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Mature students- help with childcare costs

We have 3 young children and our childcare bill is currently over £2000 per month with my husband and I both working full time. We don’t get any sort of help towards this due to our top line salaries but we just about manage to scrape by using my entire wage and a little of his to cover our childcare costs. I am looking to give up my current role to start a degree in a field I am really interested in though as it the one regret I’ve had my whole life and if I don’t do it now I never will (it can’t be done through open university). I have had a look online and I can’t find any info re what help may be available for mature students towards childcare costs? I know we aren’t eligible for benefits like universal credit etc but unless I can put some sort of plan in place I physically can’t afford go to university this year as our childcare costs far exceed my husbands take home wage and we still have bills and a mortgage to pay. A couple of websites mentioned university discretionary funds but I have no idea what those are and how you would go about applying for them, or whether they would even be an option in these circumstances?

Any info would be much appreciated,

Thanks,

Lyn

Reply 1

adam271

Going to university is all about sacrifices I'm afraid.
Some universities do offer help with childcare but it's institution specific so you have to contact them.

Also if your going to university you may only have lessons 2/3 days a week which means you can cover childcare yourself for some days and cut your costs down.

Also you will be eligible for a maintenance loan even if your staying at home Which should be about £7500 a year as they don't take your partner's income into account.
On top of this most universities offer bursaries which can be like £1000 a year.

It will be difficult but maybe doable. Hoped this helped.

Reply 2

Lh87

Original post by adam271

Thanks for the reply however it’s a nursing course I’m looking at so other than the standard non means tested bursary, I wouldn’t be eligible to apply for any additional funding on top of that ie loans etc. It’s also a full on 5 day per week course where attendance is compulsory and the placements incur long shifts and unsociable hours so I don’t think there’s any way to reduce the amount of childcare we would need.

And I totally get that it’s about sacrifices, I have no issues with that. Giving up a 15 year career to go back and study for 3 years, to end up with a starting wage which will only be around 50% of my current salary is a huge sacrifice in itself, but it’s something I’m willing to do to progress in my chosen field. Not going out, not having holidays etc for the next few years doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but going from a 45k+ salary to nothing when you still have 3 children to feed, childcare costs in excess of £2000 per month, a mortgage of over £1000 per month, council tax, heating, electricity, cars to run etc etc does genuinely worry me; it’s unfortunately not about making sacrifices, as sacrifices are inevitable. It’s about actually managing to survive if I go head with my chosen course. I will obviously speak to the uni about specific funding available in due course but anybody who has been in a similar position and can give any examples of help they have received or how they have managed would be very much appreciated. I just need some hope that it’s doable. :-)

Reply 3

adam271

Your not entitled to maintenance loans as a nursing student? Personally, I'm out of my depth in this area but I didn't think that was the case.

Also nursing courses are eligible for some funding for childcare costs ( think it's like £1000) a year or something.
Along with quite a few other things.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nursing-students-to-receive-5-000-payment-a-year

This website says your entitled to the full maintenance loan along side with upto £8000 a year in allied healthcare specific degree bursaries. With £5000 being guaranteed.

I may well be wrong but unless your course is a very specific one or you already went to university before at some point you should be entitled to maintenance loans. Or.. I am missing something obvious.

Reply 4

Lh87

Sorry I’m from Dundee and it appears to be a bit different in Scotland- you are eligible for the nursing bursary but no further loans. I’ll give the uni a call tomorrow and ask the question as that’s probably easier. Thanks