Student finance - siblings

Hi,
My eldest child is going to uni in September 2024 and we have just completed the student finance application.
I am struggling to find anything that tells me how much difference having dependant siblings makes to the application. He is the eldest of 4. Is it that there is a simple reduction applied to the income or is it more complicated than that?
I would also like to know if it is dependant on their level of education. My eldest is starting a four year course, his sister will be going September next year, no3 two years after that, and no4 after another 2 years. So next year we will have 2 at uni, in three years we will have 3 and so on.
Also, whilst my son is living at home he has been supporting himself financially for the last year in terms of everything other than his accommodation costs and yet it seems that we should have kicked him out and refused to speak to him for at least a year for his to be assessed on his own merits? Or have I miss understood this?
thank you

Hi there,
The student if under 25 isn't classed as independent unless they have self supported for 3 years before the start of their course. If they haven't, then we will need your income details to support his application.
If you're supporting more than 1 student we will take this into consideration and a disregard will be done when the assessor is processing the finance.
Thanks,
Claire

Hi Claire, is there a way of seeing/checking that this has been taken into account? My daughter has had her finance approved but has been approved for the minimum amount available.