Applying as an Independent Student (SFE)

If your mum is dead and you can get someone professional to write to SFE to explain that you have no contact with your biological father then you will be classed as independent (and should have been for all 3 years of your degree).

Step parents are only considered household income if they are currently living with your parent.

Do you have any teachers, gp or similar professional who would be able to write to SFE to confirm your situation?

Hello, my name is Marc and I am entering my final year (3rd) year of university and I'm applying as an Independent Student.
My situation is this, my biological mother passed away in May 2020 and I was left to live with my step-father who has never adopted me as his child nor is he my legal guardian.
I started my university in October 2020 and without much knowledge of student finance applications and the different options available for me at the time, I asked my step-father if he was willing to sponsor me for my student finance application during that time.
He said yes he would, however he never supported me financially, he just agreed for student finance to check his accounts and I used my maintenance loan only as financial support throughout my first year of uni.
The same thing with my 2nd year.
However, things changed during my 2nd year as my step-father has
re-married with a different woman, and after this our relationship has become strained.
Me and my step-father are no longer in speaking terms, he also said to me that he will not be my sponsor for my 3rd year SF application and that I could no longer live in his house.
Right now I am residing at my student accommodation and during holiday times when I'm not in university, I would stay at my grandmother's place (step-father's mom). As she kindly allowed to stay with her during my time outside of university.
I understand that SF is calculated using household income, however I have no family relations with my grandmother, we are not blood related nor are we related by law.
She only allowed me to stay at her place during my time outside of accommodations, because if not, I would literally be homeless.
I don't have any other family members living in the UK.

In terms of my biological father, I have not been in contact with him since I was 2 years old, I am 22 now and I don’t know how he is, where he is or whether if he’s still alive today. Contacting him would be impossible for me.

So my question is, would I still qualify as an independent student for my 3rd year of university, even though my step-father has sponsored me for student finance in my first 2 years of studying?

My only form of relationship with my step-father is that he was once my mom's partner, however this is no longer the case as he is re-married with a different women and taking care of a child of their own.
Again, he has not adopted me nor is he my legal guardian.

Hi There,

Due to your circumstances we may able to regarding you as an independent student. We’d need you to send us a covering letter explaining your situation and send this along with a copy of your mother’s death certificate and a letter from a professional person confirming your situation. This letter should confirm the following;

• Their relationship to you and the length of time they have known you
• The reasons for the estrangement from both your parents and when this occurred
• Current contact levels with both parents and if a reconciliation is likely
• Their contact details should we need to contact them

Alternatively we can also accept a Confirmation of Estrangement form completed by a professional person. You can find this form here: http://ow.ly/d/8nQw

Thanks, Erin N.

Thank you for your response, but like I said, my step-father is not my parent, as he did not officially adopt me and he is not my legal guardian.
His only form of relationship with me was he was once my mom's partner, now my mom has passed away and my step-father has re-married to another person.

I have no other biological parent living in the UK

SFE are talking about the letter explaining that you have no contact with your biological father.

when they talk about parents it’s your legal parents that matter for student finance purposes