Mature Student finance.....

aconitum

Hi there,
I'm posting on behalf of my sister who started a youth worker degree course in Sept as a part time student. Anyway she has worked as a youth worker for some years(local authority employed,) and was recommended by her manager to do the degree as it is widely accepted that it will be a requirement by law in the next few years ( much like the early years degree for nurseries etc..). She was lead to believe that funding for the tuition fees would be available despite the fact she is part time and as she has four school age children this seemed the most appropriate way to go. Any way she started the course and applied for the funding only to discover that she is entitled to just over a hundred quid.Obviously this does not go very far toward her fees and now she is worried about how she will pay for it. She could apply for a personal development loan but could only claim for three years and her course lasts for four. She could just say sod it and claim it and hope something comes up but obviously she is left for a year at the end where she is not only trying to start repaying the loan but also pay for her final years tuition.Anyone got any ideas about where to get the money from???? At the moment her credit card may be the only option!!!

MrsManda

There are a variety of grants and loans available dependent on the course and situation of the student. As it is her employer who has recommended the course, will she be able to get any funding from them? As it is PT will she continue working with the local authority?
She may be able to get fee/course grants, Access for Learning grant (though that needs applying to through the college)...
Information on various aspects of student finance can be found HERE

It may also be worth looking at the Learning Through Work scheme, information can be found HERE

welshmoneylover

What about the OU?
I'm sure they will offer funding/grants for people who work and wish to study.
hth

Oldernotwiser

welshmoneylover wrote: »

What about the OU?
I'm sure they will offer funding/grants for people who work and wish to study.
hth

Funding for study with the OU is pretty much the same as funding for any other form of part time study. These are always means tested on household income so I assume that the OP's sister has household income over the threshold. In these circumstances a student would be expected to be self funding, although many colleges will allow you to spread the cost of the fees over the year.

Taiko

I don't think they were incorrect when she was told funding would be available, the only thing being is that you were means-tested out of it.

I would try the uni directly, or maybe The Educational Grants Advisory Service at https://www.egas-online.org

KellyWelly

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Funding for study with the OU is pretty much the same as funding for any other form of part time study. These are always means tested on household income so I assume that the OP's sister has household income over the threshold. In these circumstances a student would be expected to be self funding, although many colleges will allow you to spread the cost of the fees over the year.

The OU fees are way way less than B&M Uni fees, plus they will give tution fee grants to people earning up to about £30k, more if you have dependents. I think most people would get some form of help, and as I say, even without it their fees are a lot less. Apparently they're getting lots of school leavers who can't afford to go to uni. On my last two courses there were 3 teenagers in my group for French out of a tutorial group of less than 20, I reckon.