student finance at uni

anonymous298128

do you get a loan for accommodation at uni or do you have to pay that yourself

Reply 1

3908

Normally you would pay for it yourself using the SFE living (maintenance) loan

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by anonymous298128

do you get a loan for accommodation at uni or do you have to pay that yourself

As above if you're classified as a home fees student you will usually be eligible for SFE funding as well, which includes a tuition fee loan (paid directly to the uni) and a maintenance loan (paid to you). The latter is for supporting your living costs while at uni. It is means tested based on your household income and so your parent(s) (unless an independent student - normally only for people whose parents have died or who are estranged from them irrevocably, or that are over the age of 25 and considered financially independent) will need to provide supporting information (although you don't have to apply for the higher means tested amounts, there's no point not to!). The way SFE see things is they expect the maximum maintenance loan amount to be the amount students need to manage while at uni. For those not entitled to the maximum because their parent(s) are earning over one of the successive thresholds, they would expect the parent(s) to support you in costs equivalent to the difference (which many don't realise!).

If your household income (i.e. your parent(s) income if you're a school leaver normally) is such that you're entitled to the maximum or near maximum maintenance loan, you may well also be eligible for bursaries from your uni. The bursary doesn't need to be paid back so is just additional support, so also worth looking into! Some unis also have other forms of support for those from lower income backgrounds, such as discounted rent and/or structured mentorship and careers guidance.

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