Considering becoming mature student but need advice on finances/living costs etc

stuarthannam

After redundancy, agency work and frustration i am looking to see if i can retrain as a teacher but will need to go to university first to get degree etc. Am 42 and my wife works almost full time but earns £18K. We have a mortgage and usual debts but have spent couple of years fine tuning them so still need some form of income to pay them on monthly basis. If i am seeking to go to university full time, what can i do about finding out about any grants/loans etc that will help with living costs. I get the part (almost) about tuition loans which you then pay back after you have graduated depending on your salary of course, but it seems a minefield to me and i dont know where to start.

Dunroamin

This would be a good place to start.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/Gettingstarted/DG_171579

Do you already have the qualifications for university entry or would you need to study to get these first?

rusty-storme

Hi,

I'm a mature student. Obviously I can only comment on my experiences and I know fees etc are changing from next year.

My partner works full time but earns under the 21k threshold which means I'm entitled to the full grant (which I don't pay back) and have got a student loan (which I will, over 15k earnings. I believe this is increased to 21k next year) I've also just got a free bursary from the college which was 10% of my course fees as I get a loan.

My course (BA Hons Graphics) is classed as full time but only 3 days a week attendence, so still time to do homework and work part time to cover the mortgage etc. You will be skint for a while but it will be worth it.

If in doubt, every college has a Student Guidance Centre and they will know what you would be entitled to.

One word of advice; my experiences of Student Finance are not the most positive :mad: so I would apply as soon as possible to give time to iron out any of thier mistakes!

Best of luck!

dizzyrascal

Will you be attending your local university? There is usually a bursary for local or commuter students. This is free and not part of your other funding. Check on the finance webpages of your university, should be under student services or similar heading. It should tell you about bursaries and it may even have an income calculator there too.
Also you can apply to charities and grants but be aware that most of these are over subscribed. Again, there might be a link on the student information webpages. They won't fund your mortgage or pay fees but might give small amounts to help with books etc. Think of these funds in the £100's of pounds, not the £1,000's and you may not be successful but it is always worth a try.

doodoot

OP, perhaps you should investigate how easy/difficult it is to get on a teacher training programme before you think about doing a degree.

GTP's are heavily over-subscribed - my area was offering 13 Secondary school places and 642 people applied this year, and my sis-in-law told me that hers had 28 Primary school places with over 300 applying for them.

(The closest school with GTP placements is 1 1/2 hour's drive away for me).

PGCE/PGDE places are even worse to get a place on - my friend recently received a letter telling him that he hasn't got a place and his interview hasn't even taken place yet...he still has to attend, but is currently on the wait-list.

Unfortunately for Bachelor graduates a lot of GTP and PGCE/PGDE placements get taken by Masters graduates, unless of course you end up getting a 1st in your degree then you're in with a chance.

stuarthannam

thank you everyone. I will need to do a foundation course to get anywhere and the university is a local one. The link is very useful, as are the comments and advice. I will contact the university to take it from there as well - its just the money side of things and paying mortgage/debts that are the holding back issue really...

Dunroamin

Have you looked at studying with the Open University? You wouldn't need to do a foundation course and could work full time whilst studying.

loobylou232

OU is the route I am taking, mostly due to the flexibility of study and finances. Start quick though OP - OU fees are also increasing but if you get on a course starting in April or May this year, you will pay the lower fees throughout your whole degree, as long as it is completed in 6 years. I start in May and can't wait!