The Student Room Group

Will i get funding from SAAS - Studying In London

I have a conditional offer from SOAS University of London to begin studying in September 2013. It's conditional as i am a mature student currently studying an Access course in Glasgow and the conditions are that i first pass the access course. I'm 23 and still live at home and will be moving to London to live in student halls for the first year. I come from a low income household and will definitely need funding.

I checked the SAAS website a few months ago and was given lots of info about what i would be entitled to but i have just been on the website again and it's all completely changed. I'm finding it difficult to see if i am even entitled to anything at all now.

Does SAAS still fund Scottish students studying at Universities in England?

Will i receive a loan for my tuition fees and receive help with living costs???

I'm really worried i might not be getting anything to help me out :confused:
Reply 1
Looks like you will be eligible, either as a young student or independent student. See http://www.saas.gov.uk/full_time/ug/index.htm for more advice :smile:
Reply 2
Hi jamiemitchell,

My daughter is funded by SAAS and attends university in London, where she lives during term time. She is in her third term of first year and we were really disappointed with the amount of student bursary and loan she received this year - certainly when compared to the rest of the UK funding agencies Scottish students get a pretty raw deal in terms of student finance for living expenses. Paying for accommodation for her first year has been difficult enough but when we got her 2013/14 funding notice through from SAAS yesterday we were delivered yet another kick in the teeth - the Scottish Government (who have, unsurprisingly, kept this change very quiet) have decided to remove the London weighting allowance formerly attached to the student loan for students studying outside Scotland in the next academic year. This means that a young or independent student studying in, say, Blackpool, will get the same amount of student loan as someone living and studying in Central London - if you've managed to take a look at accommodation prices in the capital you'll know this is absolutely ridiculous. I have written a letter of complaint to SAAS as we are now in the position where my daughter might not be able to continue her studies down there. All pretty unfair if you ask me, considering that the vast majority of her funding is in the form of a loan (she does not benefit from the free tuition afforded to all Scottish students who remain here). One could be forgiven for thinking this has all the hallmarks of anti-English sentiment on the part of our beloved 'government'...... I wish you the best of luck in your studies and hope you manage to navigate your way through the nightmare that is SAAS!
best of luck jamie! ill be keeping a eye on this thread because id like to apply to london once i do a access course but not sure if i could afford it.

hope you get your loans sorted!
Reply 4
*UPDATE*

I just received my award notice from SAAS and i am now really worried sick about how i am able to live when i move to London. Firstly, i know it is my responsibility to find some part time work and i am really appreciative of every penny i am given from SAAS but i think what i have received is just a disgrace.

I am under 25 and therefore i am a young student and my loan and bursary is based on my parent's income which is just above the minimum. I will be moving to London and staying in student accommodation which is £143.43 per week. That is total £5450.34 for the 38 weeks of the academic year.

I have received the £9000 tuition loan from SAAS.
I have received £500 in Young Students Bursary
And I have received £5500 from the Student Loans Company.

Altogether this works out at £6000 in income for the academic year. As you can see from above, my accommodation for the academic year comes to £5450.34. This leaves me with £549.66 for the academic year for food, clothes, toiletries etc. That is £14 per week !!!

I just can't believe i will have so little left. I have been reading SAAS's website info for the past year and last year they offered a Student Studying Outside Scotland bursary with a little more money going to students studying in London for obvious reasons. This year SAAS has scrapped this extra help for Scots students studying in London. I really can't understand why they have done this. They have made near to impossible for Scottish students to study in London.

I really have no idea what i am going to do now. Hopefully i will be able to find some part time work to get me by. There really is no option to study in Scotland as the degree i am studying is the only one in the UK and probably even in Europe, so i need to go to London.

Does anyone know of anything at all where i can receive more support? I just feel sick at the thought of how much i am going to struggle.
Reply 5
Original post by jamiemitchell
*UPDATE*

I just received my award notice from SAAS and i am now really worried sick about how i am able to live when i move to London. Firstly, i know it is my responsibility to find some part time work and i am really appreciative of every penny i am given from SAAS but i think what i have received is just a disgrace.

I am under 25 and therefore i am a young student and my loan and bursary is based on my parent's income which is just above the minimum. I will be moving to London and staying in student accommodation which is £143.43 per week. That is total £5450.34 for the 38 weeks of the academic year.

I have received the £9000 tuition loan from SAAS.
I have received £500 in Young Students Bursary
And I have received £5500 from the Student Loans Company.

Altogether this works out at £6000 in income for the academic year. As you can see from above, my accommodation for the academic year comes to £5450.34. This leaves me with £549.66 for the academic year for food, clothes, toiletries etc. That is £14 per week !!!

I just can't believe i will have so little left. I have been reading SAAS's website info for the past year and last year they offered a Student Studying Outside Scotland bursary with a little more money going to students studying in London for obvious reasons. This year SAAS has scrapped this extra help for Scots students studying in London. I really can't understand why they have done this. They have made near to impossible for Scottish students to study in London.

I really have no idea what i am going to do now. Hopefully i will be able to find some part time work to get me by. There really is no option to study in Scotland as the degree i am studying is the only one in the UK and probably even in Europe, so i need to go to London.

Does anyone know of anything at all where i can receive more support? I just feel sick at the thought of how much i am going to struggle.


I completely understand your situation, but it was well advertised that funding was changing and that there wouldn't be anything extra for studying in London I'm afraid. Is your accommodation set in stone, or is there an alternative hall or something which is cheaper?

Anyway, the university will most likely offer some sort of scholarship or bursary that you can apply for so you should definitely look into that if you've not already. I would be extremely surprised if they didn't offer any scholarships for widening access purposes.

Good luck, hope you find something! :smile:
Reply 6
My son is going to London to study at a specialist music school and today is the first day I have heard that the London weighting has been taken away. I called and asked SAAS when this change was implemented, they just said earlier this year and wouldn't give me exact dates or point me to the policy documents implementing the changes. Yes they have been making changes to their website, but at no point were we informed that the London weighting would disappear. I think it's a very underhand thing to do especially when someone has applied for their first year and smacks of gross unfairness and discrimination.

The irony is that if you are student from Scotland and studying there, then regardless of parents income, the course fees are free!

Wholly unfair and discriminatory. Again, our young people are failed.
Reply 7
Original post by jamiemitchell
*UPDATE*

I just received my award notice from SAAS and i am now really worried sick about how i am able to live when i move to London. Firstly, i know it is my responsibility to find some part time work and i am really appreciative of every penny i am given from SAAS but i think what i have received is just a disgrace.

I am under 25 and therefore i am a young student and my loan and bursary is based on my parent's income which is just above the minimum. I will be moving to London and staying in student accommodation which is £143.43 per week. That is total £5450.34 for the 38 weeks of the academic year.

I have received the £9000 tuition loan from SAAS.
I have received £500 in Young Students Bursary
And I have received £5500 from the Student Loans Company.

Altogether this works out at £6000 in income for the academic year. As you can see from above, my accommodation for the academic year comes to £5450.34. This leaves me with £549.66 for the academic year for food, clothes, toiletries etc. That is £14 per week !!!

I just can't believe i will have so little left. I have been reading SAAS's website info for the past year and last year they offered a Student Studying Outside Scotland bursary with a little more money going to students studying in London for obvious reasons. This year SAAS has scrapped this extra help for Scots students studying in London. I really can't understand why they have done this. They have made near to impossible for Scottish students to study in London.

I really have no idea what i am going to do now. Hopefully i will be able to find some part time work to get me by. There really is no option to study in Scotland as the degree i am studying is the only one in the UK and probably even in Europe, so i need to go to London.

Does anyone know of anything at all where i can receive more support? I just feel sick at the thought of how much i am going to struggle.


I don't think there is anywhere I'm afraid other than interest free overdrafts with bank accounts- anything from £500-£2000.
Reply 8
Original post by Ecosse_14
I completely understand your situation, but it was well advertised that funding was changing and that there wouldn't be anything extra for studying in London I'm afraid. Is your accommodation set in stone, or is there an alternative hall or something which is cheaper?

Anyway, the university will most likely offer some sort of scholarship or bursary that you can apply for so you should definitely look into that if you've not already. I would be extremely surprised if they didn't offer any scholarships for widening access purposes.

Good luck, hope you find something! :smile:


I did a search and all I can find on the SOAS website are ones for students studying courses leading to the professions and even then the applicant must ordinarily resident in England.
Have you checked for scholarships at the university? It may only give you a little extra but it's worth looking at. They may also have a hardship fund which you might be entitled to access, but this depends on the university's rules.
Reply 10
Original post by jamiemitchell
*UPDATE*

I just received my award notice from SAAS and i am now really worried sick about how i am able to live when i move to London. Firstly, i know it is my responsibility to find some part time work and i am really appreciative of every penny i am given from SAAS but i think what i have received is just a disgrace.

I am under 25 and therefore i am a young student and my loan and bursary is based on my parent's income which is just above the minimum. I will be moving to London and staying in student accommodation which is £143.43 per week. That is total £5450.34 for the 38 weeks of the academic year.

I have received the £9000 tuition loan from SAAS.
I have received £500 in Young Students Bursary
And I have received £5500 from the Student Loans Company.

Altogether this works out at £6000 in income for the academic year. As you can see from above, my accommodation for the academic year comes to £5450.34. This leaves me with £549.66 for the academic year for food, clothes, toiletries etc. That is £14 per week !!!

I just can't believe i will have so little left. I have been reading SAAS's website info for the past year and last year they offered a Student Studying Outside Scotland bursary with a little more money going to students studying in London for obvious reasons. This year SAAS has scrapped this extra help for Scots students studying in London. I really can't understand why they have done this. They have made near to impossible for Scottish students to study in London.

I really have no idea what i am going to do now. Hopefully i will be able to find some part time work to get me by. There really is no option to study in Scotland as the degree i am studying is the only one in the UK and probably even in Europe, so i need to go to London.

Does anyone know of anything at all where i can receive more support? I just feel sick at the thought of how much i am going to struggle.


Have you thought about applying for cheaper halls - the UoL has a few halls that are a little cheaper - or at least they are the same price but are catered so at least you wouldn't starve?

I also have the same issue really even though I am at uni in Scotland - my loan will be £4500 and my halls are £5780. So I am left with -£1280 from my loan. I have some savings dwindling fast, a part time job and my parents help out when they can.
Reply 11
Looks like you're just going to have to roll your sleeves up. Higher education isn't a right, it's a privilege, so if you have to do that little bit extra to make it happen, like pick up some part time work, then that's what you have to do.

Good luck.


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This is perhaps a little late for this thread but i feel the point needs to be raised. Now being 6 months in to a degree in London I am shocked to see the disparity in loans and bursaries available between Scottish and English students. What I found most disappointing is that, since our family income was slightly over the SAAS cap for a bursary, I was unable to receive a bursary from my university - despite being well within the Student Finance England income cap my they were using to decide eligibility for their bursary. I am lucky to be in a situation were my parents do an awful lot to support me, but I can't help but feel angry about the funding change as it was 1. not at all well advertised and 2. the funding now in is no where near in line with SFE, especially irritating when it goes through the same loans company. The principles of equality this policy has been trying to implement are total failures as ultimately it is potentially depriving people of the ability to go anywhere for their university degree - if it is too expensive (London in particular) then that is that and you are on your own. Considering that I am the only person from Scotland on my course and only one of two at my entire university from Scotland receiving SAAS funding in my entire's year intake I can't help but feel that the lack of funding is a significant disincentive for students.
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And one final point I'd like to raise with Gillybop is that higher education may be a privilege but it is also increasingly a rite of passage to a good job with a decent salary.With more people going to university it is becoming common for a 2:1 from a reasonably good university to be enough to secure a job. Even having only completed the first semester of my 3 year course the atmosphere is incredibly competitive and the work intense. My incentive, and i think many students' incentive to go to university is for a good career, and this incentive played a large role in my decision to go to university in London, where many of (by no means all of course) the graduate jobs are. And to be perfectly honest it is far more of a privilege in London than in Scotland because it is now much more expensive and as a consequence unfeasible for some - a wholly discriminatory and disappointing outcome.
I hope that any other Scottish students living in London here agree that the funding is a disappointment; but the opportunities that studying in London will bring are unique and make the potential financial difficulties overall wholly worthwhile. Best of luck to all of you, I hope you are enjoying it and find it to be overall a worthwhile experience.
Reply 13
I fully agree with the Discrimination encountered and feel highlights a huge loop hoop in the education sector of our country . My son has had to relocate to Bristol to continue with his education to allow him to progress in the sport of American football with a view to receiving a scholarship in the USA , where no facility to combine both was available in Scotland . At the age of 16 he continued studies at A level standard, before continuing this year in a BTEC extended Diploma in Public Services . I have been pushed from pillar to post between the Scottish Government and Local authorities at Inverclyde council where NO one can direct me to where funding is available although , Education Minister Mike Russell advised me that Local authorities have funding available to support students in these circumstances!!! , During this time he has received a Cap for his country in his chosen sport and recently returned from Texas having represented Europe . You would think students of such calibre would be encouraged by our Government , would appear NOT! .. Better to be unemployed well at least that's the impression they are setting ! as no issues there receiving any financial support !!! and they wonder why our country is in the mess it is and many remain on the DOLE ! Thankfully my son has a better outlook and with my help and my help only can continue to follow his Dream ...

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