I get £0 Tuition Fee but I get my full Maintenance Loan?

pc1999

Hi

I was a student in 2017/18 but decided to resit my 1st year so I resit going into 2018/19. I was then withdraw due to lack of attendance.

I decided to go back for 2023. I applied through clearing and got a place at university to do a 2 year accelerated course. However, when it came to student finance, I was given £0 tuition and I got the maximum maintenance loan.

I can't really afford to pay my tuition fee or even ask my family for money. I come from a low income household, my dad doesn't work as he is in a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy.

I wondering if I could use my full maintenance loan to pay for tuition fees and this would cover it. I don't need to worry about my personal finances as I will be working whilst studying.

Would my university allow me to pay using my maintenance or will they want the tuition fee paid all upfront? + any tips or advice on what I can do.

Thank You

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by pc1999

Hi

I was a student in 2017/18 but decided to resit my 1st year so I resit going into 2018/19. I was then withdraw due to lack of attendance.

I decided to go back for 2023. I applied through clearing and got a place at university to do a 2 year accelerated course. However, when it came to student finance, I was given £0 tuition and I got the maximum maintenance loan.

I can't really afford to pay my tuition fee or even ask my family for money. I come from a low income household, my dad doesn't work as he is in a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy.

I wondering if I could use my full maintenance loan to pay for tuition fees and this would cover it. I don't need to worry about my personal finances as I will be working whilst studying.

Would my university allow me to pay using my maintenance or will they want the tuition fee paid all upfront? + any tips or advice on what I can do.

Thank You

Yes, you can use your maintenance loan as you see fit. In terms of using it to pay your tuition fees, you will probably need to liaise with your uni about setting up a payment plan aligning to your maintenance loan disbursement dates. They are usually receptive to this (although if you miss a payment date they likely will just ask for the remaining balance to be paid immediately, so make sure you choose appropriate dates/intervals and if anything appears like it may be delayed, get in touch with them ASAP to inform them with proof of any delays out of your control!) but you need to make these arrangements with them yourself (and getting that planned out earlier is usually easier).

I would imagine based on your previous study you will get a tuition fee loan for the second year although SFE are better placed to confirm that. By the sound of things though your entitlement would be: length of degree (2) + "gift year" (1) - number of years of prior study (2) = 1 year of funding remaining (and since they always calculate in reverse from the end of the degree, the funded year will be the second of the two years).

Depending on your household income you may also be eligible for some bursaries from your uni, which you may want to explore.