without fault or intent and become unemployed.
The law also specifies that during the period a person benefits from unemployment allowance, they must not perform income-generating work; if it is determined that they are working in a job that generates income, the unemployment benefit will be terminated. The crucial point for continuation of unemployment payments is that the beneficiary does not engage in income-generating employment. Receiving a KYK student loan or scholarship is not considered income-generating employment, so taking a loan or scholarship does not trigger termination of unemployment benefits. Likewise, if the person begins working, their KYK loan or scholarship is not automatically stopped solely because they started employment.