[jesusofsuburbia]

I kind of hate the "omg I'm so poor I can't afford anything but I'm typing on a Macbook" student people but this is a genuine concern for me. Basically, my Dad earns over the threshold so I get 0 financial help but I have a sister + 3 brothers so my family is quite a bit poorer than your average family that gets a bunch of help. My parents can't rly support me and given how much uni is I'm not sure I can get by, or rather I probably can but it's not gonna be worth the low quality of life and £50k of debt.

Questions I have -
1) how much is a reasonable amount to get by on per week
2) what happens if you lie on your student finance form? can you be prosecuted?

ty for the help

[TheGuy117]

Just tell them you're the joker and if they don't help you, you'll tear Gotham city to shreds.

Sincerely

Batman.

[LadyAz]

1) completely depends on your lifestyle.
2) they do very thorough checks and will require evidence of family earnings. Technically, you're attempting to gain money through fraudulent means so yes they can.

[Lollyage]

Get a job at uni?

[amy barnes]

You wont be able to lie on your student finance form. They always ask for evidence of your parents earnings.. ie: p60 doc etc.

And how much you need per a week really depends on your lifestyle/how social you are and your own outgoings. It is unique to every individual!

Hope this helps

[Zmit2260]

I am a single person current on jobseekers and housing benefit. Do I have to tell the benefits agency once I start Uni ? Would they be Abe to find out if I didn't tell them ?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[amy barnes]

(Original post by Lollyage)
Get a job at uni?

I agree! A job will defo help

[jesusofsuburbia]

(Original post by Lollyage)
Get a job at uni?

Yeah obv will try my best to do so. I don't want to start a course i'd have to quit if i don't manage to get one though

ok, thanks for the info, not gonna lie on the form.

Please can someone provide a rough figure of expenditure per week so i can do some calculations about worse case scenario?

[laurazzles]

People at the uni I'm heading to said they spend about £60 per week.

I think they can check how much your parents really earn so you probably wouldn't get away with it. If they find out you lied I think it's possible you'll be denied financial aid. Maybe you could just ring them and explain your situation instead? And even if you get more money, you'll just have to pay it all back once you graduate...

[OU Student]

(Original post by Zmit2260)
I am a single person current on jobseekers and housing benefit. Do I have to tell the benefits agency once I start Uni ? Would they be Abe to find out if I didn't tell them ?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Yes and yes.

[deejayy]

(Original post by Zmit2260)
I am a single person current on jobseekers and housing benefit. Do I have to tell the benefits agency once I start Uni ? Would they be Abe to find out if I didn't tell them ?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I hate people like you.

(for wanting to steal from the state yet having an ipad/iphone)

[Existentialistic]

Don't lie on the form. My parents earn above the threshold too, so I'm planning on getting a factory job over the summer and working 40-48 hours per week in order to get through next year, this seems like a better plan than hoping to get a job in October when I'm actually there.

[Holly-Robyn]

Don't lie, they can find out and remove funding, and you have to pay back what they gave you (you do anyway, obviously, but they don't take your earnings into consideration, they just make you give it back). You could get taken to court if you don't pay.

You have the option to take your parents earnings into account, it's not compulsory- this means you can still apply for a maintenance loan. Also, on the SF Application form, they ask about your siblings and take into account the possibility that they could all go to uni.

It's not worth lying over, but you should apply, then see what you're offered. You can budget throughout the year, spending very little, but you can't work that out until you know where you'll be going and how much the SLC is prepared to loan you.

Hope this helps- there is support out there, you can extend over drafts etc, it's not worth missing out on uni over. Xxx


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Josh93]

(Original post by jesusofsuburbia)
I kind of hate the "omg I'm so poor I can't afford anything but I'm typing on a Macbook" student people but this is a genuine concern for me. Basically, my Dad earns over the threshold so I get 0 financial help but I have a sister + 3 brothers so my family is quite a bit poorer than your average family that gets a bunch of help. My parents can't rly support me and given how much uni is I'm not sure I can get by, or rather I probably can but it's not gonna be worth the low quality of life and £50k of debt.

Questions I have -
1) how much is a reasonable amount to get by on per week
2) what happens if you lie on your student finance form? can you be prosecuted?

ty for the help

Budget and try to find a part time job, worst case scenario you can always defer for a year and earn enough money to support yourself.

Definitely don't lie on your application, they will check and you will end up in a world of crap, your parents too I imagine.
Most unis offer financial help as well, my advice would be to call the uni and get their opinion, you're hardly going to be the first student that they've had in this position.

[tbcl]

(Original post by deejayy)
I hate people like you.

Why do you hate people like him/her? Not everyone has had a good start in life, don't be so closed minded. One day you may find yourself in a less fortunate place

[Clare~Bear]

(Original post by tbcl)
Why do you hate people like him/her? Not everyone has had a good start in life, don't be so closed minded. One day you may find yourself in a less fortunate place

I think it was cos the person said they were on benefits, but posted that comment from an iphone/ipad

[deejayy]

(Original post by tbcl)
Why do you hate people like him/her? Not everyone has had a good start in life, don't be so closed minded. One day you may find yourself in a less fortunate place

He/she is considering benefit fraud and they have an ipad, which would suggest greed, not need, is the primary motivation.

[MissBlueskys]

I am in the exact same position. I will get zero extra help from the basics from student finance despite both me and my brother going to university at the same time, so technically our parents earnings will be split, and then I also have a brother and sister who will be leaving at home permanently.

My plan is to continue working and saving up through the summer, aiming to have about £1000 at start of the university. If I then go for the cheapest accommodation, I will have about £400 a term for food, going out. Obviously I will still need some help from parents or maybe extra jobs at university but it won't be too bad.

You can't fiddle student finance, even though it is a ridiculous system. I got annoyed when I found out a friend of mine who always seems to have plenty of money, but never had a job, is getting about double my maintenance loan and a grant of two thousand. If we are all going to pay back in the end anyway why can't was all get the same amount? Just got to be sensible and budget.

[xmarilynx]

(Original post by tbcl)
Why do you hate people like him/her? Not everyone has had a good start in life, don't be so closed minded. One day you may find yourself in a less fortunate place

Did you miss the bit in bold? I wish I were so poor the state would buy me an iPhone

[LadyAz]

(Original post by tbcl)
Why do you hate people like him/her? Not everyone has had a good start in life, don't be so closed minded. One day you may find yourself in a less fortunate place

I don't think it was the benefits part, it was the "will they find out if I don't tell them?" implying they're trying to abuse the system as far too many do.