Student grant info - where to start?

gabacabriel

Hello!

My wife is considering returning to University to study for a one year full-time masters degree - we have two young children (5 and 1 yr old) and she would be giving up here job to do the course.

We are trying to look at ways of funding the course (and pay for food, and the kids), but don't really know where to begin. Can anyone recommend a site (or sites) with grant information?

If anyone out there is an expert on such matters and would need to little more information to provide advice, please let me know :-)

vaidile

I would love to hear that too.. (:

yesican

Are you based in England or Scotland please?

You could try the student loan to part fund or pay for the full course (im not sure how it works when you're a couple though)-their no. is 0845 0262019

For grant/s,

Scotland- SAAS-Student Award Agency for Scotland (phone saas and find out 0300 3003133)

England-dont know...

If you're really struggling,apply for discretionary fund from the university which makes two payments,towards childcare(the money goes straight to the childcare pple) AND some money to you if you're struggling.I know that mine offers this,dont know about other universities though.


Hope this helps...

All the best.

agrinnall

Postgraduate students are generally expected to fund themselves, if you don't have the money saved up you might want to consider delaying the start for a year or two and saving as much as possible before then. You haven't said what the course is, if you do that people might have a better idea of whether there is any funding available from alternative sources. Is it something that relates to your wife's current job? If so, might her employer consider some sort of funding, perhaps contributing to fees?

Before I started my Masters course in 2010 I spotted a post on this forum about a guide to alternative funding, I contacted the poster who sent me the guide but I ended up not needing it. However, I've just opened it and noticed that it includes a website, I've had a look at the website and it says it has an updated funding guide. I must point out that I have no idea of the validity of anything on the website so you should check any information it provides. The site is http://www.gradfunding.co.uk/.

Hmm, having looked at the site I see they are asking you to buy the guide (£9.99 for a PDF download), if it's similiar to the one I have then it is professionally produced but you'd have to make your own decision on whether it's worth spending the money. Maybe someone who has looked at the current version could advise on how useful it is.

Oldernotwiser

yesican wrote: »

Are you based in England or Scotland please?

You could try the student loan to part fund or pay for the full course (im not sure how it works when you're a couple though)-their no. is 0845 0262019

For grant/s,

Scotland- SAAS-Student Award Agency for Scotland (phone saas and find out 0300 3003133)

England-dont know...

If you're really struggling,apply for discretionary fund from the university which makes two payments,towards childcare(the money goes straight to the childcare pple) AND some money to you if you're struggling.I know that mine offers this,dont know about other universities though.


Hope this helps...

All the best.

None of this relates to post graduate degrees.

Oldernotwiser

gabacabriel wrote: »

Hello!

My wife is considering returning to University to study for a one year full-time masters degree - we have two young children (5 and 1 yr old) and she would be giving up here job to do the course.

We are trying to look at ways of funding the course (and pay for food, and the kids), but don't really know where to begin. Can anyone recommend a site (or sites) with grant information?

If anyone out there is an expert on such matters and would need to little more information to provide advice, please let me know :-)

This would be a good way for her to start her research.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/funding_my_further_study.htm

You could also check on the Benefits Board here for advice on how your eligibility for tax credits and other benefits would change if you lost her income.