My student loan simply isn't enough

My parents downright refuse to find me at all when I attend University. They will provide me somewhere to live when I return home, but that is all. I will be studying full time at Essex University.

I have been offered about 4.15k student loan, my accommodation is 3k.

So I have £1,150 to last me all year, covering books, food, drink, socialising and travel???

I am going to be spending at least £20 per week on food, that's instantly £700 (assuming 35 weeks are spent at University).

Leaving me with less than £500 for text books, travel, socialising, toiletries, phone contract etc.

I literally can't afford to go to University?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I literally can't afford to go to University?
Posted from TSR Mobile

Apparently you can get the full grant/loan if you inform Student Finance that you aren't getting anything from home, but I'm not personally sure how this works, so you might want to call them and look into it.

You have to be classed as an independent student or be estranged from your parents to qualify. Informing student finance you're getting any help from your parents isn't enough to qualify.

My parents downright refuse to find me at all when I attend University. They will provide me somewhere to live when I return home, but that is all. I will be studying full time at Essex University.

I have been offered about 4.15k student loan, my accommodation is 3k.

So I have £1,150 to last me all year, covering books, food, drink, socialising and travel???

I am going to be spending at least £20 per week on food, that's instantly £700 (assuming 35 weeks are spent at University).

Leaving me with less than £500 for text books, travel, socialising, toiletries, phone contract etc.

I literally can't afford to go to University?


Posted from TSR Mobile

Try putting in a claim for JSA + housing benefit, move out from home, get emancipated....or tell them you havnt "known" your parents for years. prove your living alone "tenancy agreement might work" or get a friend to knock up a shared tenancy agreement thingy, It can be done just try different angles. try getting a covering letter from a financial CAB advisor or someone.

Anything you need to do to survive those three years.

http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/516916/independent_students_fact_sheet_1314_d_b.pdf (might be harder than first envisaged)

Try and meet one of the criteria or as I suggested above try and get some good close mitigating circumstances.

My parents downright refuse to find me at all when I attend University. They will provide me somewhere to live when I return home, but that is all. I will be studying full time at Essex University.

I have been offered about 4.15k student loan, my accommodation is 3k.

So I have £1,150 to last me all year, covering books, food, drink, socialising and travel???

I am going to be spending at least £20 per week on food, that's instantly £700 (assuming 35 weeks are spent at University).

Leaving me with less than £500 for text books, travel, socialising, toiletries, phone contract etc.

I literally can't afford to go to University?


Posted from TSR Mobile

No, none of these will work. Full time students can't claim JSA or housing benefit. To be classed as an independent student it would have to be claimed for the three years before going to uni. Living alone also isn't enough to be classed as an independent student so none of the stuff with a tenancy agreement will make a difference. There are two different rates for living away from home and living at home, but that's nothing to do with being an independent student and OP will already have been assessed for that.

And your suggestion of OP telling SFE that he's estranged from his parents when actually he's still in contact with them? Yeah, that's literally fraud. OP could be prosecuted for just attempting that, so please don't.

What I would suggest OP is that you make a really detailed budget, I mean really detailed, and go back to your parents and say look, I only need this much extra per week to cover me, and Student Finance expects you to help out because of your income which is why they haven't awarded me the maximum loan. A lot of parents don't want to tell their children they'll help them at uni because they think it'll be like signing a blank cheque and their children will constantly come back and ask for more money. If you make a detailed budget and show them how much you're running short by, they may be more understanding.

Also, many students unions run a second hand textbook event. Make sure you find out when this is. Reading lists don't usually change that much between years and you should be able to find a lot of the textbooks you need at a good price. Failing that, see if you can get them more cheaply in e-book form.

I'm not saying lie about anything, if SFE have deemed your parents financially capable of supporting you but outright refuse as you said, that's pretty estranged in my book.

Even if this time round it didn't help, if enough people make noise it could change things in the future.

Don't roll over and take it like a reference number, fight for what is right.

My parents downright refuse to find me at all when I attend University. They will provide me somewhere to live when I return home, but that is all. I will be studying full time at Essex University.

I have been offered about 4.15k student loan, my accommodation is 3k.

So I have £1,150 to last me all year, covering books, food, drink, socialising and travel???

I am going to be spending at least £20 per week on food, that's instantly £700 (assuming 35 weeks are spent at University).

Leaving me with less than £500 for text books, travel, socialising, toiletries, phone contract etc.

I literally can't afford to go to University?


Posted from TSR Mobile

My parents downright refuse to find me at all when I attend University.

Your parents don't want to pay for your food???

Posted from TSR Mobile