The Student Room Group

Help please - We're making a new student finance section on TSR

We're going to create a new section on TSR to help people easily understand the cost of education - going to university and the available grants and loans.


From your point of view what would be useful to include?

Give us a wish list and we'll do out best to pull it all together

thanks

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Reply 1
may I just ask while I have the chance... why are you people on this site so helpful?

do you guys get payed? helping because you're bored? or lonely?

I am intrigued. (in a good way)
Income thresholds to get maintenance loans + grants

Bursaries for students, e.g. NHS Bursaries

When / how much repayment is made

Cost of the loans (i.e. interest rates)
Reply 3
Include all student finance (not just England), also perhaps give me some tips on how to spend your money effectively whilst at university and information on uni bursaries (do we have to apply for them? are they automatic?)
I think you should include that thread that was posted months ago where he worked out how much of your salary would get paid back once you graduated? Talking about why people shouldn't worry about the higher tuition fees.

Sorry I can't be more specific but I hope you know the one I mean!
Original post by Ilyas
may I just ask while I have the chance... why are you people on this site so helpful?

do you guys get payed? helping because you're bored? or lonely?

I am intrigued. (in a good way)


It's a business, I'm sure the admin team get the revenue from ads and membership.

I'm sure moderators just choose to help out.


But anyway, back to your question - It would be good if there was a 'grant/loan' calculator, where you type in your income and what you're studying, and it works out what you're entitled to. This wouldn't be to difficult to make either, would it? I might look into developing this :holmes::beard:
Information on grants, loans and bursaries specifically for students
Money saving advice
Information on banking, credit and debit cards
Information on tuition fees
Information on benefits available to students
Great idea, especially now the fees have gone up and it looks quite a scary debt to have.

I always get asked by prospective students/ their parents: a) why they need TWO loans - answer being one tuition and one maintenance. and b) are both income assessed. So I think clearing this part up would be a good start. Also, stating that part of it comes as a grant, and you don't apply for this (it's part of the loan - I don't even really understand this, I just know the amount changed every year and confused me).

Also include what people DON'T need to worry about, ie, the fact that they won't end up earning just £12k a year and having to try to pay back about £40k of debt.

A breakdown of who is entitled to/ eligible for bursaries and other funding. And definitely some info to help mature students make informed decisions!! Apparently mature students account for a significant amount of the ~9% drop in UCAS applications from last year?

Oh to add, I always get asked which bank to go with... I don't know an answer to this as I don't know any differences.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 8
Avatar for J
J
OP
Original post by Ilyas

Thanks everyone lots of excellent suggestions, please keep them coming! We have a meeting about this wednesday :smile:

Original post by Ilyas
may I just ask while I have the chance... why are you people on this site so helpful?

do you guys get payed? helping because you're bored? or lonely?

I am intrigued. (in a good way)


Yep as Sophie1805 says I'm an admin on the site. So this is a (little) part of my job and yep there is pay involved but between you and me it's the happiness and joy that I spread that makes it all worthwhile. :wink:

As Sophie also said the mods are the superstars.
Reply 9
Could we compare student debt to real debt? :colonhash:

Well - explain how student loans work, why £9000/year is nothing to worry about, how the loans are paid back. It seems that most people don't even bother to look into things but automatically go into panic mode about the increase in fees when it just isn't necessary. (Plus everytime I have to explain it I just get more and more pissed off, so having it in one place would be far more helpful than irate me. Yeah.)

/rant
Reply 10
Original post by J
We're going to create a new section on TSR to help people easily understand the cost of education - going to university and the available grants and loans.


From your point of view what would be useful to include?

Give us a wish list and we'll do out best to pull it all together

thanks


I am really into the Money and Finance forum. I would be glad to help. :h:

Is this in regards to the forum or wiki? It makes a difference so I know which suggestions to give.
Reply 11
What it means for new students

Repayment costs and focus on interest rates

How to work out repayments

All of the funding available

How to budget
Everything was better when Taiko was here... :moon:
Reply 13
Original post by whitepearlbaby

Original post by whitepearlbaby
Everything was better when Taiko was here... :moon:


Lol I was well going to suggest "find Taiko" :biggrin:
Original post by Sophie1805
It's a business, I'm sure the admin team get the revenue from ads and membership.

I'm sure moderators just choose to help out.

But anyway, back to your question - It would be good if there was a 'grant/loan' calculator, where you type in your income and what you're studying, and it works out what you're entitled to. This wouldn't be to difficult to make either, would it? I might look into developing this :holmes::beard:


I think there is something thta does this on the SFE website!

Original post by whitepearlbaby
Everything was better when Taiko was here... :moon:


I'm sure I saw a post by Taiko within the last 24 hours?!
Original post by flown_muse

Original post by flown_muse
I think you should include that thread that was posted months ago where he worked out how much of your salary would get paid back once you graduated? Talking about why people shouldn't worry about the higher tuition fees.

Sorry I can't be more specific but I hope you know the one I mean!


I think this is the one you mean?

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1694323

It's definitely worth including something like that, because it's a great thread.
Reply 16
I currently work for student finance england, and would be more than happy to help out with any details or the finer points.
It is nice forums to help all the students who needed money online
Reply 18
I think students not only study hard at school for their scholarship, but the most important thing is to learn how to know about the society well. Everybody will come to the big society. If we can share our experience and learn the skills and abilities here, I think it is more helpful for students.
How to make money, how to manage money, how to find the business opportunities, etc. I think they are more helpful than only for scholarship. For example, we can communicate about our part-time job, our experience to make money, how to balance your finance. It is better. What do you think of it?
Reply 19

Original post by J
We're going to create a new section on TSR to help people easily understand the cost of education - going to university and the available grants and loans.


From your point of view what would be useful to include?

Give us a wish list and we'll do out best to pull it all together

thanks


How to appeal to a SL decision.
Where to go in a specific area of England to find a "real" legal support in the matter.
There seem to be a general abundace of aid on the net but nothing that at the end would help.

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