Biomedical science, I want to study at york uni but I've used up 2 of my years so I'd have to cover the first years tution unless they accept my compelling reasons which they probably will tbf, 3 operations and a pregnancy over the 2 years is probably good enough reason. If not I have a few options the last one being taking out a loan which isn't really ideal.

Reply 6

Bexsterrh22

OP

7

Original post by Muserock

The maintenance loan is to cover day to day living so you'd need enough to cover general costs e.g. rent, travel expenses, books, food etc.

Ik a mature student and my partner would be supporting me so I wouldn't need the maintenance loan to cover living expenses

Reply 7

Muserock

18

Original post by Bexsterrh22

Ik a mature student and my partner would be supporting me so I wouldn't need the maintenance loan to cover living expenses

I think in theory it might be possible but you're maintenance loan might be lower as your partner's income would be taken into account. so, you may still have to partly self fund.

Reply 8

HallieMarie

14

My friend did this. She was eligible for student loans but didn't want the debt so she paid her fees out of her maintenance loan (this was when fees were £3000 and something though). She also got the welsh learning grant so that helped but yeah, she lived 30 mins away and would travel everyday.

Reply 9

Lizzillo

10

I'm a mature student and had done some previous study a decade ago, so I wasn't able to get tuition for my first year, so I used my maintenance plus some grants to cover tuition. It was fine as with my partner, I could still work part time and his job paid the bills.

It's completely doable if you budget right and maybe keep a part time job. My course ended up being 14 hours class time per week, so I was able to fit a job around it OK. I got full amounts of everything I was able too though as my partner was low income. As said, if they work and earn a good wage (same as the parent amount on SF website) then you'll be entitled to less so may need to put a fair bit of your own money in to cover tuition.

Reply 10

Bexsterrh22

OP

7

Original post by Lizzillo

I'm a mature student and had done some previous study a decade ago, so I wasn't able to get tuition for my first year, so I used my maintenance plus some grants to cover tuition. It was fine as with my partner, I could still work part time and his job paid the bills.

It's completely doable if you budget right and maybe keep a part time job. My course ended up being 14 hours class time per week, so I was able to fit a job around it OK. I got full amounts of everything I was able too though as my partner was low income. As said, if they work and earn a good wage (same as the parent amount on SF website) then you'll be entitled to less so may need to put a fair bit of your own money in to cover tuition.

Yay thankyou for that, that is such a help, i only work part time and they would be flexible enough to work round my uni, so I was planning on keeping my job because I think it looks better on a CV to have work even with full time study, there are uni students I work with who are at the uni I want to study at who work more hours than I do. My partner and mine combined wage falls under the low income bracket, plus we have dependants. (I would be eligible for a small bursary from the uni and the parent allowance from the goverment so that combined with some of our savings should make up the difference.) I hate borrowing from family but that's an option if I have absolutely have to. Can I ask regarding the maintenance loan did you get the full means tested amount a student with your income but with no previous study would be entitled to or was it assessed differently?

Reply 11

Ne en mia nomo

17

Original post by Bexsterrh22

Has anyone used their maintenance loan to cover their tution fees where they have been ineligible for tution fee loans due to previous study?

You can spend your loan on whatever you want.

Reply 12

Lizzillo

10

Original post by Bexsterrh22

Yay thankyou for that, that is such a help, i only work part time and they would be flexible enough to work round my uni, so I was planning on keeping my job because I think it looks better on a CV to have work even with full time study, there are uni students I work with who are at the uni I want to study at who work more hours than I do. My partner and mine combined wage falls under the low income bracket, plus we have dependants. (I would be eligible for a small bursary from the uni and the parent allowance from the goverment so that combined with some of our savings should make up the difference.) I hate borrowing from family but that's an option if I have absolutely have to. Can I ask regarding the maintenance loan did you get the full means tested amount a student with your income but with no previous study would be entitled to or was it assessed differently?

I have a kid too and was on Universal Credit anyway for maternity, so was able to stay on it. You may be able to go on it if you're both low income and have a kid. They deduct maintenance (even if spent on tuition), but they don't deduct anything related to children so it may be worth looking into, every little bit helps right?

Also, your wage is not taken into account at all by SF, only your partners, so you could work full time, part time, whatever, and still get the maximum amount his wage allows.

As for keeping your job, what I've found is that unless the job is relevant to your degree and career after, it's better to put the time into extracurricular stuff that is relevant. You have kids and are at uni - you're already proving you can multi task brilliantly. If you plan on being a teacher, for example, join a related society or your uni/departments outreach or school teaching programme. The more relevant experience the better as you already have a proven work ethic and need to prove you should be chosen for that job. Working at Iceland is great for money, but doesn't show a school you can teach or care. Just my two cents. Plus, most unis have some sort of Mature society and it's well worth going, if only because you'll meet other student parents who understand the dilemma of a deadline and a sick child.

I was assessed the same as any new student, except my husbands income was used rather than my parents, and I simply wasn't offered Tuition. This upcoming year, as I'm now a single parent, I get full everything and my maintenance loan is now mostly a special support grant which is non repayable. SF have been really helpful, as has my unis welfare departments. They help me with childcare fees (the 15% not covered by SF) and gave me a Hardship Fund of over £3000.

The best advice I can give is use all uni resources you can. They are there to help, and not just academically, but pastorally too. My lecturers found me scholarships, discount books and conference tickets, and even bought me lunch and even dropped off food when we had to quarantine. They wrote recommendation letters to SF too, which got me Tuition for this upcoming year. If you ever struggle, tell them and they will back you up, extend deadlines or simply note it down incase its needed in the future. Because I befriended my lecturers, when a childcare issue or work issue appeared, they simply recorded the lectures for me and didn't mark me absent, which was amazing too! Good luck and enjoy!

Maintenance loan to pay tution fees.

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