2010/11 New Students Apply Now For Student Finance

MrsManda

Student Finance applications for new students 2010/11 have now opened.
Continuing students should be able to apply in early 2010.
Apply as soon as you can to try to avoid the chaos of this year

pinkduvetdiva

On the Directgov site, it more or less says "apply for student finance ASAP-don't wait to be accepted onto a course". I took that to mean that I could apply without waiting for any offers and applied using the details of my first choice course.
Yesterday, I entered into a debate with a member of another site that I'm a member of. She has said that you can't submit a student finance app until you have received your offer(s) and made your firm choice. I have scoured the Directgov site (both while doing my research into the application process and during this exchange) and have found nothing at all to confirm this. Can anyone clarify the position please? MTIA.

Zack1

From what I could gather from the hell that was Student Finance last year, you can apply now and put in details for whatever course you feel like, then when it comes to results day if you end up somewhere else then you have to fill out a change of circumstances form.

I only had 1 choice so just used that regardless (and still ended up somewhere else!). But basically you have the option of picking anywhere when you have no offers, just to get the income assessment etc sorted and then fix it later. Or you could put in where you are most likely to go to (even if you don’t have an offer, where you think you’ll end up) and if it stays like that you will be fine, if not then change it after results day (when you know for sure where you are going due to clearing/adjustment)

I haven’t worked out what I’m doing for next year yet so am not applying for my 2nd year yet, despite getting letters from SFE the other day

pinkduvetdiva

Thanks for the quick reply Zack-I knew I couldn't be wrong when I'd checked Directgov over and over again! The debacle last year was the whole reason that I decided to get my application in ASAP. Thanks again.

Zack1

pinkduvetdiva wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply Zack-I knew I couldn't be wrong when I'd checked Directgov over and over again! The debacle last year was the whole reason that I decided to get my application in ASAP. Thanks again.

Just remember that Student Finance can be very hopeless and I haven't got my bursary yet due to changing (I'll get it backdated apparently, and luckily I'll be ok without it), so it’s important to remember that the less interaction you have with them (change of circumstances, loan requests etc etc) the better – so if you can wait for an offer/make a very good guess as to where you’ll end up and get it all done right the first time then there is less opportunity for them to screw something up (although saying that they still screwed up my initial application last year!)

Lokolo

Zack1 wrote: »

Just remember that Student Finance can be very hopeless and I haven't got my bursary yet due to changing (I'll get it backdated apparently, and luckily I'll be ok without it), so it’s important to remember that the less interaction you have with them (change of circumstances, loan requests etc etc) the better – so if you can wait for an offer/make a very good guess as to where you’ll end up and get it all done right the first time then there is less opportunity for them to screw something up (although saying that they still screwed up my initial application last year!)

How did you apply? Paper or online?

pinkduvetdiva

Zack1 wrote: »

Just remember that Student Finance can be very hopeless and I haven't got my bursary yet due to changing (I'll get it backdated apparently, and luckily I'll be ok without it), so it’s important to remember that the less interaction you have with them (change of circumstances, loan requests etc etc) the better – so if you can wait for an offer/make a very good guess as to where you’ll end up and get it all done right the first time then there is less opportunity for them to screw something up (although saying that they still screwed up my initial application last year!)

Well my app has already been submitted for student finance. I've got 2 choices and I'm not sure I'll even accept an offer for my second choice if my first rejects me, so I may not need to contact them at all *fingers crossed*. I hope you get your bursary sorted quickly. It's madness that after one term, people still haven't received their support. But apparently 2 of the bigwigs at Student Finance have resigned - no doubt with a nice little pocket-liner to see them on their way....

Zack1

Lokolo wrote: »

How did you apply? Paper or online?

Online, btw Bursary being the University one, not the SLC grant, I got that but not the loan (that was really screwed up) but they fixed that in the end. But as SFE still seem to think I'm registered on a different course (which doesn't qualify for a uni bursary) I haven't been paid in December like everyone else, despite the fact the uni know I've moved ages ago (it was only on contacting Finance at uni to find out why I didn't get it that it turned out SFE hadn't processed my change)

pinkduvetdiva wrote: »

Well my app has already been submitted for student finance. I've got 2 choices and I'm not sure I'll even accept an offer for my second choice if my first rejects me, so I may not need to contact them at all *fingers crossed*. I hope you get your bursary sorted quickly. It's madness that after one term, people still haven't received their support. But apparently 2 of the bigwigs at Student Finance have resigned - no doubt with a nice little pocket-liner to see them on their way....

That makes it easier then. I know someone that applied for 5 and had 3 as the top choices, so just put 1 down and had to change it later on (luckily it went through ok though), obviously it's best if you can try to avoid that which it looks like you will.

Heard about top people at SFE resigning, not surprised either, their phone lines were chaos. Well the whole company was/is chaos! I've got a contract and on the bill it's sorted by call, at one time there is a whole page and a bit of the next page of is repeated calls to the SFE number in a row before I got through

MrsManda

pinkduvetdiva wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply Zack-I knew I couldn't be wrong when I'd checked Directgov over and over again! The debacle last year was the whole reason that I decided to get my application in ASAP. Thanks again.

Just to confirm, Directgov says:

Apply for finance as soon as possible: don’t wait until you’ve been accepted on a course. Put your first-choice course on your student finance application, and let Student Finance England know if it changes later.

It's under 'full time students when to apply' - see link above.

Taiko

28th Jan for continuers.

I'll try and remember to copy over the advice I'm doing on TSR.

slim_bird

Our daughter is off to uni Sept 2010 and has a conditional offer at Northumbria to do a Law degree
Have been checking out the Student finance application form.
My husband lost his job last March 2009 and decided to go self employed in June 2009. Obviously our household has taken a dip. I work and earn £25000. We have one other dependant child (9yrs old).As my husbands accounts aren't due till March 2010 it's hard to assess his income (though i do know off top my head it's not great)
The application form is asking for income for 2008/09.
If the cut off date is June 2010 shouldn't the application be assessed on earnings for 2009/10?
Any advice would be great.
Thank you