Help With Student Loans - HERE!

Dunroamin

Time spent on benefits counts towards the 3 years needed to achieve independent status.

Taiko

It's weird, because the SLC claimed in an FOI that the £7.5k figure does not exist. Have they asked you for further information as to how you supported on the period you earned under £7.5k?

“A reasonable level of income to be classed as self supporting is
£7500 – where income is less than this request a breakdown of income
and outgoings from student to demonstrate how they were self
supporting”

Source: SLC FOI Publication Scheme, January 2012.

Chelski

Thank you for your help it's really appreciated

They haven't asked for anything. My main problem lies in the fact that I think they are basing everything on tax years. I worked full time from jan 07-jul 07 for one company and then oct 07-jul 08 for another. Small gap in between I claimed benefits. Claimed benefits July-sept 08 then was offered place at college. Left college June 09. Worked full time til sept 09. Was on benefits til feb 10. Worked full time march 10 til aug 11 just before i started uni. My p60's are a bit skewed because of the dates of my unemployment but I've sent them so much showing how much I earnt over four years. I'm struggling now.

Taiko

They shouldn't be basing it on tax years, just 36 months of self support. Seems SFE need to get their acts together on this, and that you've ended up with a poor assessor.

If you wanted to PM me the figures, with dates, I'll take a look for you.

cadoo

Hi all,

I'm a third year student studying Music just re-applying for my student loan. Last year I just re-applied online and it was completely effortless. All sorted. My parents didn't have to provide anything it was a piece of cake.

I've gone to do it this year (online) and now it just says:

We are still awaiting your Father's financial details, please ask them to log into their account to provide this information
We are still awaiting your Mother's financial details, please ask them to log into their account to provide this information



My financial details have not changed at all. Last year my parents didn't have to do anything.



This normal? I basically just want the same loan as last year - nothing has changed in terms of financial income/my course/living arrangements.

Savvy_Sue

It sounds to me as if you only received the non-means-tested part last year. If your parents didn't supply any information, that's all you'd be entitled to.

If you post what your parents' gross income is, someone will say whether you'd have got a grant by supplying that info.

Or they'll say what the limits are for next year.

stephw1

Hi all. I hope this is the right place to post this - I've had a search around other pages but can't find the answer to my query, so I hope someone will be able to shed some light on it!

I am starting a PGCE course in September, so I just wanted to know how the repayments will work, as I will end up having ~£25k owed under the "old" system, and then however much (at least £9k) under the new 2012 start system, which has a higher threshold, different repayments etc - so I just wanted to know if anyone knew how this is going to work! I suppose it doesn't apply to many people...

I will of course ring Student Finance to ask if I can't find the answer here, it's just that they only have an 0845 number!!!

amiehall

Just to clarify, when you say "old system" do you mean you have a reasonably recent income contingent loan or an old mortgage style loan?

If you have a mortgage style loan, there are special arrangements for those with loans from a pgce.

If it's income contingent, I'm not sure it's been clarified but my intuition would say your repayments should just be 9% of everything over £15k. I'm really not sure which one it will seek to repay first. I have 2 loans and currently payments go towards the one that expires furthest into the future which is to my benefit. I've not seen any literature released that sets out how the two loans will interact with the new thresholds. I'm pretty certain you will only have one repayment due though.

liney

stephw1 wrote: »

Hi all. I hope this is the right place to post this - I've had a search around other pages but can't find the answer to my query, so I hope someone will be able to shed some light on it!

I am starting a PGCE course in September, so I just wanted to know how the repayments will work, as I will end up having ~£25k owed under the "old" system, and then however much (at least £9k) under the new 2012 start system, which has a higher threshold, different repayments etc - so I just wanted to know if anyone knew how this is going to work! I suppose it doesn't apply to many people...

I will of course ring Student Finance to ask if I can't find the answer here, it's just that they only have an 0845 number!!!

I'm in the same situation as you, so i'd be grateful if you can let me know what they said?

Also, this is probably a really silly question... Do you have to declare the bursary as household income to student finance, or do you get that in addition to the loan/grant?

The only part about bursaries I can find on the Student Finance site is to declare NHS burseries.

stephw1

amiehall wrote: »

Just to clarify, when you say "old system" do you mean you have a reasonably recent income contingent loan or an old mortgage style loan?

If you have a mortgage style loan, there are special arrangements for those with loans from a pgce.

If it's income contingent, I'm not sure it's been clarified but my intuition would say your repayments should just be 9% of everything over £15k. I'm really not sure which one it will seek to repay first. I have 2 loans and currently payments go towards the one that expires furthest into the future which is to my benefit. I've not seen any literature released that sets out how the two loans will interact with the new thresholds. I'm pretty certain you will only have one repayment due though.

Ah sorry, I forgot there's "even older system" too!

I have the income-contingent one as I only graduated in 2011. I just find it all a bit of a brain-strain to be honest - so the 9% thing - is that the way my original loan works? I haven't paid any off yet so I don't know... so you think the two loans will add together, and I'll start to pay them off once I earn 15k at the rate of my original loan?