Why are Student Finance so bad. NHS Course. Poor.

So i'm already at Uni and this September will be the start of my second year.

As i'm am undertaking a health course, this is funded by the NHS, yay! (NOT).

Although my tuition fee's are paid for by the NHS and I get a bursary each month (which covers my rent all but £15.00) that isn't payable back, this means that my student loan that I have to live off is reduced to £2334.00 for the whole academic year which equates to about £40.00 a week.

Excuse me if I am wrong but i'm pretty sure this is actually less than job seekers allowance... seems VERY wrong when theres people out there doing **** all and getting more money than a lot of students on healthcare courses.

To top this all off... during my first year student finance messed up my award and paid me too much during first term as they had calculated my award as a 'normal' student and not an NHS student. This meant that the next two payments for the rest of the year were severely reduced leaving me in the **** as I had to pay for accommodation that I had signed up for, for the whole year. Consequently this meant going into my overdraft and maxing it out at £1500.00 leaving me with nothing as emergencies for the next two years.

So i'd really like to know how our **** government expect people to live off £40.00 per week for living costs (food, clothes, books, uni equipment in my case for clinics, travel etc...).

Getting a job also isn't practical for me as I work in clinics for work experience as my course is really demanding.

I don't know how to get around this?!!! Help please...

(edited 9 years ago)

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Reply 1

RachelFiveee

£40 a week after rent etc isnt that bad? I lived off of about 20 and I had a part time job!

Reply 2

Scienceisgood

Have you thought of applying for a bursary from the uni?
Which uni are you applying to anyway?

Reply 3

Scienceisgood

Also, as a student, I can ASSURE you it is easy to live off £10 a week if you buy in bulk, and buy frozen/tinned food.
Once went a whole month and spent no more than £40 on food. =l

EDIT:
Was experimenting with being a tight ass though at this time to see how much I could live off comfortably, could probably live off £30 (£25 min).

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

emilywright61

I guess I just need to see a breakdown... i've tried budgeting etc but this never seems to work as there's always something that I need to pay out for like clinic equipment costs (£50 last year)... which then has a knock-on effect for the next weeks budget...

My University (Huddersfield) don't offer bursaries to students, they only have a financial hardship fund which I applied to and got rejected on the basis that they expect students to have parents to help them out or savings/ part time job etc.

I've already moved into a share house that is significantly cheaper than the halls I was living in 2 years prior to this year. So i've made small changes that have been do-able.

£40 just seems so hard expecially when it can cost nearly £30 for my clinic uniforms at uni. Kind of stuck.

Reply 5

shiggydiggy

You get your fees paid for and most of your rent with zero debt. Then you have £40 a week from your loans? And you're complaining about this?!

Original post by emilywright61

Getting a job also isn't practical for me as I work in clinics for work experience as my course is really demanding.

lol - weak. Get a job.

Reply 6

Scienceisgood

Have you asked if you can pay it in small increments (i.e. £5 a week until it is paid for in full)?

Reply 7

emilywright61

I would rather have the option of paying my fee's back and have debt if it meant having more to live off each week.

I have clinic equipment to pay for and uniform costs as soon as the University decide that we need new ones and as this costs around £50 for an equipment pack and £30 for one set of uniform - It's hardly suprising that £40 per week is no where near enough to live on.

I also have placement for a majority of the year so cannot get a job unless I want to fail my placement module in the meantime.

Reply 8

emilywright61

Original post by Scienceisgood

Have you asked if you can pay it in small increments (i.e. £5 a week until it is paid for in full)?

Sorry, pay for what in full?

Reply 9

shiggydiggy

Original post by emilywright61

I also have placement for a majority of the year so cannot get a job unless I want to fail my placement module in the meantime.

Evenings and weekends?

Reply 10

Scienceisgood

Original post by emilywright61

Sorry, pay for what in full?

Equipment, i.e. lab coat, clinic equipment etc...

Reply 11

emilywright61

Original post by Scienceisgood

Equipment, i.e. lab coat, clinic equipment etc...

Unfortunately the Uni won't do this. They want it paid in full up front.

Reply 12

Scienceisgood

Original post by emilywright61

Unfortunately the Uni won't do this. They want it paid in full up front.

Last thing I can think of, so, here goes...
Ask if you can borrow some money from a friend and then pay it back to them the same way I said before?

I know this can be embarrassing but, if they're your friends, surely they will understand?

Reply 13

emilywright61

Original post by shiggydiggy

Evenings and weekends?

Like I said, I am on placement for a majority of the year.

I have applied for counless jobs and the rejection is based on the fact that they won't take me on as I have to be absent for part of the year.

I have to work 8/9-5/6 shifts on weekly basis as well as submit assigments based on the placement so getting a job wouldn't work alongside uni.

I have worked this summer to pay for my current accommodation to secure a house so that my rent is cheaper next year whilst still paying for my halls last year, so I don't appreciate being called weak at all. I work when I can, it is just impossible during term-time. Most employers won't take on students who want to work when they can...it's on their terms when they want you and unfortunately my uni timetable doesn't work for them

Reply 14

emilywright61

Original post by Scienceisgood

Lol I have already done this on a number of occasions and now owe about £1000 on top of a £1500 overdraft.

Obviously paying back weekly/monthly to people is a better idea but it will then bring my weekly budget even lower. Bit of a vicious circle.

Reply 15

Rooster523

Original post by shiggydiggy

lol - weak. Get a job.

You do realise that NHS students already work 40 hour weeks as a part of their course?

Reply 16

shiggydiggy

Original post by emilywright61

I have to work 8/9-5/6 shifts on weekly basis as well as submit assigments based on the placement so getting a job wouldn't work alongside uni.

My course has similar demands and most of my circle of friends work a part-time job along side it. It's very possible. You've already got £40 a week, you wouldn't need to work that much to top that up.

Original post by Rooster523

You do realise that NHS students already work 40 hour weeks as a part of their course?

Yeah, I am one.

Reply 17

seaholme

Being on rolling placements does sort-of preclude getting a job... if you're only in the same place for a few weeks at a time, nobody's going to employ you for such a brief period of time! Assuming that is what the poster means.

Reply 18

Rooster523

Original post by shiggydiggy

Then I salute you

Reply 19

emilywright61

Original post by shiggydiggy

A 40 hour week might be possible for some people but some people can't do it. It isn't possible to work, study and earn money at the same time whilst maintaining good grades which is the sole reason why you come to uni in the first place. It doesn't make somebody weak so please don't put people down who can't manage that.