Earn upto £3,500 for 30 minutes work!!! 'Access to Learning Fund'

dmg24

Put down everything that you can, they have max figures that they will apply if they think that the figures are excessive. If you think anything looks excessive but you know that it isn't, provide an explanation and/ or evidence. My application pack was extremely thick!

I got the max award of £3.5K last time (even as a part time student), split into two payments, which I think is a good idea to help budget! x

Shazza50

Can someone please tell me how long it takes for a decision to be made for the ALF. My son has applied for this and on Friday he received his bank statements back but with no other correspondence. I really hope they give him something as he is finding it really hard and we are not in a position to help him out at the moment.

Shazza50

Just bumping this up to see if I can get a reply before bedtime:) .

Lady_K

I think it's up to 4 weeks, my daughter has applied several times as shes been to university twice now and it's been about that time between 3 - 4 weeks from when you hand in the form. They do have emergency loans but you have to go in for a face to face meeting for that. Sometimes they can give you a loan until the student loan comes etc if that helps till you get the ATL fund through. They put it straight into the bank account so he will need to keep checking as my daughters went into her account before she was informed by mail.

elisebutt65

Aaaargh!!! Why did I wait until now to realise I would run out of money - Darned ALF at Oxford Brookes has run out of money - 2 weeks after they gave my friend 3.5K!!!!!

At least Birmingham used to do it twice a year but nooooooo - OB only has one lot of money and they got rid of it all!!!!!!

GITS!!!!

Ah well- I'll just have to explain to my starving kiddies that although mummy wants to be a teacher - the bank of mum has just run dry - RAFLMOA!!!!!

melancholly

bumping up

System

I would seriously apply even if you think that your not that bad off as like I said they are desperate to give it away.

DO IT, NOW!!!

I really don't think this should be titled "Earn upto £3,500 for 30 minutes work!!! 'Access to Learning Fund'"

Why do you think they don't advertise ALF at universities?

ALF is for people in financial hardship, you should only encourage it to be used by those who need it. Not advertise it as a free-for-all.

You're encouraging students who don't need the money to apply.

melancholly

candyflossing wrote: »

You're encouraging students who don't need the money to apply.

if students apply who do not need the money, then the committee won't give it to them. applying can't do any harm and it's up to the university to decide who is really in need. most university funds don't get spent because they don't do enough to advertise it to students - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=702195&highlight=access+to+learning

since most students don't even know it exists i personally have nothing but thanks to the people on this thread who take a lot of time to give advice.

grimupnorth_2

elisebutt65 wrote: »

Aaaargh!!! Why did I wait until now to realise I would run out of money - Darned ALF at Oxford Brookes has run out of money - 2 weeks after they gave my friend 3.5K!!!!!

At least Birmingham used to do it twice a year but nooooooo - OB only has one lot of money and they got rid of it all!!!!!!

GITS!!!!

Ah well- I'll just have to explain to my starving kiddies that although mummy wants to be a teacher - the bank of mum has just run dry - RAFLMOA!!!!!

I really don't understand this. The ATLF has always been a first come first served discretionary fund. Do you expect Oxford Brookes to hold some funds back for you just in case you applied? If they had they would have been disadvantaging people who were proactive and applied sooner. I'm also willing to bet that they kept some money back for emergencies. Perhaps as your course is incredibly well funded in comparison to most, you don't qualify as an emergency.

System

melancholly wrote: »

if students apply who do not need the money, then the committee won't give it to them.

I agree, you should let people know. But just unhappy about way OP is wording it, as though to encourage people who are not in hardship to give it a try anyway.

I also agree with posters who note that this is unfair on people who are good with their money. Why should it be, that out of two students, both of whom receive the same amount of loan, the one who spends it all gets to access this fund, yet the one who saves it doesn't get a penny? It's almost like rewarding the students who spend their money the fastest.

I don't need this, but I'm sure if I applied for it and (legally) pulled the right strings I would be able to get it. In fact, I'm rather tempted to do so just to prove my point ... well, that and I'm greedy.