can a student claim tax relief if he doesn't start work til next year?

Hi, I have a question - possibly a stupid one!

So... i'm a university student studying for a medicine degree and i pay tuition fees - approx €13k per year - that I would like to claim tax relief for. I also pay rent that I could claim tax credits for.

I don't start working til July next year - my question is should I send in a claim for tax credits+relief now, even though i'm not working? I realise credits are pointless if you are not working and paying tax, but can they be carried over to next year when I will be working and paying tax??

I am paying out a helluva lot of money at the moment and I would love to be able to reduce the amount of tax ill be paying when i start work next July.

of note:
i pay the fees each september, this september will be the last time
i'm paying the fees myself from bank loans
i've worked and payed tax previously for a couple of years before starting this course

thanks in advance

You can only get tax relief if you pay tax, and reliefs can not be carried forward or back