It is permissible to give Zakaat to help someone on his education.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds.  I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

If the student is seeking religious knowledge and has no income with which he could seek this knowledge, then it is permissible to give him money from the Zakah [obligatory charity] Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, was asked about someone who has no Islamic books to work on (i.e., study), he replied that it is permissible to take from the Zakah to buy the books of knowledge that he needs that are necessary for his religion and his worldly life. Al-Buhooti said, “He is probably not considered outside the eight categories of people who are eligible for Zakah because this is among what the student of knowledge needs, so it is like providing for him.”

Allaah Knows best.