Student Finance won't help me out when I need it?
Comments
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Andypandyboy wrote: »I am not sure why you should be having this issue. Our youngest is at University and on minimum loan due to our income. All we pay is his rent and a bus season ticket. From his loan he pays for everything else. You live at home and have all your food/bills paid for so how are you any worse off?
I appreciate that if your stepfather won't fill in the forms it is irritating but you are not in a bad position regardless of that. There are many students much worse off.
Don't get me wrong, I know there's students worse off than me, I've just ended up very short of money, so travel costs, essentials for university. Plus this project we've just started involves us having to travel quite a bit too so that's becoming a struggle financially. I'm grateful for all the help and everything my family have provided me with, but right now the course itself is proving very expensive and I'm struggling that's all.
The university tried to get me a season ticket for buses last year although they only offer those tickets for First buses, whereas it's Arriva who run through my area and they never do the discounts that First do, so it never worked out0 -
Jlawson118 wrote: »I'm hardly just taking items from my grandma now am I? When she insists on getting me these things and hates it when I argue back with her over it. You're getting a bit personal now. And despite my parents struggling, she's spent about the same amount on my mum just the same.
And I'd happily pay my way at home, but right from the beginning my step-dad insisted he pays my side of the bills seen as he refused to fill in the Student Finance form even back then. I've started drifting off with finances and paying my own way, like my phone contract for example. I'm trying to be independent here. But everyone in my family is trying their hardest to support me and this was originally asking what my next steps are for helping me with my living costs, so travel, books, other equipment etc..not what my grandma gives to me and my family
You're right, this has gone off topic but you did have your answer right at the start, which is to get your step father to complete the forms.
However, the combination of the minimum loan, a part time job and living rent free should mean you can manage quite well and you should remember that taking money from strangers (the hardship fund) doesn't make you any more independent than taking money from family.0 -
Even without discounts a bus season ticket would have been cheaper than a car.and you could have put the balance to other costs.
Seriously, my son doesn't seem to be short of money and you are in a similar position to him financially so maybe you need to budget a bit better? He has never asked us to supplement his loan beyond the rental payment (which includes bills) and the bus ticket. We do send him back with food but not much more.
I have a lot of time for students, but really I think that you are focusing on getting additional monies because you think you should have it. The fact is that if your step dad won't play ball you will just have to accept it. I don't think that you should be considering using a hardship fund when your situation is much better than a lot of other students. Good luck with your course.0 -
when YOU applied for student finance for this year, your parents will have had to put their income details, for the year ending April 2015.
If their circumstances have changed in the year to April 2016 or in the current year, there is a form they can fill in to state what it is now, and your loan and grants will be reassessed.
If they won't provide new details then you won't get any more than you get which assumes they (your parents) will support you so that you get the same as someone on a full grant, with full loan.
On the other hand, there is a savings pot. Use it??????0 -
missbiggles1 wrote: »You're right, this has gone off topic but you did have your answer right at the start, which is to get your step father to complete the forms.
However, the combination of the minimum loan, a part time job and living rent free should mean you can manage quite well and you should remember that taking money from strangers (the hardship fund) doesn't make you any more independent than taking money from family.
Well I haven't started the part time job just yet, that begins in a few weeks, but at the end of the day it's a Christmas temp job so it'll last me a matter of a few weeks, I can't imagine that money will go very far unfortunately..
I should be able to get back on my feet after Christmas in the second semester, but all I've found even from last year is that getting set up in the first semester, can prove rather expensive, and as much as I get just short of £1000 per semester, that's gone on essentials for university. And as I've mentioned in another post, the course is requiring a lot of trips and travelling lately that's proving expensive, then there's books. I guess I picked the wrong course when it comes to saving money0 -
Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »when YOU applied for student finance for this year, your parents will have had to put their income details, for the year ending April 2015.
If their circumstances have changed in the year to April 2016 or in the current year, there is a form they can fill in to state what it is now, and your loan and grants will be reassessed.
If they won't provide new details then you won't get any more than you get which assumes they (your parents) will support you so that you get the same as someone on a full grant, with full loan.
On the other hand, there is a savings pot. Use it??????
It isn't even just that though, my step-dad just disagrees with them checking up on him and stalking his bank and income and everything, he doesn't want to disclose his details. He has nothing to hide, he just argues that they don't need to know this stuff. I can't change any of that unfortunately, I can't change his views or get him to help me
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Andypandyboy wrote: »Even without discounts a bus season ticket would have been cheaper than a car.and you could have put the balance to other costs.
Seriously, my son doesn't seem to be short of money and you are in a similar position to him financially so maybe you need to budget a bit better? He has never asked us to supplement his loan beyond the rental payment (which includes bills) and the bus ticket. We do send him back with food but not much more.
I have a lot of time for students, but really I think that you are focusing on getting additional monies because you think you should have it. The fact is that if your step dad won't play ball you will just have to accept it. I don't think that you should be considering using a hardship fund when your situation is much better than a lot of other students. Good luck with your course.
In all fairness, my bus ticket was costing me £100 per month, my car costs me around £120 per month. It's a £20 difference, it's not like it's all that much more expensive to run. And by no means am I trying to get money that I feel I should get, I'm definitely not like that, right now I'm struggling quite a lot with the costs. Perhaps I do need to budget a little better, you're right. But I'm pretty offended by your comments about trying to claim money I'm not entitled to..0 -
Jlawson118 wrote: »In all fairness, my bus ticket was costing me £100 per month, my car costs me around £120 per month. It's a £20 difference, it's not like it's all that much more expensive to run. And by no means am I trying to get money that I feel I should get, I'm definitely not like that, right now I'm struggling quite a lot with the costs. Perhaps I do need to budget a little better, you're right. But I'm pretty offended by your comments about trying to claim money I'm not entitled to..
I did not intend to offend, but really it does need saying. You have a good home, family support and access to a savings pot that is to be used for your benefit when needed I assume? Well, if you can't manage then you need to use that safety net.
Regardless of that though, a University hardship fund is, or should be, reserved for those students who have none of those things. I would be horrified if my son even thought of using such a fund before using savings or asking us.
A season bus pass costs my son ( or rather me!) £220 for an academic year. I am willing to bet that you could have got a pass for much less than £100 pcm.0 -
If your stepdad absolutely won't change his mind, you'll just have to use your savings until you find a more permanent part-time job.
Aside from it being wrong for you to take from the hardship fund when you aren't actually in hardship (it's usually a limited amount, once its gone, its gone, so you would be taking it from somebody in genuine need) I don't think you would be given anything from it anyway. Uni's have very strict criteria on who they give it to and as you live at home with your parents, run a car and have savings you definitely wouldn't qualify. It isn't an option to take from it.
So the option this leaves you with is cutting your spending and increasing your income. You need to think of ways to do that, which will probably mean giving up a few luxuries.June 2016 Grocery Challenge- £49.61/£900 -
Andypandyboy wrote: »I did not intend to offend, but really it does need saying. You have a good home, family support and access to a savings pot that is to be used for your benefit when needed I assume? Well, if you can't manage then you need to use that safety net.
Regardless of that though, a University hardship fund is, or should be, reserved for those students who have none of those things. I would be horrified if my son even thought of using such a fund before using savings or asking us.
A season bus pass costs my son ( or rather me!) £220 for an academic year. I am willing to bet that you could have got a pass for much less than £100 pcm.
On average, for the pass I had, it was worth £150 - £200 for people who weren't a student and allowed for both bus and train access, the £100 was a student discount on a student pass pretty much. I live in Leeds so the local services are either First or Arriva, both operated by Metro. Many people were able to get a First semester pass for around a similar price you mentioned, I tried to get the same for the Arriva service as First doesn't run through the village I live in, not to my university location anyway. So I had to get a Metro pass costing £100 per 30 days. Arriva is the more expensive service but I got a pass that could work on all Metro services pretty much.
I did start using just Arriva for £70 per month but it was phone only passes and my phone was going dodgy around the time, causing me to nearly lose my ticket, so I went back to the physical pass0
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