Do I lose all benefits if I try to go to Uni?

Poppy123_2

Hello all, I've been very ill with depression and anxiety for over 10 years and I currently receive income support with sickness benefit, and housing benefit. I would really like to try to integrate into society again and go to University, but I do not know how I will cope and I'm worried if things did not work out I would have lost my benefits,and home and the stress of this would exacerbate my illness. The easy option would be to not try at all but I would like to one day have a normal semblance of life. Any advice is gratefullly received.

merlin68

Why don't you do an Open University course from home? which is fully funded. Then it doesn't matter.

mrsspendalot

Open University is a great way of testing whether you can cope with study without any risk to benefits etc. You would qualify for funding to pay your course fees if you are on benefits/low income, and you would get a grant for your study costs to buy books and paper etc.

If you complete some study with them and then decide you want to go to a 'real' university as a full time student, you may even be able to transfer any credit you gain through the OU to your chosen degree.

The OU also have really good support for ill and disabled students.

Ally_E.

Poppy123 wrote: »

Hello all, I've been very ill with depression and anxiety for over 10 years and I currently receive income support with sickness benefit, and housing benefit. I would really like to try to integrate into society again and go to University, but I do not know how I will cope and I'm worried if things did not work out I would have lost my benefits,and home and the stress of this would exacerbate my illness. The easy option would be to not try at all but I would like to one day have a normal semblance of life. Any advice is gratefullly received.

if things don't work out you can claim all your benefits again. you will not lose out.

dmg24

Ally_E. wrote: »

if things don't work out you can claim all your benefits again. you will not lose out.

This is not correct. If the OP lost their entitlement to IS, any reclaim would be for ESA. Given that she is claiming for a MH condition, she may not qualify, as the descriptors are different. A break in the HB claim could also be affected by the changes.

MummyCat123

Not sure about current legislation, but you could receive IS and HB whilst at University (4 years ago) if you were not in receipt of any Local Education Authority Student Finance. You do not pay Council Tax when in full time education, but will need a certificate of Student Status to prove this to your local council. Although, depending on your chosen course etc, there are also Institution Grants, Disability Living Allowances, and Hardship Funds/Access to Learning Funds which may or may not be taken into consideration as declared income to the DWP (seek confirmation of this).

If you choose to attend NHS Vocational Training (ie, Nursing, Midwifery etc) your Bursary will be more per month, than if you were only in receipt of LEA Student Finance for (eg) a degree in English. There is also seperate funding for a degree in Social Work.

Extra funding is available for those with Child or Adult Dependants.

Also bear in mind that whilst the NHS bursaries are paid monthly, Student Finance Maintenance Grants etc are paid 3 times over the academic year and so you are required to budget accordingly.

When you have chosen your course and institution, get in contact with the Student/Financial Support Department at the University, and your Local Education Authority dealing with Student Finance.

It is important that the University is made aware of your mental health history, as they can offer you extra emotional support, guidance and academic assistance. If you have Dyslexia, you may also receive a laptop or pc too, but this is done at the discretion of the University and quite indepth testing is common place for assessment.

With regards to course choice - I am guessing that you will be attending as a mature student who has been out of education for some time, once you have an idea of what you'd like to study, get plenty of information on the required entry requirements of the course, as NVQ's, A Levels and Vocational Access Courses will be available at your local college, lasting around 2 years in length - the cost of these courses should be totally covered as you will be in receipt of benefits at the time - though you will need to provide evidence of this to the College at Registration.

Colleges and Universities tend to embrace individuals who are returning to Education after adverse life experiences, and are extremely supportive. Embarking upon a college course in preparation for University, may be a great way of learning how you will cope with the demands and expectations of University Life.

Mc