Missing days off University.

If you’re only getting £3,400 per year, your parents must have a high income. Can they help out?

I'm estranged from my father, but am still in contact with my mother. SFE based my amount of the total household income of my mother and her partner, and although my mother earns scraps, her partner is quite well off. However, he doesn't give me any money(and I don't expect him to as I have quite a testy relationship with him). Because of this high household income, student finance won't raise my amount, no matter what I say or what evidence I provide. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place as you can imagine.

If you’re genuinely estranged, you have few options:

1) Commute.
2) Prove your estranged (doubt this will work).
3) Wait till you’re 25 and you’re independently assessed.
4) Defer your entry to raise the money.
5) Drop out.
6) Do an apprenticeship.

As for your step Dad you’re in a unfortunate situation. Can you move out, then maybe his in come won’t count as he doesn’t live with you? Life is hard, you’re going to make a decision. You may aswell just commute.

I think you may have misunderstood my situation. I live alone, my mother resides in Scotland, I'm in Doncaster currently, the distance is massive so I only see her three to four times a year. Student Finance is well aware of my situation and has said that because my mom lives with her partner, his income is automatically taken into consideration, despite the fact that he has no ties to me and has never given me a single penny in the time I have known him. I have asked that he not be considered, but student finance has stated that unless my mom moves out of his house, then they will continue to look at his income and the household income as a whole, regardless of the fact that my mom earns under the minimum amount and can't give me much support because she has to care for my baby sister.

Then, unfortunately in your situation there isn’t much you can do. You can try building a better relationship with your step Dad?

Hi there!
So I'm in my second year of Uni, studying illustration and concept design. I was given very little from student finance for maintenance, we're talking £3,400 for the entire year. As you might imagine, this is not nearly enough and despite battle SFE, nothing has changed. I am obviously having to work, I walk dogs and petsit, and it seems to provide a good amount of funding to live off. However, I am having to miss classes due to having to work, and despite not falling behind on work, my tutor is angry that I am missing class and has already threatened expulsion for missing one day. I am going to have to miss two days of class next week to work, and I need to make money to make rent this week. How do I appease her, as I have no choice but to work, but I've not missed deadlines before and will definitely get the work done. Please help!?

Have you applied for hardship funding from your university?

Tbh it’s completely reasonable for your university to expect you to only work outside your scheduled teaching time. Have you looked into other jobs that don’t clash with your studies?

If you can’t then you might be better off suspending your studies for a year to work and save up.

definitely speak to your university and explain what is going on and why you're missing classes. also restaurant work and bars are good jobs for students as all the hours can be in the evenings, plus tips! I also love catering work around the end of the year since it pays very well and has very relaxed hours.

How long have you lived alone for? If you can prove you have for over three years you should be independently assessed

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The only funding my university offers is disability funding, which I don't fall under. As for it being reasonable, this whole situation is outside the bounds of reason, the amount I've been given is impossible to live off.
The work I've taken up is the only one available at the moment, and tbh it allows for me to do my studies whilst working.
As for postponing my studies, then what? It's not exactly a simple option, I have no money, no family to take me in. I'll have to take up benefits to get myself a place to live, heck! I might have to move areas because there's not a lot of jobs available where I am now. So really, postponing isn't really an option.