Undischarged Bankrupt just accepted for SW degree needs a little help Please.

dadof2littlemonsters

Hello all

sorry for what will be a long winded post

Been a while since i have posted on the forums, (since before bankruptcy actually)
Have been for an interview at University of Hertfordshire today for the BSC Hons Social Work degree, despite being told 2-3 weeks for decision recieved a phone call an hour after leaving offering me an unconditional offer, :T (well chuffed)

Now im in need of some serious advice. my Bankruptcy ends on 24/06/09 so i will be discharged at time of starting degree, and from my brief foray around this wonderful forum tonight believe it shouldnt affect me getting a student loan anyway (if i have to go down that route).

i am aware of the bursary that is available for social work students and will be applying for this.
But my main problem/querie is
i am currently the only earner in the household as my wife is a full time mum to our 2 small (nearly 3 and 18 months) children,

what if any benifits are available to me/us as a household? At the moment we only recieve Child benefit and tax credits.

trying to work out if it is going to be possible to achieve a degree without student loans and not knackering myself taking on too much, work wise.

thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings

dadof2littlemonsters:o

Voyager2002

Congratulations, and good luck for your future.

I don't think you should hesitate about getting student loans: that is what they are there to support! As for support for the rest of the family, explore the EntitledTo website.

Oldernotwiser

Any benefits that you might be eligible for will be assessed as if you'd taken out the Student Loan, even if you don't.

It really isn't feasible to do the degree without taking out the Fee and Maintenance Loans, but you need to remember that, on a starting salary of £20,000, you'll only be paying back £40 per month.

It's understandable that you're wary of being in debt but you should really not make any connection between student funding and ordinary debt as they're so different.

boo304

Firstly, well done on getting on to your course!

If your wife isn't earning, you should get an adult dependant grant and/or a parental learning allowance from your lea (it will all be assessed when you apply for funding). I believe these are in the region of £1300 each. You should also be eligible for a special support grant which is worth around £2800 per year. These are all grants which you don't have to pay back.

You will also continue to get child benefit and child tax credit. I really would recommend getting your student loan, just in case. If you find that you don't need it, you could always stick it in a savings account, and you pay it back at such a minimal amount that it's worth it. Don't forget everyone has to pay tuition fees of £3000 per year too so I would also recommend getting the tuition fee loan

ilovepolish

student loans are not considered as income when calculating benefits. your wife will still recieve benefits although they may be different.

if your wife does not work you are entitled to an adult dependants learning grant alongside your child dependants learning grant. these are both non repayable.

this also means that if you are in rented accomodation you are entitled to some housing benefit and as a student you are also council tax exempt so you msy be able to claim a discount.

you may also be able to apply for access funds direct from your university which are not repayable.

it is most likely that you will not have student loans at all given your circumstances as the cost of your tuition will be covered by grants as will your maintenance. f you are on certain benefits then the DSS picks up the bill for your tuition.

hope this helps. i got this information by speaking to the head of student services at my local education authority (milton Keynes)

they also have these advisers at all uni campuses so book an appointment with either.

there is a calculator available on studentfinance.co.uk

good luck with your degree

Oldernotwiser

ilovepolish wrote: »

student loans are not considered as income when calculating benefits. your wife will still recieve benefits although they may be different.

That is totally wrong!! Student loans, bursaries and grants are ALL counted as income for benefits purposes, even if you choose not to take out the loan!

As for,
"it is most likely that you will not have student loans at all given your circumstances as the cost of your tuition will be covered by grants as will your maintenance. f you are on certain benefits then the DSS picks up the bill for your tuition. ", I have never read so much absolute RUBBISH in all my life!

Please don't post advice unless you know what you're talking about otherwise some people will be misled.