Can I go to uni when dad's on very low income & I'd have to rely on grants/bursaries

Hi. I'm doing A Levels in September and want to know if it sounds possible for me to attend uni? Icurrently live with my nana, grandad, cousins and dad at my grandparents its very squashed but we've been given a council flat. My dad is on a yearly salary of £4106 so there's no way he can give me any money for uni. The course I want to do is childrens nursing and it's nhs funded. I may also get £1000 grant from nhs and apparently theres also a means tested one too? From student finance I am eligible for £2324.00 maintenance loan, and with the calculator I've answered that I'd be eligible for the nhs bursary. Is there anywhere else that could help me with money, and do the maintenance loans etc have to be paid back straight away or is it not till after I've finished the course and got a job? I didn't really want to take out loans but could it be possible for me to and try and get by on a tight budget? Spending as little as possible on food every week etc Thanks

Edit: I should mention I am trying to get a job right now even though I dont start a level till september so I can try and save some money up towards uni. I really want to go so much and don't want to live on the continuous cycle the rest of my family are living on on benefits for the rest of their lives. I really want a job and to be successful but I feel like the only way would be going to uni, but can I really afford it & manage on bare minimum?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

Rainingshame

Original post by iJess

I would like to point out that if the university course is full time and you're fathers annual income stands at around £4k the maintenance loan you're eligible to take out is much higher. I think the full support package stands at around a very reasonable £6500. In addition to this you'll almost definitely be eligible for the national scholarship scheme which should boost it further.

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Reply 2

sydney02

Original post by Rainingshame

Actually on an NHS funded course, the maximum you can get is just over £2000.

You also get a £1000 grant on top of that.

As your family income is so low, you'll probably get quite a good means-tested grant.

Reply 3

iJess

Original post by Rainingshame

Yeah its full time for 3 years and I didnt realise my dads income was so low till now. I looked on the student finance calculator and it only showed the 2,000 pound loan but theres a student finance calculator on direct gov, yet the student finance one on gov.uk show me the £6,000 one. Which is the correct student finance calculator? I have never heard about the national scholarship scheme, I'll have to look in to this, thank you x

Reply 4

iJess

Original post by sydney02

That's exactly what I saw through the finance calculator, which is quite worrying. I heard hull university have their own bursary as well but I wouldn't be eligible for that being on an NHS funded course.

Reply 5

Ed3003

Yes, I get by at uni without support from my family. It helps if you can save a little for yourself at the start and then get a part time job when you're at uni, unfortunately not having very much money is just part of the student lifestyle (for most anyway!)

Reply 6

River85

Maintenance loans aren't paid back until you're in employment and earning above...23k for those who started their degree post 2011, I think.

Interest on loans is set at the rate of inflation meaning there's no "real" interest on loans.

Reply 7

Flibble22

Yes, easily. You won't have to live on Tesco value noodles, either.

Reply 8

mdevil3

in short, yes. if it's an NHS course then the course is paid for and you can get grants and loans and there is also access to learning fund worth up to £2600 aswell. im not sure if you can get the bursary or not. would you be living at home or in accommodation? and how much do you earn yourself? i'd bet its less than you can get for loans and grants and Uni would give you the best chance of having a well paid job and to make something of yourself. even if it means struggling a bit for 3 years, as i currently do, it will be worth it in the end.

Reply 9

watchingtherain

Absolutely. I don't get any support from my family, support myself entirely on loans, grants and part-time work and live quite comfortably. Have you looked into scholarships? I get a departmental one from Hull which is £3000 over two years, which isn't too shabby. They're usually academically assessed rather than means tested, so that could be another option for you.

And as someone else pointed out, Maintenance Loans aren't like most other loans. You don't have to pay them back until you're earning over £23k per year in steady employment, and even then it's not very much per month. It's very affordable.