Wrong three times student finance!!

elfen

This is what I've been told. SFE are non-means testing EVERYONE's applications first, so they can ensure everyone has money for uni. Then, as they get to the financial information, they are means testing as needs be, and sending out revised declarations. You DO need to send the original non-means one in, but this won't affect how much you get, it means you'll get some until they get through the backlog.

Mj312

The student finance fiasco is a joke. I am a student going into her 2nd year in september. I have not lived with my parents for over a year and have no contact with them at all for over a year and a half.I now live with just my boyfriend who earns significantly less than my parents used to earn.After filling out all of the forms online ( I did it in April ) . I got a letter a week ago saying that my loan is assesed on my parents income, even though they have not supported me for over a year. After ringing up several times, and racking up a huge phone bill from being put on hold, i was told that even though i have no contact with my parents it was their income that was assesed because;
1) I dont have a child
2) im not married
3) im not in a civil partnership
4) im not over 25.

This is stupid as my parents do no support me so the income that does support me is my boyfriends.

Its no wonder less people apply to uni when you have to go through all this just to continue. :@

Taiko

Mj312 wrote: »

The student finance fiasco is a joke. I am a student going into her 2nd year in september. I have not lived with my parents for over a year and have no contact with them at all for over a year and a half.I now live with just my boyfriend who earns significantly less than my parents used to earn.After filling out all of the forms online ( I did it in April ) . I got a letter a week ago saying that my loan is assesed on my parents income, even though they have not supported me for over a year. After ringing up several times, and racking up a huge phone bill from being put on hold, i was told that even though i have no contact with my parents it was their income that was assesed because;
1) I dont have a child
2) im not married
3) im not in a civil partnership
4) im not over 25.

This is stupid as my parents do no support me so the income that does support me is my boyfriends.

Its no wonder less people apply to uni when you have to go through all this just to continue. :@

If you're estranged, then you'd need to provide evidence of this. However, the fact they have assessed your support on your parents information indicates you are still in contact with them. I think the only person being daft would be you tbh.

angibson

My daughter's income-assessed NHS bursary (the maximum due to my low income) plus the awarded SFE non-income assessed loan is more than £1000 LESS than the sum of the SFE full grant and SFE full loan (abated by half the full grant, as is the rule) which she would get if she didn't have an NHS bursary! There must be something wrong with this, although both NHS and SFE claim they are right. The only benefit would seem to be that NHS pays the tuition fees, but those would only be repayable after her course is over, so it's of no help during the next 4 years whilst she's at uni. Can she elect to NOT have the NHS bursary (only the tuition fee payment) and revert to getting the full SFE grant and loan package on an income assessed basis and be more than £1000 better off each year? It does seem daft that sudents on health professional courses are actually worse off as a result of getting NHS support.

Swirlywurly

angibson wrote: »

My daughter's income-assessed NHS bursary (the maximum due to my low income) plus the awarded SFE non-income assessed loan is more than £1000 LESS than the sum of the SFE full grant and SFE full loan (abated by half the full grant, as is the rule) which she would get if she didn't have an NHS bursary! There must be something wrong with this, although both NHS and SFE claim they are right. The only benefit would seem to be that NHS pays the tuition fees, but those would only be repayable after her course is over, so it's of no help during the next 4 years whilst she's at uni. Can she elect to NOT have the NHS bursary (only the tuition fee payment) and revert to getting the full SFE grant and loan package on an income assessed basis and be more than £1000 better off each year? It does seem daft that sudents on health professional courses are actually worse off as a result of getting NHS support.

I'm a medical student going into my penultimate year and i'm in exactly the same situation. Am much worse off with the NHS bursary and non-income assessed loan, plus because of my parents income my fees were already paid so I do not have that benefit through the NHS bursary (I am still under the old system so top up fees do not apply to me).

I wish someone had explained how short changed you are by the NHS bursary, I would have rather owed more money and had more breathing space during my course. I have always worked during my time at uni, but it gets increasingly difficult with placements as you go through the course.