What Happens if...

Hi

So my problem is I don't have any money to live with, and I start uni in 5 weeks.

I applied to sfe I think it was February or March time-but it's so long ago I don't know exactly. All at the same time for a tuition fee Loan of £9,000, Maintenance Loan and Special Support Grant.

Also have applied for DSA's but applied much later. However I have gone through all that process, have got it all recommended and approved by sfe and am going through arranging the equipment being delivered then getting training etc

It's just the general student finance I am having big problems with. I have some of it-the Tuition fee loan and on letters there is a small (not enough for halls for the year) maintenance loan however this is not included in my payments when I go to log into the sfe website. So i'm not sure if I have that or not.

The payments bit can take ages to update, have you checked your bank details are correct as that page wont show up until theres bank details there.

I defiantly do not have a grant, and I need one. It's a long and ongoing thing since March or April, total of 5 different things sent 8 times (some twice as sfe lost them or did not get it) Basically they don't seem to accept that my mum is single and has low income. It's getting really frustrating and also really stressful as It's so close to me going now and its taken so long.

I keep ringing them up, and am going to call again tomorrow to see if they have got the last thing I sent 4 weeks ago, and if its been approved or if they want something else. Other than that all I seem to be able to do is wait.

I m really sorry they ve been this rubbish with you, have you asked to speak to a manager at any point, they might be a bit better?

However, as it takes 4 weeks for each thing, and if they want something else then it will only be done 1 week before I go-which is too close to me! So, ideally I need them to agree to it all tomorrow.. I can wish.

But what I am asking is what happens if that does not happen, and I don't have enough money-what are my other options?

You have 2 options (you can use both) really:
1. Take out an overdraft till sfe sort themselves out, you can get up to £1000 in first year which would at least keep you going for food and bills. If you have accomodation with the uni itself sometimes they can arrange for you to pay rent later as their more likely to help than private accomodation so you might be okay with that, just email the accomodation people and see what their able to do in this situation. Getting loans late is something that happens to many people so they ll be used to it.

2. Some universities have what are called access to learning funds or emergency loans you can apply for. This varies but can give you the cash to borrow until sfe has sorted everything out. They dont charge interest or anything and there should be someone at student support who can help you fill out whatever form for applying for it.



I have wondered if I can change it to be a maintenance grant not the SSG-will that make any difference?

Their both grants so the same procedure i m afraid so wouldnt help.

Other than that I don't think I can go to uni, but then that will now cost me £500 and something because I've got my equipment from DSA coming, and I must pay for it if I don't go to uni. Also I have a unconditional ucas offer (done a BTEC and got the results already) so I have then had a email from the uni to confirm I am going there. Finally I have a place in halls, and agreed to pay for the year unless I get someone else to take my room.
My point is If I don't go I will have a lot to pay anyway, and I don't even know if I can not go now my course is confirmed on ucas. Is it even possible to cancel a course after that?

If you dont enrol and havent accepted the equipment then they may not charge you for it so dont panic about that yet. You still have the option to decide to defer (i think) at this point and if you do have halls through the university itself then depending on your contract you might get out of paying anything as their bound to find someone to fill your place. But please dont resort to this yet as theres other money options to keep you going even if SFE dont sort themselves out before you start.

I am just so worried and stressed by it all. anything that might help please say!

Hello

What's the payments bit? I just have a total, so it says tuition loan £9000 then maintenance grant £3731 total student finance you get £12,731. I don't have any payments, I thought you can't get paid the money until you start or enroll at the uni? I've just checked the letter to get that exact amount, and it's from 1st May. So it's at least 3 months since they approved this part of my application.

Did you do your application online? Theres a payment schedule if so? it will have the dates you get the money on it and theres a thing that says status next to it.

I've not asked to speak to a manager, do I need to?
Not for definte but if they ve taken months then a manager could be more knowledgable per say
I don't do the talking, because of my disability I can't talk fully, so I always have to get someone to call for me. Often mum, but then like she's not on here talking to other students and doesn't know what to ask apparently-or that's what she says. She wants me to talk to them tomorrow, but all the computer bit at the start don't recognise my voice, so I'll get angry with it and make her do it. Although maybe we can do it between us.
I m not sure for definte so you ll have to google it but occasionally you can find helplines for sight problems etc so then it just goes through to a human straight away.


It's good to know there is options. I just don't understand what it means. What is an overdraft?
An overdraft is like a free loan with no interest so say your bank can then go -1000 and it goes back to zero once you d get your loan in.

Yes my halls is from the uni, so that sounds like a good option if they will let me do that-but then you say that's for if it comes through late (im assuming that meas like from sfe to your bank takes ages) will that still work if I don't have any letter or evidence its approved and on it's way? It won't take them long to work out I have less loan than the cost for their halls for the year.

I meant if you having actual problems getting your application the way it should be ( the payments don't take more than 3/4 days to clear once they put it through).

I just tried to search for both of those things in option 2 on the unis website, and did not find anything about them.
Does the website have a section called money/finance or student support it could be under any of those?

The only thing I know about a bursary from the uni is because I emailed a few weeks ago, they sent a document that says they get the evidence you send to sfe automatically, and then use that to give you the bursary, it's basically you get £1000 if your house income is less than £25,000 or £600 if its between £26,000 and £36,000. But, SFE don't accept the evidence etc. so then the uni will not get the info from them, so i am assuming I won't be able to get this?
My uni has a similar thing, i would personally speak to the uni about bursaries and explain the problems with SFE and then see if they accept evidence themselves rather than through them.

By accepting the equipment do you mean when they turn up and deliver it? I've paid the £200 for a laptop, and then they will contact me in 4-5 days to arrange delivery it says.
Yes i do. When they say they ll contact you to arrange delivery unless you re lucky you might not get a slot for a few days time maybe more, Barry bennett says within 10 working days so could be two weeks from now/ 3 if you include the time they say it will take to contact you.

I don't know anything about deferring, or how to. Other than you go to uni next year instead.

It's just the general student finance I am having big problems with. I have some of it-the Tuition fee loan and on letters there is a small (not enough for halls for the year) maintenance loan however this is not included in my payments when I go to log into the sfe website. So i'm not sure if I have that or not.

I have wondered if I can change it to be a maintenance grant not the SSG-will that make any difference?

My point is If I don't go I will have a lot to pay anyway, and I don't even know if I can not go now my course is confirmed on ucas. Is it even possible to cancel a course after that?

If you mean that you have no payments scheduled at all, this is quite normal. They are tied to your term dates, SFE may just be waiting for your uni to put those into the system.

If you have Tuition Fee Loan scheduled, but not Maintenance Loan, check that you have actually requested the loan. You can do this in the "Make a change to your 15/16 application" section of your online account

I can't find where you mean. But by the fact that I half have it (on letters but not online) I don't think I can have not requested it.
What I think is happening is my account online is never updated-like It still says my 'to do' list is apply for DSA, when clearly I have that back now.

No, that will not make any difference. If someone has all the evidence required to be means tested, but not the evidence required for SSG, they will be awarded Maintenance Grant instead, so applying for SSG doesn't add any time to the grant assessment. In your case, because you have already been awarded DSA, you will get SSG when the means testing is done. The problem is with the means testing.

What has to happen to be awarded the maintince grant instead? Could they not have done that by now instead of just nothing? oh, wait I should have read all that first. But how do you know that i will get SSG?

Don't consider cancelling over this, if it comes down to it you can defer, but really SFE will release the money straight to you when they are able to do the means testing.

Basically, SFE need two things to means test you:
- evidence that your mother is single
- accurate figures for your mother's income in the 13/14 tax year

What exactly have you sent in so far?

Yes, I applied online. That only has the schedule for the tuition fee loan, that's going straight to the uni. I am now wondering about bank details like you said before. How do I check that?

Theres a section on your online account that allows you to update them.

I don't have a specific student bank account, I just have the one I've had like for Christmas money for a few years, that when I was 18 became mine only not attached to mum's (might have been 16, cant remember!) Mum has said I should keep this one not get a new account for students though. Don't know anything more, or then why my details would not be on there now.

Overdraft might be useful, how do i get it?
You d have to ignore your mum and get a student account to get an overdraft, you might be able to get £20 or something like that on the account you already have but nothing more than that. Maybe say to your mum you ll stay with the exact same bank so not much will change then?


I've checked the website, there is nothing. that's why I emailed them about the bursary because it's changed from something and they've not updated the website. If you know what your looking for though maybe you can find it. http://www.derby.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/fees/uk-eu/loans-grants/
I can see what you meant, that website is not user friendly couldnt find anything myself
Wow, that's quite a wile, as it's only 5 weeks I hope in the up to 3 it takes for the equipment I will have this fiance defiantly sorted!



I don't know completely, as I've said its lots, and I don't understand all of this, mum's been doing all this evidence. But what I know is (not in this order)
- Bank statements (prove income)
-Utility bills (not sure exactly, they asked for them with a morgage or rent info which we don't have, so just sent the bills)
-Council tax bill (prove she is single apparently)
-Solicitors letters (also prove she is single)
-can't remember the other one.

What else would I possibly need to send? I ask because some of these took like a major effort to get, my parents split when I was 3 months old, so like the solicitors was a big job to find, looking in all kinds of weird places in the house no-one goes very often, or well have not been unpacked because have moved house in January 2014.

Think of SSG as being like an upgrade to Maintenance Grant that you are awarded on certain conditions. Being awarded any kind of DSA will also automatically upgrade any MG award to SSG. But SFE can't award you the MG without the means testing.


Bank statements don't work as proof of income, at all.
Utility bills don't work on their own, they only work in combination with the mortgage/rent agreement.
The council tax bill works as proof if there is the 25% discount for single person status. If it doesn't have that exact wording, then it doesn't work.
However, the solicitor's letter should work. When was this sent?

Did your mother fill out her income details for the 13/14 tax year online, or on a PFF2 form? If there was any kind of discrepancy with this, did she send a photocopy of her P60?

Does your mum have a p60 or p45 anywhere or anything from tax credits?
Does she have a copy of her tenancy agreement anywhere/ asked the landlord for one? (theres a good chance that counts as paying rent proof).

no idea! I've just said above I rember a P60 being in it at one point, so I am guessing she's sent that. No idea about p45 or tax credits.
We don't have tenancy agreement. We (okay mum does, not me!) owns the house.

Mortgage statement off the bank?

Mum said we don't have one of those either. When granny died (who we both lived with until then) we used the money from selling the house she owned to buy a more sensible sized house now it's just me and mum.

I think it's the fact that she's single they are not accepting, rather than the income (unless when we finally prove she's single then they will start wanting other evidence for income.. I really hope not!) So no idea what she sent for income then.
What would you suggest she sends if neither of those work?

I think she did it online, but don't know. I was not involved at the start, she just said she'd done it. Only started to be involved when sfe kept saying 'we dont accept your application because sponcer 2 needs to send more evidence (never ever say what though!!!!) and we have also contacted them. So then I had to talk to mum more. I also wonder who is sponcer 1? mum's the only person with income.
I remember talk of a P60, so I will guess at yes.

I can understand why getting sfe all their evidence has been so awkward, would they accept seeing a title deed to your house maybe?

The solicitor's letter should work. Or a divorce certificate if they got divorced. When was the solicitor's letter sent?

Mothers are always sponsor 2 and fathers are always sponsor 1. In your case you just don't have a sponsor 1 unless your mother has a partner.

They only need the P60 if there is any kind of mistake in the details that were entered. So long as the details were actually entered and then corrected with a P60 if there was some mistake there, the income side of things should be fine.