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General student finance

Hi, on the email I received about this student finance week it said those with a mental health condition can access non-repayable amounts. Could you explain what these are and the requirements? Thankyou

Hi Confusedtbh, if you have a mental-health condition you can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs). These are grants (which you don’t have to pay back) to help pay the extra essential costs you may have as a direct result of your disability. To show that you’re eligible for DSAs, you would need to provide medical evidence, such as a letter from your doctor or specialist. It would need to include a diagnosis of your condition, whether or not your condition is long term, and how your condition effects your ability to carry out day-to-day activities.You can find out more about DSAs by downloading our detailed main guide ‘Extra help – Disabled Students’ Allowances’ from our student finance zone.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 21

Sarah SFE

2

Original post by Miss.O

Hi,
I'm 23 and work full time. I'm hoping to get into university this year. I live at home with my parents. Even though I work and do not rely on my parents income at all, do I still need to provide the whole household income when applying for student finance?
Secondly, I should be eligible for a maintenance loan of £8000 and my rent could be anything from £113 - £150 per week. Could anyone estimate how much money I would have left over per month to spend on food etc?
Thanks!!

Hi Miss.O, if you have fully supported yourself for three years before starting your course you might be classed as an independent student. You would need to provide evidence such as photocopies of your P60 or a letter from your employer (signed, and dated on headed paper) confirming the dates you worked there and your earnings.If you’re not classed as an independent student, you can apply for the Tuition Fee Loan and the basic Maintenance Loan without your parents giving any details. It’s only if you are applying for the higher amount of Maintenance Loan that we would need your household income. For advice on budgeting, why not join us on Wednesday, February 10 at 11am for a live webchat on living on a budget.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 22

Sarah SFE

2

Original post by Kevtam69

Hi I am going to be studying nursing have been offered a place I was wandering with a bursary what is the maximum student loan I can apply for

Hi Kevtam69, if you’re eligible for income-assessed funding from the NHS, you can apply for a reduced rate of Maintenance Loan from us. The amount you can get depends on where you live and study, not your household income:

Living with parents: up to £1,744
Studying in London and not living with parents: up to £3,263
Studying outside London and not living with parents: up to£2,324
Studying and living abroad: up to £2,324

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 23

hleeper

Hi, I'm an independent student applying for a 2016-17 PGCE course. I currently live with my boyfriend - do you take his income into account when assessing my application?

Reply 24

Sarah SFE

2

Original post by beccamarie_98

Hi!

Sorry, it's me again, what sort of proof does Student Finance require regarding parental/guardian income? I live with my grandparents and they're both retired, what documents are needed as evidence?

Thanks

Rebecca

Hi Beccamarie_98, you should apply for student finance when the application opens in early March. You'll be able to give us details of your family circumstances. We can then tell you what evidence you need to send us specific to your situation.

Reply 25

Sarah SFE

2

Original post by gabbyba

Hi, I'm currently studying on a one year acting course at drama school. I plan to go on and do a further 3 years. This would involve auditioning for other drama schools as well.

Does anyone know what I'd have to do, student finance wise? Would I be classed as a "continuing student" or a new student?

If I am classed as a new student, how would I send off another application for this coming September without it just telling me that I already have an application done for now?

Hi gabbyba, if you're continuing on the same course (even if you got to a different university or college) you would be classed as a continuing student.
If you're already getting student finance we'll let you know when it's time to re-apply. If you're applying for the first time you'll need to go to www.gov.uk/studentfinance when the application opens.
If you can give us some more information, we can give you more specific advice.

Reply 26

vuvuzela

3

Hi SFE,

Is the maintenance loan an annual payment, and is it given in installments?

Thanks

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Reply 27

TheUniLad

2

Hi, sorry if this has already been asked, but when is the best time to apply for student finance and when is the deadline? Thanks.

Reply 28

aidaan

Hi there,

I'm in a really awkward situation based on when SFE will be providing me with the final 3rd of my loan and when my rent is due - this is made worse by the fact that 1st year student bank accounts allegedly have overdraft limits which are significantly lower than advertised. I have to pay my final two rent installments at the beginning of the next two months, but my loan isn't due until approximately the 8th of April I believe. I budgeted with my loan in mind, and my loan covers the rent payments combined with what I'd earned from working last year, but the loan is just coming through too late for me to make the payments by the date and I'm very scared. My parents aren't financially strong enough to pay for both months' rent either... What can I do about this?

Reply 29

studentemilie

Original post by Student Money Week

Got a question about student finance? Ask us now!

Hello I am looking to start a Dance/Performing Arts Course at Uni for 3 years on a BA (Hons) Degree, fees are £9K per annum can I apply for a student loan to cover my course fees, I am 17 and will be 18 when I start? Can I apply for help for accommodation and living expenses on a means tested basis on top of the course fees? I need to know if I can afford to accept a place I am auditioning for, thank you. I am reading about all sorts of help but don't know how to apply for all these options? Also does it depend on the college applying for - I am looking at London Studio Centre and BIRD in London. Thank you.

Reply 30

SophieSmall

21

Original post by aidaan

Hi there,

I'm in a really awkward situation based on when SFE will be providing me with the final 3rd of my loan and when my rent is due - this is made worse by the fact that 1st year student bank accounts allegedly have overdraft limits which are significantly lower than advertised. I have to pay my final two rent installments at the beginning of the next two months, but my loan isn't due until approximately the 8th of April I believe. I budgeted with my loan in mind, and my loan covers the rent payments combined with what I'd earned from working last year, but the loan is just coming through too late for me to make the payments by the date and I'm very scared. My parents aren't financially strong enough to pay for both months' rent either... What can I do about this?

Hi

trust me I understand the stress you're going through, I felt it too in my first year.

First of all they won't be able to clarify on here the dates you will receive your funding as that is completely dependant on your specific application, course start date and university. You won't know the specific funding dates until your application in completed and approved.

If you do find yourself in the position of having to pay rent before funding comes through then first thing you need to do is talk to your accommodation. If it's student accommodation you'll be more likely to be in luck as they will have had many students have this problem and will usually be lenient and wait for your student finance to come through, though they may ask for evidence of payment dates (don't worry you'll have that once your application is complete and approved).

If your accommodation isn't budging then try to barter with them and pay as much as you can using your overdraft, usually this will leave them a bit happier as they are getting some money.

As for the overdraft not being as much as advertised, they are advertised as "up to" a certain amount. The "Up to" part usually is determined by how long you have been a student at university and had the account open. For example my lloyds student account had an initial overdraft of £500 but after 6 months I was able to increase my overdraft (online banking or in branch) to £1000 then after 10 months I was able to increase my overdraft to £1500. How much you can increase it by and when however depends on your bank, so research into what yours offers. If you have one similar to mine then you may still be able to increase it to a large enough amount in time for your final rent instalments and not have to worry.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 31

mexicanjesus

3

Hi,
I've applied for uk unis but also edinburgh in which i was granted eu (non uk) fee status, i haven't had a reply yet but should i still apply for uk finance or as an eu student or through the scottish system? I'm a bit confused and worried as i read scottish applications have to be in by march 31st and unis have till may to answer us!
Many thanks
Josie

Reply 32

beccamarie_98

1

Original post by Sarah SFE

Hi Beccamarie_98, you should apply for student finance when the application opens in early March. You'll be able to give us details of your family circumstances. We can then tell you what evidence you need to send us specific to your situation.

Thank you!

Reply 33

Chesky_7

Hi
I am waiting on a decision from the university I applied to. Should I still apply for student finance?

Reply 34

Excuse Me!

19

If you haven't got a place at university but hope to go through clearing an still start this year , when and how should you apply for student finance?

Reply 35

JesArm96

Hi

My parents are divorced and my mum is my primary guardian earning around £28,500 per year. I have a really complicated living situation. My dad, after the divorce, couldn't afford to move out so my mum has allowed him to stay. We live in a house which is 2 flats converted to a house but by the time I'm at uni it will have been made into 2 flats again. My mum is also experiencing financial difficulty at the moment (she has more debts than her income can pay for)
Will any of this impact on student finance?
Also I suffer with depression and anxiety and despite having help from different agencies it still can impact on my life quite heavily. Will I be able to get a DSA and what evidence would I need to supply?
(Sorry for all the questions!) Also I know most uni's provide bursaries and scholarships but would I need to speak to each uni individually about my circumstances and whether I am eligible for any?

Thanks

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 36

Ray SFE

5

Original post by mummalove

Thank you for your reply. Can I just double check, based on the hours he has worked / works, can he apply as an independent student then? He could get a higher maint. loan of course but is this the best thing to do, do you think?

This question came in last night after one of our forum had closed - answer below:

Original post by Gerard Harkin

Hi,The rules around being classed as independent are as follows,

The customer can be assessed as an independent student if they:

are 25 or over before the start of the academic year
are under 25 and married/divorced
have care of a childare married or in a civil partnership
have no living parents
are irreconcilably estranged from their parents
have been the subject of a care order
cannot find their parents or it's not reasonably practical to get in touch with them

A student can also be considered independent if they supported themselves financially for at least three years prior to the start of their course. The three years can include periods when they were:

In paid full-time employment
In receipt of Income Support, JSA or other state benefits paid to a person who is registered as unemployed
In receipt of incapacity benefits, invalidity pension or maternity allowance
Receiving training under any scheme for the unemployed or other funding by any state authority or agency

The three years of self support do not need to be consecutive.

Based on what you have mentioned so far, he was full time employed for 3 years, based on this, I would suggest him applying as an independent student in order to attain maximum support.

Reply 37

Npton

Original post by Student Money Week

Got a question about student finance? Ask us now!

Is there a regulation stipulating the minimum hours of face to face live lectures/sessions a BA degree course must include in order for the university to be allowed to receive fees via student loans? If so, how many hours must they provide, and where can I find that as official information?

Reply 38

Ray SFE

5

Original post by Shadowsfear

Are NHS students who are starting in Autumn 2016 ( therefore legible to have course fees paid by NHS still) entitled to apply for a loan off SFE to cover living costs or are we still capped ?

thanks :smile:

Hi Shadowsfear

Students eligible for NHS funding will still have their tuition fees paid for by their NHS authority. Note that some NHS courses are not covered by NHS funding so you need to check with your college/university.

If you’re eligible to apply for an income assessed NHS bursary, then you’ll be able to apply for a reduced-rate Maintenance Loan to help cover living costs - how much finance available depends on your circumstances.

To find out more about the funding available to students on NHS-funded courses, visit: The NHSBusiness Services Authority – www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students

If you have any further questions you can submitthem to NHS experts who’ll be hosting a live web chat on Thursday - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3868155

Thanks

Reply 39

Ray SFE

5

Original post by Kevtam69

Hi I am going to be studying nursing have been offered a place I was wandering with a bursary what is the maximum student loan I can apply for

Hi Kevtam69

How much you can get depends on your circumstances. You’d need to speak to your NHS authority with regards to much bursary you’re able to get. This will then affect how much loan you can apply for.

If you have any further questions you can submit them to our NHS experts who’ll be hosting a live web chat on Thursday

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3868155

Thanks

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