Help With Student Loans - HERE!

Wiggynut

The_One_Who wrote: »

You get £8,000 a year, even with London prices that is a lot. I am in Scotland and the maximum loan I can get is £4500, with rent (not including bills) being £3,600 a year!

Are you going to get a part time job during term-time? Or a full time job during the holidays? That will boost your income by quite a bit.

You can easily survive on £250 as long as you buy sensibly and don't go on too many nights out etc.

Arn't scotlands Course Fees a lot lower?
some scottish friends say living costs are a lot lower too - I've never been so personally don't know.

I've worked for 22 years so it's scaring having £1000 to last for four months!!

but I do plan to work in sept and other breaks hopefully (temp work which isn't much but will help) not sure about part time work yet.. might have a couple months of just Uni as I need a mini 'break' from working 9-5! (that's the theory though lol!)

The_One_Who

Yeah, course fees are free for Scottish students. Does that loan amount include tuition fees too? Living fees aren't that much lower, definitely not by thousands of pounds.

Ah, I can see why you'd want a wee break from work. I think if you budget well and follow the buying tips from on this site then you should be OK.

Wiggynut

The_One_Who wrote: »

Yeah, course fees are free for Scottish students. Does that loan amount include tuition fees too? Living fees aren't that much lower, definitely not by thousands of pounds.

Ah, I can see why you'd want a wee break from work. I think if you budget well and follow the buying tips from on this site then you should be OK.

My tuition fees are £3,145 per year - that's slightly seperate - that gets paid directly to the Uni when I register.

nearly £10,000 just for fees for 3 years and then the loans on top! eek - I've never owed that much in my life but I guess it's the 'cheapest' loan I'll ever get!

I'm terrible with money at the moment but then I think doing something interesting will help as I'll have something to concentrate on rather than being bored, which is one way to spend money in an aimless way!

nigel1210

I've received am adults dependants grant as well as my maintence grant on my financial notification.

I phoned up the local authority and they said it is probably a mistake??

I live with my parents who are retired, and I have to pay them rent,food money etc to them each month. Would this be
covered by the maintenance grant???

Would this be classed as adults dependants? What is the criteria for an adult dependant?

Slightly confused

Wiggynut

nigel1210 wrote: »

I've received am adults dependants grant as well as my maintence grant on my financial notification.

I phoned up the local authority and they said it is probably a mistake??

I live with my parents who are retired, and I have to pay them rent,food money etc to them each month. Would this be
covered by the maintenance grant???

Would this be classed as adults dependants? What is the criteria for an adult dependant?

Slightly confused

do you parents need help/ill/can't look after themselves?
If they are able to look after themselves then you shouldn't be getting an Adults Dependence Grant - so you should get them to change that - might come and bite you later on if you don't!
rent, food etc just counts as your normal living expenses - you just get more if you lived away from 'home'.

fred_quimby

Hope someone can help. I have trawled the forums but unable to find any.

My daughter has a student loan. She now lives and works in New Zealand but moves about and changes jobs a lot. She earns very little and probably does not reach the threshold. She may even move on to Australia in the near future. How can she possibly start repaying her loan? Can SLC still chase her even if she never returns to this country?

BruceyBonus

fred_quimby wrote: »

Hope someone can help. I have trawled the forums but unable to find any.

My daughter has a student loan. She now lives and works in New Zealand but moves about and changes jobs a lot. She earns very little and probably does not reach the threshold. She may even move on to Australia in the near future. How can she possibly start repaying her loan? Can SLC still chase her even if she never returns to this country?

Details here for starting course before 1998
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/RepayingStudentLoansCoursesStartingBefore1998/DG_066238
and after 1998
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/RepayingStudentLoansCoursesStartingFrom1998/DG_10034872

fred_quimby

Many thanks. I have forwarded the link to New Zealand.

erb

My daughter applied for her first year student loans and as requested provided an estimate of her unearned income for the coming academic year starting September 2008. At the end of the application it the said she needs to provide evidence of this but as it is an estimate of income that has not even been received yet there is none.

Has anybody else had to do this and if so what evidence was acceptable?

The income will come from building society interest for a new account that will be opened in June this year and a bit from dividends from unit trusts but you don't know until after the year how much will be paid.

martin84

JustKeepSwimming wrote: »

Hi

I've just received my deferral forms again, but think I'll have to start paying it back soon as the maintenance I (finally) receive from my ex will probably put me over the monthly threshold when comined with my earnings & tax credits. I'm waiting to hear about my tax credits award, so can't do any final calculations yet. My loans are from 1993-6.

I'm confused about how I'll be paying back the loan. On my deferral forms it has my bank account details set up as a direct debit, which the SLC did use to take several payments out of during the past 3 years despite having agreed that I could defer. After several letters to them these payments were refunded back into my bank account & the deferrments continued.

I've been self employed for many years, but am now also employed on a part time basis. The lady I spoke to at SLC said I'd have to have my loan repaid via my employer & not from my own bank account - her reasoning was that I couldn't be both employed & self employed at the same time (sigh :rolleyes: ).

I would much rather the repayments went from my own account, so that I can see what is happening as I have very little faith in the SLC! Can I insist that I make repayments from my own account rather than through my employer? I doubt I'll still be with the same employer this time next year!

Thanks in advance for the advice!

you only pay through your salary if you took out a new loan after 1998. one is called mortgage style and this is prior to 1998 - is paid back through your bank account, this is the account you fill in the Deferral forms for. The other type of loan is ICR and would be this loan if you took a loan out after 1998, this is paid back through your salary if employed, or through hmrc if your self employed.
But as you said your latest loan was 1996 you should never have any deductions from hmrc or an employer.

also sent a pm